Tag: joyce

Review of “Writers Gone Wild” by Bill Peschel

Alina H. Hansen Writer & Poet

 
Writers Gone Wild: The Feuds, Frolics, and Follies of Literature's Great Adventurers, Drunkards, Lovers, Iconoclasts, and Misanthropes
photo source: goodreads.com

 

 

I recently finished “Writers Gone Wild: The Feuds, Frolics, and Follies of Literature’s Great Adventurers, Drunkards, Lovers, Iconoclasts, and Misanthropes” by Bill Peschel. This book was interesting in that it contains numerous little facts about various western writers and poets. Most notable literary figures that are highlighted multiple times in this book include Ernest Hemingway, Virginia Woolf, Oscar Wilde, and James Joyce among many others.

I found this book to be funny and pleasant to read after a long day. And the little fact snippets are very short making for easy and fast reading. Some snippets are just a paragraph while others are a couple of pages. The book is divided up into three parts, “On the Job”, “Off the Job” and “Everything Else”. The facts are not all ‘facts’ since most of the time possible rumors and hearsay at the time of their creation are discussed. Which I think makes this little collection all the more fascinating.

Bill Peschel writes with a humorous tone and fluid style that allows for enjoyable reading. And at the end of each little section, there is often bullet points of facts related to the story. I would say that anyone with a love for the modern classics of western literature should give this book a go. It would be enjoyed by the avid reader and book geek that finds themselves getting lost in a trail of Wikipedia pages in search of interesting speculations about their favorite authors. I recently conducted a two-hour meander on Wikipedia and online sources about one of my favorite writers, Bram Stoker. I was amazed to learn about his prevalence in the Irish Theatre scene and the fact that he was a personal assistant to the then-popular actor Henry Irving.  Of course, I don’t consider Wikipedia trustworthy but good for light curious reading now and then. “Writers Gone Wild” goes on my shelf as a good reference book that I may pick up again and skim through on a rainy day. It has an average rating of 3.3/5 stars. I honestly think it deserves better.

I hope that whoever reads this takes a little time to research the book and give it a chance. Thank you for reading my review and I hope that you will return in the future!

-Alina

 

My Top Five Favorite Books: Poetry and Fiction

Alina H. Hansen Writer & Poet

These are my top five books that I either (A) think about at least once a day (B) have read multiple times and can’t put down or (B) that I completely love. If I were to put down all the books that can be included within A,B, and C, this would be a huge post! So to keep it short and to the point here are five books that as of right now I feel are indispensable to other writers and lovers of poetry and fiction.

Imaginations by William Carlos Williams

Ulysses by James Joyce

Orlando by Virginia Woolf

The Beat Book: Writings from the Beat Generation Edited by Anne Waldman

The Vintage Book of Contemporary American Poetry Edited by J.D. McClatchy

Firstly, Imaginations is a book with such beautiful language I am left highlighting and underlining almost every part. Williams is one of my favorite poets and when I found this book I was elated. Little did I know what I was getting myself into. Now I read and reread certain parts completely obsessed with the structure and imagery that he uses. Love this book.

Ulysses, a book I attempted to read on my own a few years ago but felt overwhelmed and stupid after trying. It was the first book that I ever picked up that made me feel like the content and style was over my head. It wasn’t until I took a Joyce class up at the University of Utah which focused mainly on Ulysses that I was able to understand this bible of language and style. Given the right tools and information required this book exploded before my eyes as one of the greatest novels ever written. I return periodically to reread certain parts of Ulysses whenever I feel inspired to write something dangerous.

Orlando,  not the only Woolf book I’ve read but one of my absolute favorites. When I first began reading Orlando I was thinking about the possibility of creating a character that moves beyond sexuality and gender. Although it is not exactly about this Orlando was close to it and inspirational to read. I fell back into reading  Woolf harder than ever after that and got lost in her work for the next few months.

The Beat Book: Writings from the Beat Generation , this book has the background information and key works by some of the most influential Beat Poets (of course, Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac). I usually jump around from chapter to chapter and research more on the Poets that speak to me. Which is difficult because I’ve already ended up researching about half the poets in the book and I’m not done. This is a perfect resource for learning about the Beat Poets and their work.

The Vintage Book of Contemporary American Poetry, contains selections from some of my favorite poets including Adrienne Rich, Elizabeth Bishop, Theodore Roethke, Frank O’ Hara, Galway Kinnell and Gary Snyder just to name a few. I have loved this book for a couple years now and always pick it up when I want to return to my favorites.

I hope this short list helps someone out there that needs more inspiration!

Thank you for reading and taking time out of your day to visit. I hope you return in the future!

Thank you!

-Alina