15 Anonymous Books That Have Been Great Successes

The history of literature has many titles by unknown authors that over the years have become true classics, not in vain the search “15 anonymous books that have been great successes” continues to trend.

Thanks to the originality of their plots and the neatness of their development and writing, in much of the world they are usually considered go-to books for secondary and higher education, which has allowed their validity not to diminish and their content to continue. inspiring new generations of writers. Later we will know more about it.

Get to know the most famous anonymous titles

Whether because of its age, its plots, its uniqueness, the mystery that surrounds its creations or its messages, itThe texts cited below stand out from the average, and, even today, in the midst of the decline of printed literature, They continue to be recommended in the great literary academies.

1.  Lazarillo de tormes

The oldest edition of Lazarillo de tormes It dates back to 1554. It is written in epistolary form, like a very long letter, and tells the story of Lázaro de Tormes, a boy who grows up miserably in the 16th century. The story extends until the protagonist's adulthood, when he is already married. The text is considered a precursor of the picaresque genre because of its realism and ideology.

Fragment of the Lazarillo de tormes

“My birth was within the Tormes River, for which reason I took the nickname; and it was this way: my father, may God forgive, was in charge of providing a mill for a mill that is on the banks of that river, in which he was a miller for more than fifteen years; And while my mother was at the mill one night, pregnant with me, she gave birth to me and gave birth to me there. So I can truly say I was born in the river.”

2.   Saga of The Greenlanders: Saga of Eirik the Red

These sagas were created in the 13th century, and tell basically the same story: a group of Vikings moves to Greenland, Markland and Vinland led by Eirik the Red. Written in Old Norse, these are two of the texts that are taken as a reference to study the arrival of the European conquerors to America. a thousand years before Christopher Columbus did it.

3.  Tales of a Russian pilgrim

Written between 1853 and 1861, It is one of the most popular texts of orthodox Catholicism in history, which is constantly used in hesychast contemplative practice. The work narrates, in an autobiographical way, a spiritual itinerary and pilgrimage to achieve the knowledge of continuous interior prayer. The setting is Russia in the mid-19th century.

4.   Popol Vuh

Also called The Sacred Book of the Mayans o Council Book, is a bilingual compilation of a series of mythical stories belonging to the K'iche' or Quiché people, one of the most important and largest ethnic groups in Guatemala. Likewise, the volume is considered to be of enormous spiritual and historical value, and is said to have been published between 1701 and 1703.

5.  Sing of my Cid

It was conceived as a song of deeds, that is, as a work of medieval epic or a literary manifestation of epic. As for the plot, the work freely narrates some of the most relevant adventures of the last years of the Castilian knight Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar el Campeador. It is not known exactly when it was published, but it is estimated that this occurred in 1200 AD. c.

Fragment of the Sing of mine Cid:

“Taking of Murviedro

The Creator, the Lord who is in heaven, helped him,

and with his favor the Cid was able to take Murviedro.

He has clearly seen that God is always helping him.

“There has been a lot of fear in the city of Valencia.”

6.   Arabian Nights

This is, perhaps, one of the most commercial texts on this list, although it remains as enigmatic as the previous ones. It is a compilation of stories conceived in the Middle Ages in the Middle East.. Over the years, other stories were added to the text, but the first story always serves as a framework for all the others. Genres included include crime, romance and adventure.

7.   The Amadis of Gaula

It is one of the most popular books of Spanish chivalric literature. It is not known who its author was, but, Apparently, it was written in the 13th and 14th centuries, and was widely accepted in the Iberian Peninsula.. It tells the story of a romance between King Perion of Gaula and Princess Elisena of Brittany, who had a son who turned out to be abandoned by his mother.

8.  The Search for the Holy Grail

This work belongs to the Vulgate, a set of texts that represent the Arthurian legends. In it, it talks about how one hundred and fifty knights of the Round Table travel from Camelot and set out in search of the famous chalice. taken to England by the descendants of Joseph of Arimathea, and preserved in Corbenic Castle, although only one of them ever knew the sacred secrets.

9.  Tristan and Iseo

It tells the adventures of the invincible knight Tristan, who becomes a hero after defeating a gigantic warrior and killing a monstrous dragon. The protagonist is the nephew of King Marcus of Cornwall, but he still falls in love with his wife., Iseo, because of a magical concoction. Since then, both must decide whether to respect their king or live their passionate romance.

10.  The Epic of Gilgamesh

Also known as The Gilgamesh poem, It is the oldest Babylonian Assyrian verse narrative in the world, recorded between 2000 and 2500 BC. c. The writing is about the adventures of Gilgamesh, the ruler of the Sumerian city of Uruk, and begins with the tribulation of the inhabitants of the kingdom, who are tired of the lust of the gods. The volume includes five anonymous and independent poems of an epic nature.

Fragment The Epic of Gilgamesh

«Tears run down Gilgamesh's face

(while saying):

– (I am going to travel) a path

which I have never walked through.

(I'm going on a trip)

unknown to me.

[…] I should be happy,

with a joyful heart […].

(If I win I will make you sit on) a throne.

11.  Elder Edda

Also known as Sædmund Edda o Elder Edda, is the most extensive source of information about Germanic heroic legends and Scandinavian mythology. The text presents a collection of stories written in Old Norse, which belonged to the medieval Icelandic manuscript known as Royal Code, being published around 1260.

12.  Roland's song

It is an epic poem from the 11th century. It is inspired by the Franco military leader Roldán in the Battle of the Roncesvalles Pass, and is set in the year 778, during the reign of Charlemagne. Roland's song It is considered the oldest work in the French language, and several editions demonstrate its wide popularity between the 12th and 14th centuries.

13.  Journey to the west

It is a Chinese novel whose publication took place around the 16th century. It is supposed to have been written by Wu Cheng'en during the Ming Dynasty. It is known as the most influential literary work in East Asia, as well as some of the largest titles ever written in China. It tells the adventures of a monk who travels to Central Asia and India to search for sacred Buddhist texts.

14.  The Venetian

It is an anonymous comedy written in five acts in the Venetian, Bergamo and Italian languages. It was published for the first time in the 16th century. It is inspired by the times before the Council of Trent. Its plot tells a fast-paced love story between Julio, Valeria and Ángela, who form a kind of sentimental battle to win each other's hearts.

15.  Old ballads

This, more than a specific book, is a set of texts written and published between the 15th, 16th and part of the 17th centuries. Broadly speaking, they were born as a response to the so-called European ballad, and they were produced through a great manifestation of folk poetry. Depending on the time of its release, it is called old ballads and modern oral tradition ballads.

Fragment of the old Ballads

“Moricos, my moricos,

those of you who win my soldier,

Take down Baeza for me,

that towered villa,

and the old people and the children

bring her on horseback

and the Moors and men

put them all to the sword,

and that old Pero Díaz

catch me by the beard,10

now that pretty Leonor

"She will be my lover."

The influence of anonymous books on literature

It is undeniable how the phenomenon of anonymous books of classical literature has contributed to the creation of stories of great significance to over the years. A renowned case represents it The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quijote of La Mancha, which, evidently, in many cases drinks The Song of My Cid.

And just as the story of the Champion did its thing in Cervantes' mind, that of Gilgamesh has also had enormous repercussions. —it is enough to turn to Borges to understand its scope—. We could continue in the same way with one thousand and one night and each of the works cited here and it would be impossible to list the children in letters engendered after so many avid readers came across these classics.

Now these texts have to give to new generations, the key is to keep the flame of reading alive.