The thirty-sixth book that I’ve finished reading this year is John Sutherland’s “A Little History of Literature”. Starting from the oral origins of myths, Sutherland narrates a chronological timeline of the development of Western literature, highlighting all the major literary movements, ending with a question about how literature will evolve on electronic interfaces in the (near) future.

This book is a nice overview for students who are unfamiliar to Western literature as it briefly explains what each movement entails. There are also some information provided about the logistics behind the production and control of literature, including publishing houses (the word “press” originates from the old ways of printing), censorship and film adaptions of existing novels. In the last chapter, Sutherland raises a question quite pertinent to us modern readers: our current problem is not the scarcity of literature, but rather the boundless availability on our electronic shelves that bemuses us, unsure where to start from. ?Perhaps then we must trust our sixth sense and keep accumulating more knowledge through reading a wider range of literature to base our choices on.

Overall, it has been an enjoyable read as I travelled through the changing centuries in Western Europe. I would definitely recommend this book (and the “l(fā)ittle history” series) to readers young and old, as it is short and sweet yet full of knowledge that readers of all ages can relate to.