Just putting it out there. Or mostly, sharing stories of an author whom I've loved and read my entire life. Who are your giant literary idols, hubski?
I feel like my literary idol shifts from year-to-year. Kurt Vonnegut will always be at the top of my list for inspiring 14-year-old-me to pursue a career in literature and education. After I read Slaughterhouse Five, I devoured the rest of his work. I recently read Herman Hesse's Siddhartha, and I thought it was incredible. It launched me into reading a whole series of eastern texts. His description of the river, the stone, and the interconnectedness of life made me pause, put the book down, think, and read it several more times. I've also been reading a collection of Wallace Stevens, and I'm regularly shocked at the novelty and difficulty of the images he describes. I wish I could write so imaginatively!
Stephen Crane. Hands down is my favorite author. Until I read For Whom the Bell Tolls I did not think that anyone else could even attempt to capture war as accurately as he did. Do not weep, maiden, for war is kind. Because your lover threw wild hands toward the sky And the affrighted steed ran on alone, Do not weep. War is kind. Little souls who thirst for fight, These men were born to drill and die. The unexplained glory flies above them, Great is the battle-god, great, and his kingdom— A field where a thousand corpses lie. Do not weep, babe, for war is kind. Because your father tumbled in the yellow trenches, Raged at his breast, gulped and died, Do not weep. War is kind. Eagle with crest of red and gold, These men were born to drill and die. Point for them the virtue of slaughter, Make plain to them the excellence of killing And a field where a thousand corpses lie. Mother whose heart hung humble as a button On the bright splendid shroud of your son, Do not weep. War is kind. Hoarse, booming drums of the regiment, Swift, blazing flag of the regiment,
My favourite poem ever is by Stephen Crane, and I'm not even sure why I like it so much - "In The Desert" : I saw a creature, naked, bestial, Who, squatting upon the ground, Held his heart in his hands, And ate of it. I said, “Is it good, friend?” “It is bitter—bitter,” he answered; “Because it is bitter, “And because it is my heart.” In the desert “But I like it
I read Crane for the first time this year, after flagamuffin suggested The Open Boat as a good adventure/survival story. My cheap Kindle copy included Maggie: A Girl of the Streets which was amazing, as well as the excellent short stories "The Blue Hotel" and "The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky." After these I was compelled to read The Red Badge of Courage, which I somehow escaped during high school. It was very good, but my expectations were inflated after reading the shorter works and knowing that this was his most famous book. It also included some observations from Joseph Conrad, including a horrible comment about Crane's early death of tuberculosis: "It was a great loss to his friends, but perhaps not so much to literature." His companion, Cora Crane, is a fascinating character. Another version of "The Open Boat and Other Stories" includes several more short works; I've just sent it my Kindle.
If anyone knows someone that knows Ernest Hemingway and also knows how to speak with the dead....