Comments on: Literary heroes

By: The Duke

The Duke — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 07:32:19 +0000

My influences are Norman Mailer and the early Rolling Stones.

Read all of Mailer, I now write like him, and I sing like Jagger on a bad day.

By: Grog

Grog — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 12:41:03 +0000

Cool list Ange. I’d put Orwell on mine

By: LiteraryMinded

LiteraryMinded — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 08:39:45 +0000

‘Some writers you read and appreciate, analyse, enjoy. Other writers inspire you to want to write’ I agree Elena! And what I do when I’m ‘jamming’ with Bowie is often more literary sketching than actual writing, know what I mean. I pretty much always need silence to write something formal.

Jo – I remember one of my Yr 12 English teachers talking about LOTR wish such passion – like you, it was the book of her life, she read it at least once a year. It’s such a well-loved book (and trilogy). I personally, loved The Hobbit.

By: Jo

Jo — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 03:56:02 +0000

Seconding Troy on the Shaun Tan front! His (and the devine Alan Lee’s) works make me yearn to wield a pencil half so well, and the imagination in Tan’s stories is so inspiring.

I don’t think any work has ever influenced me so greatly as The Lord of the Rings, though. Nothing else has seeped into my life as much as this. The first time I read it I was so sad to reach the end that I promptly returned to the beginning and read it a second time.

My modern day hero would have to be Stephen Moffat. I want to write like this man. Every time I watch his work I keep thinking “yes!” – his dialogue always hits the right note and makes me fall in love with the craft of scriptwriting all over again.

By: Elena

Elena — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 01:12:41 +0000

I love that you picked Bowie first! I’m impressed that you can write while listening to him, I usually end up dancing in my room like an idiot

I just nabbed myself a copy of a Jeeves omnibus by P.G. Wodehouse and he is one of my literary heroes. Some writers you read and appreciate, analyse, enjoy. Other writers inspire you to want to write and Wodehouse does that for me, especially so because comedy is so difficult to execute in writing (for me anyway).

I also have to add here The Arcade Fire because they’re one of my favourite bands that’s still around, and also Michel Gondry ^_^

By: Troy

Troy — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 23:28:44 +0000

Shaun Tan! Of course…I guess I’d come up with a shorter list for artists who don’t inspire…I have a fav artist I like to write while looking at her art: http://sylviamay.blogspot.com/

By: LiteraryMinded

LiteraryMinded — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 22:09:21 +0000

Oh HOW did I forget Nick Cave? I ‘jam’ to his music too. Michel Gondry – good one. And of course, Cate Kennedy. Didn’t want to mention her too much in one blog post. I will absorb her wisdom today Coetzee is a growing one for me. Must read more. And Nam, of course. Awesome.

By: Marmalade

Marmalade — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 12:07:40 +0000

Ooh, ooh, I’m good at these. I’m glad your literary heroes bleed across into other mediums. I think cultural output is too blended these days to limit yourself just to writers.

So *takes deep breath* Hemingway Greene Coetzee Winton Chris Cunningham Shaun Tan mclusky The Beta Band Michel Gondry PJ Harvey – PEEJ! – Nick Cave Cate Kennedy Nam Le *phew*

By: LiteraryMinded

LiteraryMinded — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 11:52:17 +0000

Those are great ones. Yes, Orwell is a hero of mine too. And re Tim Rogers – it seems I am either doing something with him, or am simply on at the same time as him, in the festival club at Melb Writers Fest this year… you should come down for it!

By: Troy

Troy — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 11:05:20 +0000

Who are mine??
First novel I ever heard was The Hobbit, my kindergarten teacher read to us on cold winter afternoons. Of course, Tim Winton. My dad did two things: played John Lennon records, quoted JFK to me. I guess reading George Orwell, while in Paris, sets up a whole new level of hero status. Reading Helen Garner while at uni, Sofia Coppla, the lyrics of Neil Finn. I can’t imagine the 90’s without Tim Rogers. Everyday I am amazed at what young people can come up with…Peter Carey, Murray Bail, Margaret Attwood, Zadie Smith, Chris Sarr…I could talk all day…