In one of his first posts since moving his personal blog off LiveJournal, A Song Of Ice and Fire author George R.R. Martin has announced that his most famous work, A Game Of Thrones, will be a part of PBS’ The Great American Read, an upcoming show that will attempt to find America’s most beloved novel. “It’s Thunderdome for books,” Martin writes. “100 novels enter, one emerges.” The public is encouraged to read along as the show goes on and vote for their favorite novel ahead of the finale. Check out a teaser:
As Martin notes, this is about finding the novel most beloved by Americans, not the most beloved novel by an American author. Hence, books by non-Americans like Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen) and 1984 (George Orwell) are eligible.
Martin calls the list of contenders ”VERY eclectic,” and indeed it is. Besides Thrones, it includes everything from classics such as Don Quixote (Miguel de Cervantes) and Moby Dick (Herman Melville) to modern best-sellers like 50 Shades of Grey (E.L. James) and Ready Player One (Ernest Cline). “Mysteries, romance, erotica, literary novels…. it’s quite a list,” Martin writes. You can read about how they chose the books here.
What a list. #GreatReadPBS pic.twitter.com/H8b8A5Jgrz
— Corey Smith (@CourtsideCorey) April 24, 2018
Could A Game of Thrones emerge the victor in such a crowded field? Martin doesn’t sound confident:
"I don’t think A GAME OF THRONES has a chance in seven hells of winning the competition… but just being on the same list as LORD OF THE RINGS, THE GREAT GATSBY, GONE WITH THE WIND, GREAT EXPECTATIONS, LONESOME DOVE, CATCH 22, CHARLOTTE’S WEB blows my mind. Those are favorites all, towering masterpieces, books that changed my life."
Well, we’ll see.
The Great American Read will include interviews with authors, including Martin, where they discuss their novels from the list. And no, Martin won’t be talking about his own work. “Presumably one of the other guest authors or critics will talk about A GAME OF THRONES, but if so, I have no idea who that will be.”
The Great American Read will have seven episodes: a two-hour premiere that surveys the list in its entirety, five themed episodes that explore what groups of books on the list have in common, and a finale where the results of the nation-wide vote is revealed. Viewers will be able to vote through Facebook and Twitter initially, and eventually through SMS and toll-free voting. The whole thing kicks off on May 22. Best of luck to A Game of Thrones!
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