List of short great classic books I can finish in under 2 hours?

Looking for the shortest, greatest classic books I can realistically finish in ~2 hours or less (for a group thing).

I’m prioritizing:

• High-quality classics (not just “short for the sake of short”)
• Engaging / entertaining reads (not overly dense or academic)
• Ideally under ~30k–35k words (~2 hrs at ~250 wpm)

I’ll start with this list:

• Candide (~2 hrs) – satirical, funny, fast-paced
• The Metamorphosis (~1.5 hrs) – surreal, dark, thought-provoking
• The Old Man and the Sea (~2 hrs) – simple, tense, very readable
• White Nights (~1.5 hrs) – romantic, emotional
• The Death of Ivan Ilych (~1.5 hrs) – reflective, existential
• The Dead (~1 hr) – subtle, introspective
• Notes from Underground (~3 hrs, slightly over but included)

You can check reading times here: https://howlongtoread.com/

What else belongs on this list?