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Best Short Classics you want to read in a day

What are classics?

Classics are widely recognized works of literature that hold immense value.

Who decides what book is a classic?

An article in Huffington Post says, Christopher Smith, a British film director and screenwriter says a classic is "any book that is not a new book, one that merits re-reading, 5, 10, even 100 years or more after its publication."

Why you should read classics?

Simply because they offer perspectives into distinctly unique perspectives. It gives us a glimpse into the history of a place, its people, culture and social issues.

Some of the classics I’ve listed below are extremely relevant even today, because they give essential life lessons.

Will reading classics make you a smarter reader?

Most definitely. Because any kind of reading makes you smarter. It improves your vocabulary and comprehension. Makes your brain sharper. Reading classics will help you understand literary references that you never understood till today better.

What classics should you read?

Let’s start with the shortest ones first to give you a good understanding of this kind of literature. Here’s my list.

Short Classics below 200 pages

Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote (160 pages)

Touted as Truman Capote’s best-known creation, this is the story of a New Yorker, Holly Golightly. The narrator is a man who has recently moved to the city, becomes friends with Holly. Little by little Holly reveals her peculiar lifestyle to him and little by little he falls in love with her. A bad girl in nice clothes, Holly will seduce you if you’re a man with money in his pocket.

A book that has masterful characters who are witty, seductive, and charming.

The Pearl by John Steinbeck (160 pages)

The Pearl is a tale with a moral lesson, about thankfulness, man’s purpose, and the perils of excessive greed. Because folk tales end with a moral lesson, being thankful for the things one already possesses serves as the central plot. The story follows a diver who collects pearls, Kino. An accident with his son changes Kino’s life forever.

This book very realistically portrays human life and teaches about the worth of things, and hence has been extensively taught to students.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (192 pages)

A lot of American schools include this classic in their curriculum. But if you didn’t read this in school, you need to read it now. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s American novel written in 1925 serves as a typical work of the Jazz Age. It is believed to have been inspired by the author’s life and romance.

The narrator enters Long Island’s world of the fabulously wealthy and meets the mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby and the beautiful Daisy Buchanan.

A fascinating book, also adapted into movies, that everyone should read at least once.

Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse (152 pages)

Arguably the first book is written on the spiritual journey of discovering oneself of a man named Siddhartha. Although he sets on a path to self-discovery, temptations seduce him in the form of Kamala, a beautiful woman, who guides him to materialistic pursuits of wealth and riches. With his easy wit, he does succeed, but his success does not afford him the fulfillment he is seeking.

Read about one man’s journey to enlightenment by seeking the principles of philosophy and not seeking a particular person to follow. Highly relevant in today’s world where followers blindly bow down to ascetic Baba’s and Amma’s without understanding the underlying philosophy and values. Read More Here

Letters from a father to his daughter by Jawaharlal Nehru (150 pages)

When Indira Gandhi was a small girl of ten, she spent the summer in Mussoorie, while her father, Jawaharlal Nehru, was in Allahabad. These letters were written during that time to teach her about the evolution of the earth, the stories of the beginning of animal and human life on earth, and the history of civilizations and world societies.

Quite a priceless collection of 30 letters since they were written from one great Indian leader to another. Written in 1928, these letters remain relevant and vibrant and represent Jawaharlal Nehru's passion for people and nature. Their story was for him 'more interesting than any other story or novel that you may have read'. Read More Here

Animal Farm by George Orwell (150 pages)

Farm animals are revolting are rebelling against their farmer who is a human for equality freedom and happiness. But the animals on the farm end up becoming slaves to the dictatorship of a pig.

Orwell’s novel reflects upon the political events in Russia and the USSR. Understand the nitty-gritty of an allegorical novel through this brilliant piece of writing by Orwell. And don’t forget to follow this novel with his second book 1984.

Short Classics below 150 pages

The Turn of The Screw by Henry James (146 pages)

This is the best know work of Henry James who made his writing debut in 1875. This story involves a young woman, who answers an advertisement for a governess in London. This inexperienced girl, the daughter of a psychically challenged person, falls for the retainer but hides it from everyone. Her fear of the unknown manifests into nightmarish visitations.

A most fascinating journey into the depths of the mind and its workings, this one is sure to haunt you.

Night by Elie Wiesel (115 pages)

A 16-year-olds harrowing story of surviving during the Holocaust. A first-person account of a survivor’s perspective on the torture and murder he experienced during humankind’s most shameful era in history. In his Nobel Prize acceptance speech, Eliezer mentions that he wrote this book to keep the memory of this unforgettable experience alive. Because forgetting the event, he says, would make him an accomplice of the occurrence. He questions the world on their silence when the atrocities took place and he states, we must take sides because neutrality helps and instigates the oppressor.

An unnerving read, that presents the readers with horrors a whole generation of people faced due to being born in a race, religion. Read More Here

The Little Prince by Antoine De Saint-Exupery (144 pages)

The author, Antoine De Saint-Exupery, was a pilot and his profession was his inspiration behind this evergreen classic. The story traces a young prince who visits various planets in space, including Earth and speaks about elements like loneliness, friendship, love, and loss. Despite its classification as a children's book, The Little Prince makes reflections about life and human nature.

A very widely read and appreciated story, it captures the hearts of all readers young and old. Read More Here

The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (83 pages)

I won’t lie, the title and the associated cover of a giant bug, of this book had me curious. Gregor is a salesman, who wakes up with thoughts of changing his back-breaking job. Only he realizes that his body has been transformed (metamorphosed) into a dark and ugly, monstrous creature with a shell-like back and numerous tiny and thin legs. Despite his pitiable state he decides to go about his day as usual. But when his office colleague and his parents and sister catch sight of his new body they are all repulsed and Gregor is disheartened and discouraged into hiding in his room.

A classic fiction work that has been studied and analyzed all through the 20th century in the Western world makes for an intriguing but unsatisfying read. Read More Here

The Stranger by Albert Camus (144 pages)

Through the story of an ordinary man unknowingly attracted into a pointless assassination on an Algerian beach, Camus analyzed what he termed "the nakedness of man faced with the absurd."

First published in English in 1946, the depth of meaning Camus conveys through this simple novel is astounding.

The Time Machine by H G Wells (144 pages)

The Time Machine offers a scary portrait of the future of the human race.

A book that comes highly recommended in the science fiction genre. This novel is believed to have made famous the concept of time travel and the term “Time Machine” to depict a vehicle that travels through time has been coined from this novella.

The Old Man and The Sea by Ernest Hemingway (112 pages)

The last major work of this influential American Writer, the old man, and the sea is an award-winning classic. It tells the story of an old fisherman who struggles with a giant marlin along the coast of Cuba. He manages to kill it but then loses it.

I think the message here is, no matter you win or lose, it’s important to play the game. Read it and let me know if you agree.

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis carol Children’s Classics (120 pages)

Expect the unexpected in this classic that has inspired a multitude of works in fiction and classic literature. Go on a journey with Alice in her dreams as she follows a talking rabbit into the trunk of a never-ending tree and finds a grinning cat that vanishes, a grumpy story-telling mouse, a hookah-smoking caterpillar, a mad-hatter, and a Queen whose favorite activity is beheading people.

Alice’s extraordinary adventure will have you wondering at a child’s vivid imagination and challenging them to think of the weirdest possible. Read More Here

Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel García Márquez (122 pages)

On their wedding night, Bayardo discovers that his wife isn’t a virgin. This discovery reaches the bride’s family and bride’s brothers then set upon to avenge their sister’s violator, Santiago Nasar. This book is the story of this murder, and the mystery surrounding the violation of the bride.

A unique bit about this story is the knowledge of the murder that everyone in the town has before the murder and yet no one can stop it. Also, many believe the novel is inspired by true-life events in the author’s life.

A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf (101 pages )

Considered a feminist book, it is based on two lectures Virginia Woolf gave at women’s colleges at the University of Cambridge. Virginia Woolf thinks that for a woman writer, she needs two things: money and a room to herself. So the room here is a space that is both literal and figurative.

While you may say there are several more feminist texts, but Woolf also covers several more interesting topics like women’s intellectual potential, social influence, and issues.

A book that makes you think, you would not want to miss this classic.

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck (144 pages)

Set during The Great Depression in the US, two migrant workers keep moving for job opportunities in California, who have dreams that every American in that time had.

But life as it turns out to be unfair. Be ready to shed tears when you read this memorable classic. Exploring other themes like loneliness and companionship and oppression and abuse, this story will stay with you for a long time. Read More Here