A surprising list of literary one-hit wonders.
Arthur Golden, Memoirs of a Geisha
Year published: 1997
Arthur Golden spent six years researching and writing Memoirs of a Geisha. Upon its release, the novel was an instant hit, spending two years on The New York Times Best Seller list and going on to sell over four million copies.
Why no follow-up: Reportedly, Golden has a follow-up book coming out next year.
Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar
Year published: 1963
Sylvia Plath’s semi-autobiographical The Bell Jar, was her one and only novel, and was originally published under the pseudonym “Victoria Lucas."
Why no follow-up: Tragically, Plath committed suicide less than a month after The Bell Jar was published.
Margaret Mitchell, Gone with the Wind
Year Published: 1936
Margaret Mitchell’s epic Civil War-era novel is one of the best-selling books of all time. The book won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1937, and was adapted into the classic film in 1939.
Why no follow-up: Mitchell reportedly disliked the attention that came with writing the novel and refused to write a sequel. She died in 1949 after being struck by a car.
J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye
Year Published: 1951
This modern classic about adolescent angst and alienation was J.D. Salinger’s only novel.
Why no follow-up: The success of The Catcher in the Rye led Salinger to become a notorious recluse. He did publish a short story collection Nine Stories in 1953, and the novella Franny and Zooey in 1961. In 1965, his last published work, the short story "Hapworth 16, 1924," appeared in The New Yorker.
Via: bookrarities.com
