Best of the Web

  • A guided tour "through the monumental heart of Paris in the time of Balzac, as described through some of his works, and as documented in maps and engravings of The Vernon Duke CollectionSpecial Collections DepartmentUniversity of California Library."
  • Searchable bibliography of English language trnaslations.
  • Searchable bibliography of English language translations.
  • A bibliography (in English and Irish languages) of poets, dramatists, and writers of fiction (limited to period 1789-1840), with biographies and links to texts.
  • The CELT project is producing an onlinedatabase of Irish literary and historical culture (in Irish, Latin, Old Norse, Anglo-Norman French, and English)in texts accompanied by introductions, translations (where possible and necessary), and scholarly bibliographies.
  • A directory of links whose major categories include history, periodicals, literature, Irish language, mythology, folklore, theatre companies, and fine arts.
  • Links to resources of Irish interest including literature, language, newspapers and journals, and theatre.
  • Biography and bibliography of the Polish Nobel Prize winner.
  • Access to the poems in French and English,plus letters and other documents, and biographical information.
  • The Auchinleck Manuscript (NLS Adv MS 19.2.1) is one of the National Library of Scotlands greatest treasures. Produced in London in the 1330s, it provides a unique insight into the English language and literature that Chaucer and his generation grew up with and were influenced by. It acquired its name from its first known owner, Lord Auchinleck, who discovered the manuscript in 1740 and donated it to the precursor of the National Library in 1744.
  • The only known copies of nine of the earliest books printed in Scotland. From the Digital Library of the National Library of Scotland.
  • Portal to links on Scottish literature. Prepared in collaboration with the Scottish Arts Council and the Scottish Executive.
  • Includes about 400 texts from Scots to Scottish English.
  • Over 20,000 images of objects, books, letters, aerial photographs and other items from museums, libraries and record offices in Wales.
  • Designed both to introduce Welsh authors and their work and to aid experienced learners fill the gaps between speaking, writing and reading the Welsh language.
  • "This is a list of Welsh and Welsh-based writers. The entries include brief biographical details and information about publications, tutoring experience and other work in the creative writing field. Fuller biographical details can always be obtained directly from the writer or from their publisher. In a number of cases, photographs are carried and extracts of work can be seen by clicking the reference in the entry."
  • This Library of Cobress site features a "series of annual pamphlets first started in 1998" which highlight "some of the most important and interesting books published abroad that an American public may have overlooked." Includes fiction and non-fiction.
  • Literary academy established to preserve the Italian language. In Italian and english.
  • Site presents working papers on a range of topics within African and Asian languages and literatures. From the Department of Oriental and African Languages at Goteborg University.
  • Stanford University collection of links to interviews, critical journals, web pages, biographies, and bibliographies.
  • Columbia University site provides links to bibliographies, scholarly associations, author biographies, and conferences.
  • University of Florida site begun in 1996 provides biographical information on a number of African writers and a bibliography of African literaturein English.
  • The AATA aims to facilitate communication and cooperation between teachers of Arabic and to promote study, criticism, research and instruction in the field of Arabic language pedagogy, Arabic linguistics and Arabic literature.
  • A collection of notable works of Italian Literature (in Italian) produced by the Center for Advanced Studies, Research and Development, Sardinia.
  • Columbia University collection of links to Arabic Literature resources.
  • This site provides an archive of medieval Italian texts written in Latin from the 11th century to the 14th century.
  • Full text of 288 works and 101 authors, in French only.
  • Although subscriptions are required for use of this vast database, information on about 3,100 authors can be accessed for free.
  • Online collection of Australian fiction, poetry, plays and non-fictional works.
  • Covers a wide range of Australian authors from the nineteenth century to the present. Includes biographies, bibliographies, introductions to texts, and links to other sources.
  • "A bibliography listing to assist teacher, students, and the general public in their Asian Pacific American research projects. The following bibliography is arranged according to ethnicity, age or grade for ease of locating information."
  • Italian novels, poems, plays, and essays by over 200 authors. In Italian only.
  • Russian language only. Provides a wide range of online Russian literary texts, as well as European texts translated into Russian.
  • An on-line collection of books of national cultural interest which have long been out of print. In English and Welsh.
  • "The Canadian Literature Archive has been online since October 4, 1994 and is a repository for information about Canadian writers, novelists, poets, playwrights, essayists, Canadian literary organizations, magazines, publications, texts and library archives. It is a project of the English Department of the University of Manitoba. "
  • Poems, biographies, bibliographies, and selected resources featuring Canadian poets.
  • Selected Canadian poems in English and French.
  • Site features essays, a digital manuscript gallery, and resources for Canadian writers such as Marie-Clair Blais, Roger Lemelin, Carol Shields, and Michael Tremblay.
  • Introduction to contemporary Slovenian Literature. In Slovenian, Czech, and English.
  • "The Princeton Charrette Project is a complex, scholarly, multi-media electronic archive containing a medieval manuscript traditionthat of Chretien de Troyes's Le Chevalier de la Charrette (Lancelot, ca. 1180)."
  • Site includes poetry (in Chinese and English) arranged by author, audio clips of readings, world poetry in Chinese translation, and poetry links on the web.
  • "The sampler of Chinese texts collected here is intended as a resource for students of written Chinese from the advanced beginner level onward. The selections represent a wide range of periods and genres, but all are well known in modern-day China and worth reading in their own right."
  • Entry from The Columbia Encyclopedia, presented by Bartleby.
  • "Contains works of notable Russian/Soviet writers from the Nineteenth and Twentith Century. The text is in Russian, with special reading aids for learners of that language. When you encounter a word that you don't know, poisition your mouse pointer over it to see its English equivalent."
  • Searchable database provides a wealth of information about classic and modern Danish writers and literary history. In Danish and English.
  • Online texts (in Danish).
  • Very thorough collection of links relating to French literature, arrange by period.
  • An interactive, hypermedia project providing the text of the Decameron, various interpretations of it, and information about Giovanni Boccaccio and the culture of fourteenth-century Italy.
  • Provides full Italian texts of 2,400 poems by 200 authors written in and around the 13th century.
  • Site featuring data on the Russian artists, designers, playwrights, directors and impresarios from the turn of the twentieth century until after the Revolution.
  • Digitized texts which are "related to the subject of textual transmission, the reception of Icelandic culture, and the cultural links between Iceland and Britain."
  • Provides free access to electronic texts of Ukrainian literature to all readers, particularly to students outside Ukraine. Texts in both Ukrainian and English.
  • Overview of Francophone women writers. Mainly in French, with a modified English version available.
  • The Project compiles bibliographic references to Medieval French Drama, includes references to critical editions, translations, and secondary sources, and displays images and miniatures of manuscripts along with detailed descriptions.
  • A repository of Russian verbal art and the scholarly and other texts vital to understanding it.
  • University of North Carolina listing of interdisciplinary German resources on the web, including large sections on literature and literary theory.
  • German studies resources from the Western European Studies Section of the Association of College and Research Libraries.
  • Resources (mainly in German) for the study of German literature, language, culture, history, and philosophy.
  • "This on-line exhibit showcases a representative sample of the Mazzoni Pamphlet Collection at Duke Univerity. . .the collection consists of pamphlets, newspapers, programs, catalogs, and small volumes dating from the 16th through 20th centuries. It includes periodicals, political satire, Italian and French dramas, ballets, librettos, eulogies, epithalamia, materials from both World Wars, many collections of poetry, and many pamphlets relating to the Unification of Italy."
  • In German.
  • A collection of links to French-related web resources of interest to university-level teachers and students. Covers many aspects of French history and culture, including language, literary criticism and theory, Literature in e-text, and other literature databases.
  • Digital library of Spanish and Latin American literature.
  • Gateway to resources on Francophone arts and culture, with a vast assortment of site devoted to literature.
  • An archive of Italian literary, theatrical, and religious works which allows users to work interactively with the online texts.
  • Links in the categories of Mythology, Folklore, Drama, Literature, History, Language and others.
  • Searchable full-text documents in Japanese and English translation.
  • "The Journal of Arabic and Islamic Studies has been established to promote the study of Arabic language and literature and Islamic civilization through the publication of research articles, review articles, and occasional communications and shorterreviews." Since 1996, the University of Bergen (Norway) and Charles University of Prague have published this multi-lingual journal. Most articles are available, although there is no search mechanism.
  • Provides images and texts from French Renaissance literature.
  • Gateway to online resources, in French and English.

  • Sponsored by UNESCO, this site offers of a virtual library (in English and Lithuanian) of key texts by Lithuanian authors. It includes bibliographic descriptions, short biographical notes on the authors, and links to Lithuanian literature resources on the web.

  • Introductory essay and commentary on the longest work in world literature. Includes synopsis.
  • Contains bibliographies and other resources of mostly English-language material on Chinese literature, film, art, and culture.
  • Graphically compares the nations of the world.
  • Site promotes New Zealand poets and poetry and serves as a gateway to poetry in the Pacific region.
  • The NZETC, at the Victoria University at Wellington, was designed "to create a sustainable, optimally usable, and free online library of New Zealand and Pacific Island texts and materials."
  • "This page provides access to Old French texts and information about the literature, all of which is classified according to century. Some of the documents are in English, some in Old French and others in Modern French translation. Many of the links listed in this website are individual pages from other websites forming entire collections of French literature."
  • This site "showcases selected 19th century New Zealand newspapers and periodicals. The site currently [2005] contains digital images of over 750,000 pages from 34 publications."
  • Poetry, stories, and histories translated into English, from the Packard Humanities Institute.
  • "This website is intended to serve as an index of Polish writing available in English, giving extracts of key works and providing an overview of this exciting area of world literature. We aim to bring acclaimed works (e.g. those nominated for the NIKE prize) to a wider audience. You can search our database for an already published work, or read extracts of the most highly regarded writers in Poland today."
  • Electronic editions of classic literature from Sweden and the Nordic countries.
  • Site provides "an overview of African women writers writing in French. It provides an opportunity to find out more about the authors' life and interests and to get acquainted with their novels, short stories, plays and poetry." In French and English.
  • Icelandic medieval literature: images of books and manuscripts published before 1901. Available in English and Icelandic interfaces.
  • Texts (mostly in German) of a collection of works from the middle of the eighteenth century to the beginning of the twentieth century.
  • "Launched in April 2000, to record the voices of South Asian authors for the Library of Congress' Archive of Recorded World Literature, the project has captured the readings of prominent South Asian poets, novelists, and playwrights. The authors recorded so far represent more than fifteen of the languages of India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh."
  • "A collection of European travel accounts of pre-modern Southeast Asia from Cornell University Librarys John M. Echols Collection. The site provides online access to more than 350 books and journal articles written in English and French."
  • A growing, Russian-language database focussing on twentieth-century Russian Literature. Features a bibliographic database of journals from the 1920s, and poetical works from 1900-1955.
  • This site from the Universitat Innsbruck in Austria contains a database with records of more than 6,000 German historical novels. In German or English.
  • Numerous electronic texts of Polish classical authors in Polish biographical information in English.