The Past

In George Orwell's 1984 a character says, "Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past." The past may be behind us, but its events—and how we remember them—have a profound effect on the present. In this collection explore texts that examine the complications and complexities of the past.

The Battle of Blenheim

by Robert Southey

Publication year 1798

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Wins & Losses, Memory, Aging, Childhood & Youth, The Past, Place, Grandparents, War

Tags Narrative Poem, Military & War, European History

“The Battle of Blenheim,” also known as “After Blenheim,” is a satirical, antiwar poem by English Romantic poet Robert Southey, written in 1798 and published in the Morning Post newspaper on August 9 of that year. The poem, which is in the form of a ballad, looks back at the Battle of Blenheim, which was fought around the Bavarian town of Blindheim, in southern Germany, on August 2, 1704, during the War of the Spanish... Read The Battle of Blenheim Summary

The Bear and the Nightingale

by Katherine Arden

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Femininity, Coming of Age, The Past, Animals, Appearance & Reality, Family, Order & Chaos, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger

Tags Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Fairy Tale & Folklore, Coming of Age

The Bear and the Nightingale (2017) is a historical fantasy novel by Katherine Arden. The story is set in medieval Russia and was heavily inspired by the country’s folklore and history. It follows Vasilisa “Vasya” Petrovna, a girl who lives in an isolated village at the edge of a forest and can communicate with household spirits and other supernatural beings that others cannot see. Her life is upended when her father marries a pious woman... Read The Bear and the Nightingale Summary

The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears

by Dinaw Mengestu

Publication year 2007

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Immigration, Race, The Past

Tags Realistic Fiction, Immigration & Refugeeism, History: African , African American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction

Dinaw Mengestu’s 2007 debut novel, The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears, is a NYT Notable Book, a recipient of the Guardian First Book Award, and the LA Times Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction. Originally published in the UK under the title Children of the Revolution, the story takes place across three days in the life of Sepha Stephanos, an Ethiopian refugee living in Washington, DC. In his New York Times review of the book... Read The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears Summary

The Berry Pickers

by Amanda Peters

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Indigenous Identity, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Forgiveness, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Loneliness, Memory, Death, The Past, Mothers, Siblings, Globalization, Loyalty & Betrayal, Truth & Lies

Tags Historical Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Canadian Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, World History

... Read The Berry Pickers Summary

The Blind Owl

by Sadegh Hedayat

Publication year 1936

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Guilt, Loneliness, Memory, Mental Health, Death, The Past, Appearance & Reality, Art, Truth & Lies

Tags Horror & Suspense, World History, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

... Read The Blind Owl Summary

The Boat

by Nam Le

Publication year 2008

Genre Short Story Collection, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Guilt, The Past

Tags Historical Fiction, Asian Literature

Nam Le’s debut short story collection, The Boat (2008), is a critically acclaimed work of literary fiction that received numerous awards, including the Dylan Thomas Prize and the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award. The seven stories in the collection span the globe, featuring a diverse cast of characters navigating moments of intense personal and political crisis. The settings range from a writer’s workshop in Iowa and the violent streets of Medellín, Colombia, to the charged atmosphere of... Read The Boat Summary

The Bookbinder's Secret

by A. D. Bell

Publication year 2026

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Femininity, The Past, Family, Self Discovery, Social Class, Literature

A. D. Bell’s The Bookbinder’s Secret is a dual-timeline historical mystery set in England in 1901. The novel follows Lilian Delaney, an apprentice bookbinder whose curiosity about a damaged book pulls her into a 50-year-old scandal involving forced marriage, a hidden child, and a contested inheritance. Across both timelines, Bell develops themes such as The Cost of Obsession, Women Confined by Gendered Exploitation, and Truth-Seeking Through Attention to Detail. Published by St. Martin’s Press in... Read The Bookbinder's Secret Summary

The Book of Laughter and Forgetting

by Milan Kundera

Publication year 1979

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Good & Evil, Politics & Government, Love, Memory, Sexual Identity, The Past, Nation

Tags Philosophy, Magical Realism

The Book of Laughter and Forgetting (1979) by Milan Kundera is a  Postmodern novel that blends fiction, essay, and memoir to interrogate memory, history, and personal identity in the shadow of political repression. Structured as seven interconnected parts, the book combines satire, eroticism, and philosophical digression to illustrate how forgetting shapes both private lives and collective history. Although Kundera wrote the novel in Czech, it was banned in his homeland and was first published in... Read The Book of Laughter and Forgetting Summary

The Book of Magic

by Alice Hoffman

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Love, Femininity, Death, Future, The Past, Animals, Appearance & Reality, Objects & Materials, Place, Mothers, Siblings, Self Discovery, Community, Education, Art, Beauty, Fate, Good & Evil, Literature, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Fantasy, Romance, Historical Fiction

... Read The Book of Magic Summary

The Bourne Identity

by Robert Ludlum

Publication year 1980

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Memory, Mental Health, The Past, Self Discovery, Globalization, Nation, Politics & Government, War, Justice, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense

... Read The Bourne Identity Summary

The Boxcar Librarian

by Brianna Labuskes

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Gender Identity, Power & Greed, Perseverance, Grief, Revenge, Coming of Age, The Past, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Economics, Politics & Government, Literature

Tags Historical Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Social Justice

Brianna Labuskes’s 2025 historical novel, The Boxcar Librarian, continues her focus on book-centric narratives, following titles such as The Librarian of Burned Books and The Lost Book of Bonn. Labuskes is a USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post bestselling author of historical fiction and psychological thrillers. The Boxcar Librarian unfolds across three distinct timelines, weaving together the stories of three women whose lives become connected by a mobile library in Montana. In 1936... Read The Boxcar Librarian Summary

The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky

by Stephen Crane

Publication year 1898

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Order & Chaos, Conflict, The Past

Tags Education, Education, Classic Fiction, Western, Humor, American Literature

“The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky” is a short story by American author Stephen Crane. Published in 1898, the story parodies tropes of old westerns and addresses the themes of the death of the Old West, domesticity, and masculinity. The story details the journey of Jack Potter, marshal of the small town of Yellow Sky, as he brings his new bride from the East back to his home in Texas on the Western frontier. Once... Read The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky Summary