In my journey, I’ve been inspired by a number of writers and their works. (Along with inspiration, they’ve also provided a heck of a lot of enjoyment!)
Which writers and/or books have inspired you or carried you along in some way or have simply provided you much joy? Let me know.
Anyway, here are some of mine:
Papa – The short stories most of all, particularly those in In Our Time.
Conrad – What a stylist! And English wasn’t his first language! Heart of Darkness and Nostromo are favorites that I re-read often.
DeLillo – Running Dog, Libra.
Amy Hemple – Short story master.
Melville – The ending lines of Moby Dick knock me out every time I read them.
Robert Stone – Dog Soldiers and Damascus Gate. IMHO, Dog Soldiers is perfect!
Graham Greene – The Quiet American, The End of the Affair, The Heart of the Matter.
John Le Carre – The Karla Trilogy. Interestingly, my favorite of the three may be The Honourable Schoolboy, which many people leave off their lists.
Dickens – Any of them, especially Bleak House.
Mathias Enard – Street of Thieves.
Virginia Woolf – Orlando, a Biography. (Borges loved it, so how could I not?)
Patricia Highsmith – I’ve read the Ripley books several times each and they still enthrall.
Cormac McCarthy – Blood Meridian, although I don’t really understand the epilogue.
Denis Johnson – I haven’t been able to get into Tree of Smoke, but Jesus’ Son, WOW!
Those are a few; I’ll have more.