Glad that as a 56 year old, white male English teacher, RUclips is recommending your videos to me. This one was really funny. I hope your channel explodes!
I teach African American literature, so I'd heard of Iola Leroy (and I'm actually planning to teach it in a fall semester class) and Chesnutt's The Conjure Woman (I regularly teach his "The Passing of Grandison" from a different short story collection). I'm somewhat familiar with Frantz Fanon, but not the specific work you mentioned. Definitely putting The Black Tulip on my TBR; it sounds awesome. Thanks for making this video!
I read this book by Fanon in my postcoloniality class, so probably wouldn't have come across it otherwise. It's so interesting the things he talks about - the mind of the immigrant, how the people in the city of the colonial homeland see an immigrant, how you start believing or internalising the stereotypes that are placed upon you, whether you should speak your mother tongue or the language of the coloniser (French in his case) with someone from your own country. ♥
God this is such a great video. As a brazilian and knowing the “Posthumous Memories of Bras Cubas” was barely known outside of Brazil and was just translated to a Penguin Classic I was like “no way this is going to get mentioned” and then WHAT there it was. I was so eager for a booktuber to talk about Machado de Assis and this video just made my day. He is an amazing writer and I truly hope you enjoy the book!
Me, a Brazilian who read "The Black Tulip" in high school because my teacher cared: 💅 I'm looking forward to reading this edition to see how well the notes and translation hold up.
@@jdbird1989 It's definitely a college book - I read it as a freshman and there were parts I couldn't follow very well. Fanon was a psychiatrist so the language is pretty academic. Maybe check out some excerpts on Google Books to see if it might interest you?
As a teacher of brazilian literature, it makes me really happy seeing more people read and recommend Machado de Assis! The world is not ready for the gems we have in our literary canon.
my brazillian ass was screaming!!! Love machado, love this book and the first phrase.... thanks for putting a piece of our literature there! Already love your work :*)
At 0:07, that’s the moment I pressed the like button. From that on, I wanted to press it even more!! You tell the stories so beautifully. Loved that you mentioned Machado de Assis. Lots of love from Brazil 🇧🇷
As a brazilian, seeing you talking about Posthmes Memories of Bras Cubas, Machado de Assis and Brazil makes me really happy. He is, in fact, one of our most important writers. Thanks for that and thanks for spreading black writers' books and memory.
Okay so honestly I just got lucky having heard of the Dumas book and that’s only because I randomly went down a rabbit whole looking for more of his published works BUT no I haven’t heard of any of these HAHA. Every time I watch your videos I learn something new!
Lol hahah, yeah me too! Have you heard of Georges as well? Apparently the main character was mixed race, just like him and it deals with his race in some aspects (if I remember correctly) I am glad that I could show you some new books! :D
@@TheArtisanGeek I was going to ask you about Georges. The Count of Monte Cristo is one of my all-time favourite books and I found out about Georges while looking for his other books.
I'm brazilian and ngl, I was 100% expecting to not know a single one of them until you pulled up Machado - whose works always take up at least one entire lecture in high school lit. I'm always so happy to see english readers enjoying brazilian lit! Especially black brazilian lit!
i only knew Brás Cubas cause i’m brazilian hahaha you got your like! not just cause i only knew one but because you put a lot of effort into saying “Brás Cubas” in a brazilian accent
The only 2 book I knew from the list were Memórias Póstumas de Brás Cubas and Black Skin, White Mask. I love that you mentioned Machado in your list, by the way. As a Brazilian, I am immensely proud of all his work
Thanks so much for this! I'm really trying to get into more diverse books - it seems so often like white, British and American writers have a total monopoly over the industry, and like it's really difficult for anyone else to get the attention they deserve. So it's great that people like you are highlighting other great novels which might have been forgotten and deserve to be heard about. I'll definitely add some of these books to my Lockdown reading queue!
Yes exactly! I mean even thinking about classics I feel like our instant thoughts are people like Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Charles Dickens etc. And there's so much amazing literature that is just as deserving of attention as those other books. I'm glad I could help add to your TBR - happy reading! :D
aaah Machado de Assis! It's the first time I've heard someone talk about him on booktube :) loved this video, thank you so much for the recommendations!
I'm so happy for Machado de Assis been presented in your list, as a Brazilian, i can say how important is to see our most important writter been reconized
The intro was awesome- love the suspenders! As a librarian, I do have to "convince" people that Dumas was black, which always surprises people. I hadn't heard of "The Black Tulip," but I will definitely look to add it to my institution's collection when I can. P.S.- Are you a Whovian?
@El_fantasma_ loco Well, don't let it be a burden :) a lot of French people don't know it either, it's always weird to speak to huge racists people whom be like "no classic artist were black, look Hugo, Dumas" and that you're like, yes, Dumas was black you stupid idiot" ^^' And thanks for the english title of "Les trois mousquetaires", I didn't know the spelling !
I'm Brazilian and I absolutely LOVED how you mentioned Machado de Assis. if you enjoy his work and would like to explore more Brazilian black authors, I really recommend Lima Barreto (I just don't know if his books have been translated yet). as for black Brazilian women, Carolina de Jesus and Conceição Evaristo are great! thank you for this video 💛
Me: Haha my parents played all the black hits and oldies when I was young. Try me! Me: Ignores all the books in the background and doesn’t open the description box Me after she pulls out a book: Oh. Classic books... Subscribing because apparently I need to read more.
You have a gift of entertaining while educating. I had heard of Frantz Fannon and saw and excellent documentary years ago on Black Skin, White Masks. Based upon your reading of The Portable Nineteenth-Century African American Women Writers I have placed this on hold at my library.
The intro to this was so good I was dying omg. Your channel has quickly become one of my absolute favorites. Your inclusion of world literature is so impactful and so important for the book community imo. I only knew of Black Skin White Masks because we had to read portions of it for one of my theatre classes in college, but none of the rest. Thank you for your videos, Seji 💙
Thank you for those fantastic recommendations! The Posthumous Memoirs of Bras Cubas was recommended to me just the other day, and your discussion of it just makes me want to read it more so I'm bumping it up the TBR. The premise just sounds wild.
Thank you for the great recommendations. As a Caribbean woman, I am a big fan of Fanon’s work. I also recommend The Wretched of the Earth by Frantz Fanon. This is the best moment to read it. 💚 Greetings from Puerto Rico. 🇵🇷 Great content as usual. 📚🤟
The tulip craze is my favorite time in history and I cannot wait to read The Black Tulip. It has been on my TBR alone with The Count of Monte Christo forever.
you had me at "dedicated to the worms gnawing at his corpse". classics are forever the glaring hole in my reading habits, so i'm excited to learn about all these books. i keep thinking i know which one I want to start with first, but then get distracted by how good another book on the list sounds, only to get distracted by another book...and so on
I'm Brazilian and I love Machado de Assis! I've read a lot of his books, and Brás Cubas is some of his best work. Dom Casmurro is my favorite, but his oeuvre is just... mwah!
You're amazing at reading poetry!! The Frances Harper poem was beautiful, adding Iola Leroy to my tbr! Awesome video! The Three Musketeers is one of my all time favourite books so I had heard of The Black Tulip, but I haven't read it (yet!), and I hadn't heard of any others
Yeah I will be reading it reeeally soon, recently bought a penguin magazine that continued an analysis of the book, so should be fun to read that one as well afterwards and discuss it :D
The glasses were such a perfect touch in the intro "You haven't even seen my final form" ds;ljasdf;j. I'm trying to imagine spending ~50,000 on a Tulip and honestly cannot. That's wild. I only knew Dumas' greatest hits, so you definitely got me right out the gate. The Posthumous Memoir of Brás Cubas sounds so good and very wry. Might have to get that one next, and make sure it has the notes. Looking forward to your review video! Never heard of the Conjure Woman either! Thank you for bringing it to my attention. I love when writers, and then publishers, preserve folk tales. I was trying to think of where I'd heard of Black Skin, White masks, but I suppose it was from you!
Hhahaha lmao 😂 Imagine having 50K euros just to blow on a darn flower -- crazy! I'm so glad this video could have been of use to you :D I'm really looking forward to giving these books a go :)
My poor brazilian heart is full with joy when you mentioned Machado de Assis, and is the second brazilian book you show in your channel (I love Jorge Amado's work!), so yes, you are THE QUEEN!
The intro! The poem recitation! The research - the information you give us about the backstories of the books! You’re incredible, as always! I definitely want to check out The Posthumous Memoirs of Brás Cubas.
I've been in a classic mood, so this came at the perfect time! I have only read one of your suggestions, so you got yourself a subscriber, a like, and someone who is adding loads of books to their TBR 😄
You are a breath of beautiful, fresh air! Brilliant, charming, delightful, talented. I subscribed immediately. I have read Black Tulip and Fanon. All others will be on my TBR!
As you were describing "The Posthumous Memoir of Brás Cubas", I was stricken by how it seemed so familiar - I did a quick peek at the Gutenberg link, and I realized that's because I read it under a different name: "Epitaph of a Small Winner"! This was such a neat video, and the opening part was just so much fun. I am so excited to check out the books I'd never heard of, and thank you so much for providing links to where we can buy copies!
I had only heard of two of these classics before watching your video, and now I’m searching furiously through my library for my copy of Black Skin, White Masks. And I love Dumas but only just in your video heard of The Black Tulip!! Thank you for this video.
This is the first video I'm seeing from your channel and seeing you carefully analyze and give informed descriptions of history, literature, and society in such a beautiful way, let alone that this video is about CLASSICS (my favorite genre) makes this channel immediately my favorite!
You are the only person speaking in an academic manner that I can really follow consistently. Your pronunciation and pacing just makes it so easy to understand. Also love your humour :D And I loved these recs, I'm going to be reading Black Skin, White Mask soon.
I actually know Black Skin, White Masks because Olly of Philosophy Tube used it as a source in one of his newer videos! Also The Conjure Woman sounds really interesting, I definitely am going to check all these out. Just found your channel recently and so glad I did, can't wait to see more from you!
Aaaa I’m so happy you talked about Machado de Assis! It’s so weird cuz we grow up hearing about him all the time in class and you guys have never heard of him, which makes sense but it’s still weird lol
I have not heard of any of these. I haven't read much in the past several years and I'm finally starting to get back into it. I will be looking into some of these for sure. The ones that peaked my interest the most are, The Black Tulip, The Conjure Woman, and Black Skin White masks. Thanks for these wonderful suggestions!!
I am so excited about all of these classics! Thank you so much for sharing. I've been taking a course on theatres of resistance, and Franz Fanon has been on my radar for a little while because of it. We've specifically read excerpts from The Wretched of the Earth, but I plan on picking up Black Skin, White Masks as soon as possible. My prof speaks VERY highly of it! Your introduction to this video is also 😗👌incredible. And your poetry reading! So charming!
Oh that's amazing! I'm trying to read more non-fiction on race and Fanon has just been an amazing find, really excited to explore his work on the channel in the future :) And thank you very much, I'm glad you enjoyed the video :D
You're detrimental to my TBR list! I knew of the Black Tulip because my mom loves Dumas' work, with her I read The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers when I was little and I love them both. I'm particularly interested in Machado Assis' work; I'm Colombian and it's surprising how little I know of the literary tradition and canon in Brazil. Looking forward to reading all your recommendations!
You are my style icon but I could never pull it off like you. I will just continue to admire from afar. Also I love this video and the way you introduced it like YES
Great video! I am a teacher and I love sharing Black History with my students. I hadn't heard of any of these books and can't wait to read them over the summer!
i’ve just discovered your channel and I already love it. As a black avid reader i’m thrilled to have found a like minded individual whos content i can enjoy. keep making amazing content i look forward to it all!!! 💜
I've read Black Skin, White Masks and The Conjure Woman, I have Bras Cubas and The Black Tulip on my computer waiting to be read, and I've heard of Cyprian Ekwensi but never anything specific by him. Thank you for Iola Leroy, that one's totally new to me and I'm really looking forward to it. Wonderful video, it always makes me happy to see videos about books that don't just focus on the things everyone's already heard of.
Love the history thrown in with these classic books. You are correct that I've not read these books and now have some new books to add to my TBR. While I did know of Dumas, it was definitely for the Three Musketeers. I'm especially interested in The Black Tulip and The Conjure Woman. I also appreciate the links to these books. Watkins-Harper's poem was fantastic and easily could be turned into a beautiful song. Thanks SO much for sharing these books that are not as visible as classics like Shakespeare, Austen, Dickens, or Alcott.
AHA! I definitely one of these!! Read The Posthumous Memoir of Brás Cubas, as it was a compulsory read from highschool over here in Brazil and honestly I loved it!! Excited for you to read that one!
I am Brazilian and seeing how you talk about Machado de Assis makes me so happy, I love his books! Thank you so much for all the recommendations :) you are the best
I only heard one of these books before (The Black Tulip), and was so happy to find this video because I've been thinking for a while about reading more classics by Black and nonwhite authors, as they tend not to get talked about in the classics community (especially from the 19th century.). And omg I love your outfit in this video, subscribed immediately!!
You were totally right! Black tulip sounded a bit familiar because of being a Dutchie and doing a research on the tulpenmanie. Love these recommendations!
i don't know if it's possible to love a channel too much but I think you are my favorite BookTuber I've ever watched! I love how you talk abut books and the sorts of books you discuss yes yes I must pick up many if not all of these!
Ooo!!! I am so excited to check these out. I have heard of one and unfortunately read none. They all sound so amazing. Also, I love hearing you read poetry. You’ve got such incredible pacing and delivery. Thank you for posting.
Ah! Amazing!! Love the care to consider the translator of Brás Cubas and recommend this edition!! I grew up in BRA and love Machado de Assis, played around with looking for diff translations but didn’t have much luck before but now... THANK YOU!! The way you talked about Franz Fanon’s Black Skin, White Masks made me go BING gotta read it 🙀
This challenge slayed me; I hadn't heard of a single one! So excited to read some of these. And I'm going to echo the hundreds of other voices here by saying your intro was brilliant! I have honestly never subscribed so fast to a new channel I stumbled upon. CanNOT wait to watch more of your videos!
omg I'm so happy I found your channel! I've been watching your videos for the past two hours and all of sudden I bumped into this one where you mention Machado de Assis, the author who was so remarkable in my teenage years. Thank you!!!
Let’s see i got 2/6 for book titles and knew 4/6 authors. I’m so incredibly grateful for this list!! Particularly excited for that upcoming review of the anthology of African American women writers in the 19th century. Thank you so much for this amazingly helpful and fun video! (Also I’m obsessed with those sunglasses)
Glad to have found your channel! I love Machado de Assis' writing, and Bras Cubas is one of my cornerstone novels. It is such a joy to read in Portuguese, so I hope this new translation does it justice. Hope you enjoy it as well!
Thank you for the video. I read Black Skins White Masks some years ago. The others are completely new to me. I'm looking forward to reading The Posthumous Memoir of Brás Cubas and The Black Tulip.
I knew 2! I just finished a module on Black literature for my university and the professor had mentioned both Iola Leroy and Conjure Woman. People of the City sounds really cool and I'll definitely check it out. Thanks for the awesome reccomendations!
I'm sooo glad that Machado de Assis is becoming more known in the English speaking world! I'm sure you'll love the book! If you're interested, that are a lot of other black and mixed-race authors from Brazil that you should totally check out (I mean... and Brazilian Literature in general haha). PS: I'm loving your videos!! Greetings from Brazil!
Thank you for this video. I've added your suggestions to my TBR list. I recently purchased another classic written by the Nigerian author, Chinua Achebe, titled, Things Fall Apart. I'm interested in any literature that highlights that black people have a history that extends further than just slavery and colonialism. They are many African royal lineages to learn about. Keep passing on the great books you come across. Thanks, again!
Oh my god, The Black Tulip talk got me SO excited to put it on my TBR. Also, you're Dutch?! I've been lurking on your channel for a couple of days but this is just IT for me. Time to binge watch your entire channel lol
I am an literature student and I knew none of these so thank you so much for making this important video ❤️ I will definitely be adding these to my TBR.
This is a wonderful list - thank you! I had only heard of the Dumas one because of a timeline of his life/works in my copy of Count of Monte Cristo 😅 It really goes to show how much black authors are not discussed in literature classes.
I was a bit angry at first that you assume that we didn't know black classics but then I realized that I didn't know any of black classics you mentioned and I love Dumas so here's your upvote and thank you for the book knowledge and for my adding to my reading list. Your reading of the poem was beautiful as well.
Her: *Walks in with an oversized blazer and sunglasses*
Me: *subscribes*
Me: same
Same!!!!!
same
Haha! Same!
Basically
I LOVE YOU SO MUCH. THE INTRO WAS EVERYTHING "you haven't even seen my final form"
Hahahah!! 😂
SOON... 🥴
I think that is how I picture Hermione Granger from now on
"You all haven't even seen my final form."
Takes off blazer to reveal suspenders. ICONIC.
in short, we have to stan even harder than before (and take the walk of shame for not winning this challenge 😒)
iLivieforbooks hahaha 😂😂😂
hahaha I agreeeeee
Glad that as a 56 year old, white male English teacher, RUclips is recommending your videos to me. This one was really funny. I hope your channel explodes!
I teach African American literature, so I'd heard of Iola Leroy (and I'm actually planning to teach it in a fall semester class) and Chesnutt's The Conjure Woman (I regularly teach his "The Passing of Grandison" from a different short story collection). I'm somewhat familiar with Frantz Fanon, but not the specific work you mentioned.
Definitely putting The Black Tulip on my TBR; it sounds awesome. Thanks for making this video!
Same about Fanon... def picking it up
I read this book by Fanon in my postcoloniality class, so probably wouldn't have come across it otherwise. It's so interesting the things he talks about - the mind of the immigrant, how the people in the city of the colonial homeland see an immigrant, how you start believing or internalising the stereotypes that are placed upon you, whether you should speak your mother tongue or the language of the coloniser (French in his case) with someone from your own country. ♥
Going to add all these to my tbr as well!
God this is such a great video. As a brazilian and knowing the “Posthumous Memories of Bras Cubas” was barely known outside of Brazil and was just translated to a Penguin Classic I was like “no way this is going to get mentioned” and then WHAT there it was. I was so eager for a booktuber to talk about Machado de Assis and this video just made my day. He is an amazing writer and I truly hope you enjoy the book!
também fiquei super feliz
Sim!!
Você já ouviu falar do canal Better Than Food? Ele tem uns vídeos falando sobre livros de autores brasileiros!
@@luiza3289 nossa que o algoritimo tem jogado o canal dele nos meus recomendados o tempo todo, vou ter que acabar dando uma chance kkkk
Simmmmmm
I am so glad I found your channel! My 91 year old, overly educated grandmother 👵🏽 is very impressed by you. That is a tough approval to get!
Wow I feel incredibly honoured!! 🥰🥰
"dedicated to the worms gnawing at his corpse" I've never bought a book so fast
That intro was EVERYTHING! had me actually laughing out loud.
Ah thank you!! I'm glad to hear it! :D
As a brazilian, is very nice to see people all around the world reading Machado de Assis. Here in Brazil, we read this book in High School.
Me, a Brazilian who read "The Black Tulip" in high school because my teacher cared: 💅
I'm looking forward to reading this edition to see how well the notes and translation hold up.
Hahah lol 😂
Do let me know your thoughts if you end up getting a hold of it! :)
I read Black Skin, White Masks in college and it changed my life. So much insight about colonialism, which was really helpful to me as a South Asian.
Can a beginner easily read and understand this?
@@jdbird1989 It's definitely a college book - I read it as a freshman and there were parts I couldn't follow very well. Fanon was a psychiatrist so the language is pretty academic. Maybe check out some excerpts on Google Books to see if it might interest you?
@@tcookie Thanks🌼
I thought I wouldn't know a single book in the list but when u said Machado I SCREAMED I'm so happy he is getting recognized outside of brazil
As a teacher of brazilian literature, it makes me really happy seeing more people read and recommend Machado de Assis! The world is not ready for the gems we have in our literary canon.
That was an absolutely beautiful poetry reading. Thank you. Too many people read poetry flat and with no emotion. Your reading was refreshing.
my brazillian ass was screaming!!! Love machado, love this book and the first phrase.... thanks for putting a piece of our literature there! Already love your work :*)
At 0:07, that’s the moment I pressed the like button. From that on, I wanted to press it even more!! You tell the stories so beautifully. Loved that you mentioned Machado de Assis. Lots of love from Brazil 🇧🇷
As a brazilian, seeing you talking about Posthmes Memories of Bras Cubas, Machado de Assis and Brazil makes me really happy. He is, in fact, one of our most important writers. Thanks for that and thanks for spreading black writers' books and memory.
Okay so honestly I just got lucky having heard of the Dumas book and that’s only because I randomly went down a rabbit whole looking for more of his published works BUT no I haven’t heard of any of these HAHA. Every time I watch your videos I learn something new!
Lol hahah, yeah me too! Have you heard of Georges as well? Apparently the main character was mixed race, just like him and it deals with his race in some aspects (if I remember correctly) I am glad that I could show you some new books! :D
@@TheArtisanGeek I was going to ask you about Georges. The Count of Monte Cristo is one of my all-time favourite books and I found out about Georges while looking for his other books.
I'm brazilian and ngl, I was 100% expecting to not know a single one of them until you pulled up Machado - whose works always take up at least one entire lecture in high school lit. I'm always so happy to see english readers enjoying brazilian lit! Especially black brazilian lit!
You're SO good at reading poetry. It was a good reminder that poetry, like plays, are meant to be experienced and performed and not just read.
This whole video is why you're my favourite booktuber
Ah thank you!! xx
I’m scared to see your final form but also... bring it
i only knew Brás Cubas cause i’m brazilian hahaha you got your like! not just cause i only knew one but because you put a lot of effort into saying “Brás Cubas” in a brazilian accent
The only 2 book I knew from the list were Memórias Póstumas de Brás Cubas and Black Skin, White Mask. I love that you mentioned Machado in your list, by the way. As a Brazilian, I am immensely proud of all his work
Thanks so much for this! I'm really trying to get into more diverse books - it seems so often like white, British and American writers have a total monopoly over the industry, and like it's really difficult for anyone else to get the attention they deserve. So it's great that people like you are highlighting other great novels which might have been forgotten and deserve to be heard about. I'll definitely add some of these books to my Lockdown reading queue!
Yes exactly! I mean even thinking about classics I feel like our instant thoughts are people like Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Charles Dickens etc. And there's so much amazing literature that is just as deserving of attention as those other books. I'm glad I could help add to your TBR - happy reading! :D
As a Brazilian, I must say IM IMPRESSED OMG MACHADO DE ASSIS, I STAN A QUEEN.
So many amazing books! And, as a Brazilian, seeing Machado de Assis in your list just made my day!
I love when you read poetry aloud. Absolutely beautiful.
Thank you very much!! :D
aaah Machado de Assis! It's the first time I've heard someone talk about him on booktube :)
loved this video, thank you so much for the recommendations!
Thank you so much!! Yeah I have become super interesting in him and his work the last few months :)
@@TheArtisanGeek we Brazilians have classes of Machado de Assis in the school and it's awesome see someone of other countries talking about him ❤️
I'm so happy for Machado de Assis been presented in your list, as a Brazilian, i can say how important is to see our most important writter been reconized
The intro was awesome- love the suspenders! As a librarian, I do have to "convince" people that Dumas was black, which always surprises people. I hadn't heard of "The Black Tulip," but I will definitely look to add it to my institution's collection when I can. P.S.- Are you a Whovian?
@El_fantasma_ loco Well, don't let it be a burden :) a lot of French people don't know it either, it's always weird to speak to huge racists people whom be like "no classic artist were black, look Hugo, Dumas" and that you're like, yes, Dumas was black you stupid idiot" ^^'
And thanks for the english title of "Les trois mousquetaires", I didn't know the spelling !
I love how passionately you read the Watkins poem!!
We have no choice but to stan
I'm Brazilian and I absolutely LOVED how you mentioned Machado de Assis. if you enjoy his work and would like to explore more Brazilian black authors, I really recommend Lima Barreto (I just don't know if his books have been translated yet). as for black Brazilian women, Carolina de Jesus and Conceição Evaristo are great! thank you for this video 💛
Me: Haha my parents played all the black hits and oldies when I was young. Try me!
Me: Ignores all the books in the background and doesn’t open the description box
Me after she pulls out a book: Oh. Classic books...
Subscribing because apparently I need to read more.
i lowkey expected you to have another pair of glasses under 1st ones lol
love your intros so much
You have a gift of entertaining while educating. I had heard of Frantz Fannon and saw and excellent documentary years ago on Black Skin, White Masks. Based upon your reading of The Portable Nineteenth-Century African American Women Writers I have placed this on hold at my library.
The intro to this was so good I was dying omg. Your channel has quickly become one of my absolute favorites. Your inclusion of world literature is so impactful and so important for the book community imo. I only knew of Black Skin White Masks because we had to read portions of it for one of my theatre classes in college, but none of the rest. Thank you for your videos, Seji 💙
Thank you for those fantastic recommendations! The Posthumous Memoirs of Bras Cubas was recommended to me just the other day, and your discussion of it just makes me want to read it more so I'm bumping it up the TBR. The premise just sounds wild.
Thank you for the great recommendations. As a Caribbean woman, I am a big fan of Fanon’s work. I also recommend The Wretched of the Earth by Frantz Fanon. This is the best moment to read it. 💚 Greetings from Puerto Rico. 🇵🇷 Great content as usual. 📚🤟
I actually adore your channel. I just recently discovered it and you are truly a beautiful and intelligent gem.
The tulip craze is my favorite time in history and I cannot wait to read The Black Tulip. It has been on my TBR alone with The Count of Monte Christo forever.
you had me at "dedicated to the worms gnawing at his corpse". classics are forever the glaring hole in my reading habits, so i'm excited to learn about all these books. i keep thinking i know which one I want to start with first, but then get distracted by how good another book on the list sounds, only to get distracted by another book...and so on
I'm Brazilian and I love Machado de Assis! I've read a lot of his books, and Brás Cubas is some of his best work. Dom Casmurro is my favorite, but his oeuvre is just... mwah!
Definitely putting some of these on my TBR list. I'm trying to introduce more classics into my library. I don’t know why I struggle so much with them.
You're amazing at reading poetry!! The Frances Harper poem was beautiful, adding Iola Leroy to my tbr! Awesome video! The Three Musketeers is one of my all time favourite books so I had heard of The Black Tulip, but I haven't read it (yet!), and I hadn't heard of any others
the amount of Brazilians in the comments! being one myself I could like to say YOU’RE AMAZING and thank you for such awesome content
Hi Seji, I have The Black Tulip on my shelves, as yet unread. I’ll have to get round to it now, sounds good
Yeah I will be reading it reeeally soon, recently bought a penguin magazine that continued an analysis of the book, so should be fun to read that one as well afterwards and discuss it :D
The glasses were such a perfect touch in the intro "You haven't even seen my final form" ds;ljasdf;j.
I'm trying to imagine spending ~50,000 on a Tulip and honestly cannot. That's wild. I only knew Dumas' greatest hits, so you definitely got me right out the gate.
The Posthumous Memoir of Brás Cubas sounds so good and very wry. Might have to get that one next, and make sure it has the notes.
Looking forward to your review video!
Never heard of the Conjure Woman either! Thank you for bringing it to my attention. I love when writers, and then publishers, preserve folk tales.
I was trying to think of where I'd heard of Black Skin, White masks, but I suppose it was from you!
Hhahaha lmao 😂
Imagine having 50K euros just to blow on a darn flower -- crazy! I'm so glad this video could have been of use to you :D I'm really looking forward to giving these books a go :)
My poor brazilian heart is full with joy when you mentioned Machado de Assis, and is the second brazilian book you show in your channel (I love Jorge Amado's work!), so yes, you are THE QUEEN!
The intro! The poem recitation! The research - the information you give us about the backstories of the books! You’re incredible, as always! I definitely want to check out The Posthumous Memoirs of Brás Cubas.
OMG I’m so happy that you included Machado de Assis in your list
I've been in a classic mood, so this came at the perfect time! I have only read one of your suggestions, so you got yourself a subscriber, a like, and someone who is adding loads of books to their TBR 😄
You are a breath of beautiful, fresh air! Brilliant, charming, delightful, talented. I subscribed immediately. I have read Black Tulip and Fanon. All others will be on my TBR!
Why thank you very much!! I'm so happy to hear that!! :D
As you were describing "The Posthumous Memoir of Brás Cubas", I was stricken by how it seemed so familiar - I did a quick peek at the Gutenberg link, and I realized that's because I read it under a different name: "Epitaph of a Small Winner"! This was such a neat video, and the opening part was just so much fun. I am so excited to check out the books I'd never heard of, and thank you so much for providing links to where we can buy copies!
I had only heard of two of these classics before watching your video, and now I’m searching furiously through my library for my copy of Black Skin, White Masks. And I love Dumas but only just in your video heard of The Black Tulip!! Thank you for this video.
This is the first video I'm seeing from your channel and seeing you carefully analyze and give informed descriptions of history, literature, and society in such a beautiful way, let alone that this video is about CLASSICS (my favorite genre) makes this channel immediately my favorite!
You are the only person speaking in an academic manner that I can really follow consistently. Your pronunciation and pacing just makes it so easy to understand.
Also love your humour :D
And I loved these recs, I'm going to be reading Black Skin, White Mask soon.
Hahaha, You started with the black tulip, and I was like, "this is easy, I have even read that!" and then it went downhill from there.
I actually know Black Skin, White Masks because Olly of Philosophy Tube used it as a source in one of his newer videos! Also The Conjure Woman sounds really interesting, I definitely am going to check all these out. Just found your channel recently and so glad I did, can't wait to see more from you!
your style is so impeccable in every video your outfits amaze me (and this intro was everythingggg)
Aaaa I’m so happy you talked about Machado de Assis! It’s so weird cuz we grow up hearing about him all the time in class and you guys have never heard of him, which makes sense but it’s still weird lol
I have not heard of any of these. I haven't read much in the past several years and I'm finally starting to get back into it. I will be looking into some of these for sure. The ones that peaked my interest the most are, The Black Tulip, The Conjure Woman, and Black Skin White masks. Thanks for these wonderful suggestions!!
I am so excited about all of these classics! Thank you so much for sharing. I've been taking a course on theatres of resistance, and Franz Fanon has been on my radar for a little while because of it. We've specifically read excerpts from The Wretched of the Earth, but I plan on picking up Black Skin, White Masks as soon as possible. My prof speaks VERY highly of it!
Your introduction to this video is also 😗👌incredible. And your poetry reading! So charming!
Oh that's amazing! I'm trying to read more non-fiction on race and Fanon has just been an amazing find, really excited to explore his work on the channel in the future :) And thank you very much, I'm glad you enjoyed the video :D
You're detrimental to my TBR list! I knew of the Black Tulip because my mom loves Dumas' work, with her I read The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers when I was little and I love them both. I'm particularly interested in Machado Assis' work; I'm Colombian and it's surprising how little I know of the literary tradition and canon in Brazil. Looking forward to reading all your recommendations!
You are my style icon but I could never pull it off like you. I will just continue to admire from afar. Also I love this video and the way you introduced it like YES
Great video! I am a teacher and I love sharing Black History with my students. I hadn't heard of any of these books and can't wait to read them over the summer!
i’ve just discovered your channel and I already love it. As a black avid reader i’m thrilled to have found a like minded individual whos content i can enjoy. keep making amazing content i look forward to it all!!! 💜
I've read Black Skin, White Masks and The Conjure Woman, I have Bras Cubas and The Black Tulip on my computer waiting to be read, and I've heard of Cyprian Ekwensi but never anything specific by him. Thank you for Iola Leroy, that one's totally new to me and I'm really looking forward to it. Wonderful video, it always makes me happy to see videos about books that don't just focus on the things everyone's already heard of.
Love the history thrown in with these classic books. You are correct that I've not read these books and now have some new books to add to my TBR. While I did know of Dumas, it was definitely for the Three Musketeers. I'm especially interested in The Black Tulip and The Conjure Woman. I also appreciate the links to these books. Watkins-Harper's poem was fantastic and easily could be turned into a beautiful song. Thanks SO much for sharing these books that are not as visible as classics like Shakespeare, Austen, Dickens, or Alcott.
AHA! I definitely one of these!! Read The Posthumous Memoir of Brás Cubas, as it was a compulsory read from highschool over here in Brazil and honestly I loved it!! Excited for you to read that one!
I am Brazilian and seeing how you talk about Machado de Assis makes me so happy, I love his books! Thank you so much for all the recommendations :) you are the best
I only heard one of these books before (The Black Tulip), and was so happy to find this video because I've been thinking for a while about reading more classics by Black and nonwhite authors, as they tend not to get talked about in the classics community (especially from the 19th century.). And omg I love your outfit in this video, subscribed immediately!!
You were totally right! Black tulip sounded a bit familiar because of being a Dutchie and doing a research on the tulpenmanie. Love these recommendations!
i don't know if it's possible to love a channel too much but I think you are my favorite BookTuber I've ever watched! I love how you talk abut books and the sorts of books you discuss yes yes I must pick up many if not all of these!
Ooo!!! I am so excited to check these out. I have heard of one and unfortunately read none. They all sound so amazing. Also, I love hearing you read poetry. You’ve got such incredible pacing and delivery. Thank you for posting.
Ah! Amazing!! Love the care to consider the translator of Brás Cubas and recommend this edition!! I grew up in BRA and love Machado de Assis, played around with looking for diff translations but didn’t have much luck before but now... THANK YOU!! The way you talked about Franz Fanon’s Black Skin, White Masks made me go BING gotta read it 🙀
This challenge slayed me; I hadn't heard of a single one! So excited to read some of these. And I'm going to echo the hundreds of other voices here by saying your intro was brilliant! I have honestly never subscribed so fast to a new channel I stumbled upon. CanNOT wait to watch more of your videos!
omg I'm so happy I found your channel! I've been watching your videos for the past two hours and all of sudden I bumped into this one where you mention Machado de Assis, the author who was so remarkable in my teenage years. Thank you!!!
You got me. I hit the like button (I was going to anyway).
Let’s see i got 2/6 for book titles and knew 4/6 authors. I’m so incredibly grateful for this list!! Particularly excited for that upcoming review of the anthology of African American women writers in the 19th century. Thank you so much for this amazingly helpful and fun video!
(Also I’m obsessed with those sunglasses)
Yay! Thanks so much for watching, I'm glad you found the list useful :) And I'm so excited for the anthology review as well! :D
THANK YOU! I hope you may consider coming on the Second Life Book Club sometime!
Glad to have found your channel! I love Machado de Assis' writing, and Bras Cubas is one of my cornerstone novels. It is such a joy to read in Portuguese, so I hope this new translation does it justice. Hope you enjoy it as well!
Best RUclips video entrance I've ever seen. Thank the RUclips gods for your video showing up in my suggested videos.
I just started this video and it has ALL OF THE VIBES!!! What a queen. Subscribed.
I've never seen someone raise one eyebrow so powerfully
Thank you for the video. I read Black Skins White Masks some years ago. The others are completely new to me. I'm looking forward to reading The Posthumous Memoir of Brás Cubas and The Black Tulip.
I knew 2! I just finished a module on Black literature for my university and the professor had mentioned both Iola Leroy and Conjure Woman. People of the City sounds really cool and I'll definitely check it out. Thanks for the awesome reccomendations!
After seeing you have Machado de Assis in you list I will definitely read the other books you commented.
👏👏👏
I'm sooo glad that Machado de Assis is becoming more known in the English speaking world! I'm sure you'll love the book! If you're interested, that are a lot of other black and mixed-race authors from Brazil that you should totally check out (I mean... and Brazilian Literature in general haha). PS: I'm loving your videos!! Greetings from Brazil!
Thank you for this video. I've added your suggestions to my TBR list. I recently purchased another classic written by the Nigerian author, Chinua Achebe, titled, Things Fall Apart.
I'm interested in any literature that highlights that black people have a history that extends further than just slavery and colonialism. They are many African royal lineages to learn about. Keep passing on the great books you come across. Thanks, again!
Oh my god, The Black Tulip talk got me SO excited to put it on my TBR. Also, you're Dutch?! I've been lurking on your channel for a couple of days but this is just IT for me. Time to binge watch your entire channel lol
Yes, that one is at the top of my tbr! And yes I am Dutch indeed ;) Thank you so much for watching - very happy to hear that you enjoy my content! :D
I am an literature student and I knew none of these so thank you so much for making this important video ❤️ I will definitely be adding these to my TBR.
This is a wonderful list - thank you! I had only heard of the Dumas one because of a timeline of his life/works in my copy of Count of Monte Cristo 😅 It really goes to show how much black authors are not discussed in literature classes.
I hadn't heard of any of these and I will definitely check them out! Thanks so much for sharing!
I was a bit angry at first that you assume that we didn't know black classics but then I realized that I didn't know any of black classics you mentioned and I love Dumas so here's your upvote and thank you for the book knowledge and for my adding to my reading list. Your reading of the poem was beautiful as well.
I didn’t know any of these but based on your recommendation, I want to read all of them.
yay!! so happy to hear that!! :)