Steve Jobs thinks that reading is dead, but if that’s true, mark me as an anomaly. I love reading. I love the way good writers craft their sentences and stories in ways that captivate and enthrall. I love that great writers not only entertain me when I read their work, but inspire me to be a better writer myself.
Inspired by Leo Babauta’s post on Zen Habits, I’ve decided to share a short list of 7 writers that entertain, captivate, and inspire me. As per Leo’s guidelines, this is only a list of writers that are still currently writing, so don’t blame me for the omission of Salinger and Rimbaud. I’ve also made a conscious effort to populate this list predominantly with fiction writers: I have a tendency to only read non-fiction and ignore some of the fantastic novelists and short story writers out there.
So here’s a list of 7 current writers I’m in love with. My apologies if I’ve missed anyone, these are the first seven that popped into my head:
- David Foster Wallace: After the publication of Infinite Jest, it was hard to argue that Wallace wasn’t one of the best American novelists of his generation. It was, however, the publication of Oblivion that sold me on his story-telling talent, making every fiction feel like a reality.
- Jhumpa Lahiri: She may be best-known for The Namesake, a novel that was recently adapted for the big screen, but Lahiri’s genius was evident in The Interpreter of Maladies, where every character’s little actions caused immense emotional reactions.
- J.M. Coetzee: There are few novels that I can so closely relate to as Coetzee’s Youth, and Coetzee is a master of making the reader feel immersed in the political and geographic context of his stories. His writing is terse but evocative.
- J.K. Rowling: Laugh if you want, but this woman revolutionized the publishing and reading landscape over the past decade. Not only is the Harry Potter franchise pervasive, but it’s also quite entertaining.
- Ian McEwan: You know the clichéd phrase ‘emotional rollercoaster’? McEwan’s novels are probably as close as you can get to the cliché without falling into an abyss of despair. His works are remarkably sensuous and evocative, crafted with incredible precision.
- Cory Doctorow: I’m not a fan of science fiction. At all. Unless it is sci-fi written by Cory Doctorow, everyone’s favorite blogger. His worlds of the future are surprisingly realistic and believable, and provide particularly astute observations on our world of the present.
- John Updike: There isn’t much I can say about Updike that hasn’t already been said: he is one of the most prolific and respected writers of his generation, and is a master of both poetry and prose. And his writing always captivates.
Upon further reflection, it seems as though many of the writers on my list are renown essayists and short story authors as well as novelists. Which makes sense, seeing as how short fiction is still my favorite type of literature.
I have no personal stories or anecdotes to share about David Foster Wallace. All I have is the appreciation of his work, of his mastery with words, his storytelling genius.