Welcome to Malvern Books’ Club: Reading Classics from New York Review Books, hosted (on most occasions) by Malvern’s own curmudgeon-in-chief, Dr. Joe. Everyone is invited to join us for what we’re sure will be a series of irreverent and insightful conversations.

Our May selection is The Unknown Masterpiece by Honoré de Balzac, the story of a painter who, depending on one’s perspective, is either an abject failure or a transcendental genius—or both. The story has served as an inspiration to artists as various as Cézanne, Henry James, Picasso, and New Wave director Jacques Rivette. Please note: The Unknown Masterpiece appears, as Balzac intended, with Gambara, a tragic novella about a musician undone by his dreams—we’ll be reading and discussing both works!

The hero of The Unknown Masterpiece, Frenhofer, is one of Balzac’s archetypal artists…. —The Washington Post

The greatest novelist of the nineteenth century and perhaps of all time. —The New York Times

The NYRB Classics series started in 1999 with the publication of A High Wind in Jamaica and by the end of this year over 400 titles will be in print—so we have plenty of excellent reading material to choose from. The series includes nineteenth-century and experimental novels, reportage and belles lettres, established classics and cult favorites, and literature high, low, unsuspected, and unheard of. Literature in translation also constitutes a major part of the NYRB Classics series, including new translations of canonical figures such as Euripides, Aeschylus, Dante, Balzac, Nietzsche, and Chekhov, as well as fresh translations of Stefan Zweig, Robert Walser, Alberto Moravia, and Curzio Malaparte, among others.

How it works:

Stop by Malvern Books to sign up and you’ll receive a 10% discount off the title! Read the book and then come to the meeting prepared with either a question or specific passage to discuss with the group. We’ll look forward to seeing you on May 6th.