Pale Fire, by Nabokov--March 24, 2026

The next meeting of Great Books KC will be April 24, 2026.   

We will discuss the book, Pale Fire, by Vladimir Nabokov.  

Meeting Date & Time:

• Date: March 24, 2026 

• Time 7:00 pm

Hybrid Zoom & In-Person Meeting:

• In-person meeting, Little Conference Room, Plaza Branch Library

• Zoom link sent to mailing list on day of meeting

• Request mailing list addition, send to GreatBooksKC@gmail.com

About the Book: 

Pale Fire is a novel presented as a 999-line poem titled "Pale Fire", written by the fictional poet John Shade, with a foreword, lengthy commentary, and index written by Shade's neighbor and academic colleague, Charles Kinbote. Together these elements form a narrative in which both fictional authors are central characters. Nabokov wrote Pale Fire in 1960–61, after the success of Lolita had made him financially independent, allowing him to retire from teaching and return to Europe. Nabokov began writing the novel in Nice and completed it in Montreux, Switzerland.

March 27, 2026 — Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen

The next meeting of Great Books KC will be March 27, 2026.   

We will discuss the book, Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen.

Meeting Date & Time:

• Date: March 27, 2026 

• Time 7:00 pm

Hybrid Zoom & In-Person Meeting:

• In-person meeting, Little Conference Room, Plaza Branch Library

• Zoom link sent to mailing list on day of meeting

• Request mailing list addition, send to GreatBooksKC@gmail.com

About the Book: 

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen was published in 1813 (but written about twenty years earlier when the author was approximately twenty years old). A novel of manners, it follows the character development of Elizabeth Bennet, the protagonist of the book, who learns about the repercussions of hasty judgments and comes to appreciate the difference between superficial goodness and actual goodness. 

Feb. 27, 2026— Tokyo Express, by Seichō Matsumoto

The next meeting of Great Books KC will be February 27, 2026.   

We will discuss the book,Tokyo Express, by Matsumoto

Meeting Date & Time:
• Date: February 27, 2026 
• Time 7:00 pm

Hybrid Zoom & In-Person Meeting:
• In-person meeting, Little Conference Room, Plaza Branch Library
• Zoom link sent to mailing list on day of meeting
• Request mailing list addition, send to GreatBooksKC@gmail.com

About the Book: 

Tokyo Express, original title Ten to Sen (Ponts & Lines), is a 1958 Japanese mystery novel by Seichō Matsumoto. It is considered a masterpiece of the "social realism” mystery genre, and is known for its intricate plot that unravels a supposed lovers' suicide to reveal a major government corruption scandal. The story follows two detectives who use meticulous analysis of train timetables and other details to connect seemingly unrelated "points" and disprove the official theory, highlighting post-war Japanese society and its complexities. 

Jan 30, 2026—Sorrows of Young Werter, by Goethe

The next meeting of Great Books KC will be January 30, 2026.   

We will discuss the book, Sorrows of Young Werter, by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Meeting Date & Time:
• Date: January 30, 2026 
• Time 7:00 pm

Hybrid Zoom & In-Person Meeting:
• In-person meeting, Little Conference Room, Plaza Branch Library
• Zoom link sent to mailing list on day of meeting
• Request mailing list addition, send to GreatBooksKC@gmail.com

About the Book: 

The Sorrows of Young Werther is a 1774 epistolary novel by Johann Wolfgang Goethe, which appeared as a revised edition in 1787. This work placed Goethe among the foremost international literary celebrities and was among the best known of his works. It was one of the main novels in the Sturm und Drang period in German literature, and influenced the later Romantic movement.  

Schedule of Books for 2026

Jan. 30, 2026— Sorrows of Young Werter, by Goethe

Feb. 27, 2026— Tokyo Express, by Matsumoto

Mar. 27, 2026— Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen

Apr. 24, 2026— Pale Fire, by Nabokov

May. 29, 2026— Coriolanus, by William Shakespeare

Jun. 26, 2026— The Way We Live Now, by Anthony Trollope

Jul. 31, 2026— The Way We Live Now, by Anthony Trollope

Aug. 28, 2026— The Way We Live Now, by Anthony Trollope

Sep. 25, 2026— Long Day's Journey into Night, by Eugene O’Neill

Oct. 30, 2026— On Obligations: De Officiis, by Cicero

Dec. 4, 2026— Book of Esther (from the Bible)

Dec. 11, 2026— Prepare Schedule for 2027

December 12, 2025--Select Books for 2026

We will meet on December 12, 2025 by Zoom to select books for our 2026 schedule. Send nominations to GreatBooksKC@gmail.com.   

Meeting Date & Time:

• Date: December 12, 2025 

• Time 7:00 pm

Hybrid Zoom & In-Person Meeting:

• In-person meeting, Little Conference Room, Plaza Branch Library

• Zoom link sent to mailing list on day of meeting

• Request mailing list addition, send to GreatBooksKC@gmail.com

Below are some guidelines:

• What Makes a Great Book

• History of Previous Books

• Categories of Books  

Dec 5, 2025—Book of Proverbs (from the Bible)

The next meeting of Great Books KC will be December 5, 2025.   

We will discuss Book of Proverbs (from the Bible)

Meeting Date & Time:
• Date: December 5, 2025 
• Time 7:00 pm

Hybrid Zoom & In-Person Meeting:
• In-person meeting, Little Conference Room, Plaza Branch Library
• Zoom link sent to mailing list on day of meeting
• Request mailing list addition, send to GreatBooksKC@gmail.com

About the Book: 

Proverbs is not merely an anthology but a "collection of collections" relating to a pattern of life that lasted for more than a millennium. It is an example of Biblical wisdom literature and raises questions about values, moral behavior, the meaning of human life, and right conduct, and its theological foundation is that "the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom." Wisdom is personified and praised for her role in creation; God created her before all else and gave order to chaos through her. As humans have life and prosperity by conforming to the order of creation, seeking wisdom is the essence and goal of life.

2026 Book Schedule:

We will meet again on December 12, 2025 by Zoom to select books for our 2026 schedule. Send nominations to GreatBooksKC@gmail.com. 

Below are some guidelines:

• What Makes a Great Book

• History of Previous Books

• Categories of Books  

Oct 31, 2025—The Twelve Caesars, by Suetonius

The next meeting of Great Books KC will be October 31, 2025.   
We will discuss The Twelve Caesars, by Suetonius. 

Meeting Date & Time:
• Date: October 31, 2025 
• Time 7:00 pm

Hybrid Zoom & In-Person Meeting:
• In-person meeting, Little Conference Room, Plaza Branch Library
• Zoom link sent to mailing list on day of meeting
• Request mailing list addition, send to GreatBooksKC@gmail.com

About the Book: 
The Twelve Caesars was written in 121 CE by Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus (called "Suetonius" by scholars) while he served as a personal secretary to the emperor Hadrian. The Twelve Caesars, is a set of twelve biographies of Julius Caesar and the first 11 emperors of the Roman Empire during the Principate. The subjects are Julius Caesar, Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, Nero, Galba, Otho, Vitellius, Vespasian, Titus, Domitian.

Sep. 26, 2025—The Stranger, by Camus

The next meeting of Great Books KC will be September 26, 2025.   

We will discuss The Stranger, by Albert Camus.

(See "Comments" for discussion questions)
   
Meeting Date & Time:

• Date: September 26, 2025 

• Time 7:00 pm

Hybrid Zoom & In-Person Meeting:

• In-person meeting, Little Conference Room, Plaza Branch Library
• Zoom link sent to mailing list on day of meeting

• Request mailing list addition, send to GreatBooksKC@gmail.com

About the Book: 

The Stranger is the first of Camus' novels to be published (1942). It follows Meursault, an indifferent settler in French Algeria, who weeks after his mother's funeral kills an unnamed Arab man in Algiers. The story is divided into two parts, presenting Meursault's first-person narrative before and after the killing.

August 29, 2025—World of Wonders, by R. Davies

The next meeting of Great Books KC will be August 29, 2025.   

We will discuss World of Wonders (The Deptford Trilogy #3), by R. Davies.
   
Meeting Date & Time:

• Date: August 29, 2025 

• Time: 7:00 pm

Hybrid Zoom & In-Person Meeting:

• In-person meeting, Little Conference Room, Plaza Branch Library
• Zoom link sent to mailing list on day of meeting

• Request mailing list addition, send to GreatBooksKC@gmail.com

About the Book: 

Magnus Eisengrim (also known by at least four other names throughout the trilogy) tells the story of his life to a group of filmmakers who are producing a biographical film about the great magician Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin for the BBC.