Friday Links, February 23, 2018

What great books influence great book-writers? We have some idea, at least with Tolstoy. "A Russian publisher had asked 2,000 professors, scholars, artists, and men of letters, public figures, and other luminaries to name the books important to them, and Tolstoy responded with this list divided into five ages of man, with their actual degree of influence ('enormous,' 'v. great,' or merely 'great') noted."

Bradley Birzer reviews a collection of Flannery O'Connor's book reviews. "As O’Connor reviewed, she personally built up a solid base and understanding of the Christian Humanist movement, as is clear from the latter reviews, many of which follow threads and continuities of the previous works and authors considered. Her reviews—naturally, given her character—were as witty as they were insightful. At times, she could be outright brilliant, and, at other times, mischievous, and, every once in a while, humorous."

While we're on book lists, Sean Fitzpatrick suggests 10 Books that Every Boy Should Hazard. "Everyone expects that everything will be picturesque, nice, and most importantly, safe. For reality is far too dangerous, far too harsh a thing, and children must be protected from it at all costs. Real stories for real boys, however, refuse to deliver saccharine platitudes. These books are composed of the uncanny, unforeseeable, and unimaginable. They present a reality that is often harsh, terrible, and so far from the idyllic it is free to become adventure."