Unexpectedly Austen
Jane Austen’s appeal is widespread, with praise of her work sometimes coming from unexpected sources.
Throughout 2025, the 250th anniversary of the year Austen was born, we’ll be sharing tributes to and reflections on Austen and her work by well-known members of the public. Some of these people will be familiar; other tributes will be from people you may not have thought of as fans.
It’s been a delight to collect these tributes and reflections. Some have been written in response to invitations we sent out, while others have been gathered from previously published sources. We’ll share these quotations in monthly installments on the JASNA website, on the second Tuesday of each month.
—Liz Philosophos Cooper and Sarah Emsley, co-editors
January
Our January installment of “Unexpectedly Austen” features a tribute from Pulitzer Prize-winning author Anna Quindlen, who responded to JASNA’s invitation by writing about Austen’s unexpected fame and lasting legacy, and a quotation from three-time NBA Champion Dwyane Wade, who explains why he believes the appeal of Pride and Prejudice transcends time and place.
Anna Quindlen: "The Improbable Inimitable Immortal"
The first submission turned down flat, the second arriving in print without even her actual name on the title page. Who, in the early 19th century, could have predicted the 21st: read by millions, endless editions in every language, dozens of versions on film. And a truth universally acknowledged: that the woman born in a Hampshire rectory who lived a quiet life at home was one of the greatest writers of fiction in the English language. Six novels, written during and about the British regency, and yet sold constantly all over the world today because they were about then, and they are about now, about men, money and marriage, about self-doubt, self-discovery, and self-knowledge. Jane Austen is, and will always be, the improbable inimitable immortal.
Anna Quindlen is a novelist and journalist whose work has appeared on fiction, non-fiction, and self-help best-seller lists. Her most recent novel is After Annie.
Dwyane Wade: “Letting Love Take Over”
I’ve read Pride and Prejudice a couple of times. It’s one of my favorite books, which usually surprises people. I guess they wonder how a love story from Regency England could be relevant to a 21st century basketball player from the Southside of Chicago. Class struggle, overcoming stereotypes and humble beginnings, getting out of your own way and letting love take over: these are things I can relate to, definitely.
Dwyane Wade chose Pride and Prejudice as his favorite Penguin Classic for the 60th Anniversary of Penguin Classics and NBA Cares “Read to Achieve” Literacy Initiative. Wade is a three-time NBA Champion, Olympic gold medalist, and thirteen-time NBA All-Star.
