We are pleased to present the new Modern Library Torchbearers series, created to honor a more inclusive vision of classic books by recognizing women who wrote on their own terms, with boldness, creativity, and a spirit of resistance.
“The collection started with our desire to use the Modern Library as a platform to call out excellent but largely—and unjustly—forgotten books, especially those that may have been overlooked because of institutional or genre-based bias,” said Mika Kasuga, editor for the series, and editor and publishing manager at Modern Library and Random House.
The titles selected for inclusion in the series challenge popular conceptions of the literary canon and shine light on authors and works that have historically been overlooked or underappreciated. Each is introduced by a contemporary woman writer and features cover art designed by women working in Random House’s design department.
The following titles in the series are now available:
- American Indian Stories by Zitkála-Sá, with an introduction by Layli Long Soldier
- The Heads of Cerberus by Francis Stevens, with an introduction by Naomi Alderman
- Passing by Nella Larsen, with an introduction by Kaitlyn Greenidge
- The Awakening by Kate Chopin, with an introduction by Carmen Maria Machado
- Lady Audley’s Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon, with an introduction by Flynn Berry
- Villette by Charlotte Brontë, with an introduction by Weike Wang
Three more titles in the Modern Library Torchbearers series will be released on September 10:
- The Transformation of Philip Jettan by Georgette Heyer, with an introduction by Sarah MacLean
- The Custom of the Country by Edith Wharton, with an introduction by Jia Tolentino
- Love, Anger, Madness: A Haitian Triptych by Marie Vieux-Chauvet and translated by Rose-Myriam Rejouis and Val Vinokur, with an introduction by Edwidge Danticat
