7 books that changed my life.

• Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri. Considered one of the most important pieces of literature in the world, the Divine Comedy is an epic poem that details a journey through the realms of the dead. 

• Iliad and Odyssey by Homer. These two ancient Greek epic poems were a part of young Greek scholars’ education and remain so today for students around the world. The Iliad details a few weeks during the end of the Trojan War and the Odyssey describes Odysseus’ ten year journey home from the Trojan War. These two works are important for their detail of Greek history and legend.

• Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes. This novel, originally published as two books, is one of the most influential and popular novels to emerge from Spain. The adventure, symbolism, and characterization contained in this novel has promoted this book to the popularity it still enjoys today, and it continues to inspire others to create movies, stories, and more based on the story of the man of La Mancha.

• Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert. Flaubert’s story of a woman who engages in adulterous affairs in an attempt to escape from a loveless marriage was subjected to censorship, and Flaubert was taken to trial over the novel. After his acquittal, Madame Bovary became renowned as a masterpiece of the Realism movement.

• War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy. The realistic details of this novel and the depth of psychological exploration have contributed to this book’s frequently being included as one of the best novels of all time.

• The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. One of the best-selling books around the world, this story (which is often debated about whether or not it is a children’s book) invites the reader to think about the meaning of life, love, and separation. There have been many adaptations of this book, reflecting the depth of the impact it has made.

• One Thousand and One Nigths. The book of  ancient stories that have now become popularized around the world, including the plight of Scheherazade.