I don’t know about you but I rarely have a conversation with anyone (non-writers included) without asking them, at some point: What are you reading?
Not only do I get wonderful recommendations this way—often far afield from my own predilections—but it gives me a glimpse into another person’s sensibilities, preoccupations, even guilty pleasures.
What am I reading right now? Glad you asked!
This morning, I just finished Václav Havel's The Power of the Powerless, first published in 1978. It’s a (short) book-length essay on, well, everything: totalitarianism, conformity and non-conformity, living within the truth, the nature(s) of dissidence, equality and freedom, personal responsibility, and so much more.
I found it extraordinarily relevant to our historical moment and marked it up with a pencil while reading. (See evidence below!)
Here’s a quote from Havel that we all might relate to as writers: “There are times we must sink to the bottom of our misery to understand truth, just as we must descend to the bottom of a well to see the stars in broad daylight.”
So, today, I’m asking all of you: What are you reading? I’d love to know!
I invite you to post your responses on this thread. Please feel free to include a quote or a brief description, if you wish, but the title and author are more than enough.
You can expect Writing prompt #3 (“The Thermodynamics of Voice”) in your inbox on Monday. Thanks for spreading the word—and for taking a moment to subscribe, if you can.
Have a great weekend!
Abrazos,
Cristina
PS: I didn’t receive any craft questions on Tuesday’s post but I’ll keep the thread open indefinitely for when those queries start flooding in!
Reading Golem Girl by Riva Lehrer, an autobiography that's also a history of sorts of the disability movement. Riva is an artist and for the longest time she created a series of portraits of disabled people. These are pat of the book as well -- and they're beautiful. The book is a finalist in the memoir category for the National Book Critics Association awards.
Re-reading Mavis Gallant: "My grandmother read; I sat on a chair, so high and steep that my lugs stuck out before me and went to sleep. She read and read, and one day, the veil melted. I began to see a woman in long skirts, walking to and fro, talking, explaining. Suddenly, she stops and throws a glance into a mirror. She peeps into a mirror and what she sees--her own face--will always be as important to her as anything she has to say. I knew instantly what grown women were like and how I would be one day. Voila les grandes."
Reading Golem Girl by Riva Lehrer, an autobiography that's also a history of sorts of the disability movement. Riva is an artist and for the longest time she created a series of portraits of disabled people. These are pat of the book as well -- and they're beautiful. The book is a finalist in the memoir category for the National Book Critics Association awards.
Just ordered!
I’ve just started the memoir Ordinary Girls by Jaquira Díaz about coming of age in Puerto Rico and Miami Beach.
I want to read this, too!
Re-reading Mavis Gallant: "My grandmother read; I sat on a chair, so high and steep that my lugs stuck out before me and went to sleep. She read and read, and one day, the veil melted. I began to see a woman in long skirts, walking to and fro, talking, explaining. Suddenly, she stops and throws a glance into a mirror. She peeps into a mirror and what she sees--her own face--will always be as important to her as anything she has to say. I knew instantly what grown women were like and how I would be one day. Voila les grandes."
Which collection?
"The Cost of Living: Early and Uncollected Stories." This excerpt is from a story called "Rose."
Thanks! Love her.