Joan Didion’s 19

[Paul_Chance]

As an author which authors do you find inspiring?

While wandering the Internet today, I stumbled across the list of Joan Didion’s 19 favorite works. Not her own works, but the works of other artists.

So, a question for the Authors here (and readers too). Of the list below how many have you read? Any of your favorites below?

Joan Didion’s favourite books:​

• A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
• Victory by Joseph Conrad
• Guerrillas by VS Naipaul
• Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell
• Wonderland by Joyce Carol Oates
• The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford
• Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
• One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
• Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
• Appointment in Samarra by John O’Hara
• The Executioner’s Song by Norman Mailer
• Speedboat by Renata Adler
• Go Tell It on the Mountainby James Baldwin
• Notes of a Native Son by James Baldwin
• The Berlin Stories by Christopher Isherwood
• The Novels of Henry James: Washington Square, Portrait of a Lady, The Bostonians, Wings of the Dove, The Ambassadors, The Golden Bowl, Daisy Miller, The Aspern Papers, The Turn of the Screw
• Collected Poems by Robert Lowell
• Collected Poems by WH Auden
• The Collected Poems by Wallace Stevens

 

[StillStunned]

I've never heard of Joan Didion, but these kinds of lists always strike me as less "these are books I really enjoy reading" and more "here are some books that I've read that I think will impress others with my intellect."

Although for the record the first half of Down And Out In Paris And London is fun.

 

[Five_Inch_Heels]

Who?

 

[Z_TheWriter]

I have read A Farewell to Arms, it was ok
Wuthering Heights, One Hundred Years of Solitude, and Crime and Punishment are on the list^(tm).
Most of the others I haven't heard of.

Oh and I join the host of people who have no idea who Joan Didion is.

 

[Kelliezgirl]

I've never heard of Joan Didion, but these kinds of lists always strike me as less "these are books I really enjoy reading" and more "here are some books that I've read that I think will impress others with my intellect."

Although for the record the first half of Down And Out In Paris And London is fun.

When it's all the books you expect to see...yes.

 

[KittyOfSteele]

Joan Didion’s favourite books:​

• One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez

I never heard of Joan Didion, so I assume it's someone you admire.

But, going to the reason of my quote here, I'm going to be the first one to sin against my own people here, and believe me, I am not the only one who thinks this way: I, utterly, truly, completely, clinically, despise the modern Latinamerican authors, whether they belong to the Latinamerican Boom or not. I just do, and here's why: the majority of those books give me the feel that they were written in a lab. They feel like they've been written by academics who are trying to impress other academics in a dick measuring competition. I know that people love them. I fucking love Jorge Luis Borges and Julio Cortázar as authors, and some of the things they put about writing too. It's just that they are so overrated, so overhyped, and people keep talking about them like nothing can be better than them. They aren't authors to me, they are brands. Overpriced brands. Mario Vargas Llosa and Gabriel García Márquez are, by far, the worse of them. I don't criticise people for reading them, but I am SICK of having Gabo talked about everywhere, and I really want to punch Mario Vargas Llosa for making a stupid essay about Story of the Eye that was longer than the actual length of Story of the Eye, and the Sonrisa Vertical printing of Story of the Eye has that essay that takes up more than half of the book, while the actual novel is padded with the exquisite Hans Bellmer illustrations for the novel, plus a scan of Bataille's plans for making a sequel to Story of the Eye, as well as a transcript of said plans, and his own essay reflecting on the story.

That's all I'm saying about this list. What hurts me the most is that most Latinamerican authors are seeking to follow on those steps, and the industry doesn't help either. I can only think of one author who isn't doing that, and it's not me, it's Lucas García. Payback is the first anthology of pulp vignettes I've ever read in Spanish, and no one has written something like that in our beautiful language. Maybe Jonathan Jakubowicz has, but I never read the Juán Planchard series, and I really want to.

 

[lovecraft68]

I'll join the posters saying they don't know who this person is.

But even if it was someone I knew-and even read- why am I supposed to care what books someone else likes?

Is it a status symbol of some kind?

I'll stick with my list of comic books, Vampirella Magazine, and Remo Williams the Destroyer series. I'm a less pretentious more fun reader.

 

[stxjimmy]

I've never heard of Joan Didion, but these kinds of lists always strike me as less "these are books I really enjoy reading" and more "here are some books that I've read that I think will impress others with my intellect."

Although for the record the first half of Down And Out In Paris And London is fun.

Joan Didion is one of the foremost chroniclers of the 1960s and beyond. Through novels, essays, journalism and diaries.
Along with her husband John Gregory Dunne she was also a screenwriter, creating The Panic in Needle Park, True Confessions and a Star is Born. Play it as it Lays was based upon her own novel.
If she says she’s read everything on the list you can rely on that to be true.
She’s a quintessential American author that should be read by anyone interested in literature.

 

[StillStunned]

Joan Didion is one of the foremost chroniclers of the 1960s and beyond. Through novels, essays, journalism and diaries.
Along with her husband John Gregory Dunne she was also a screenwriter, creating The Panic in Needle Park, True Confessions and a star is born. Play it as it Lays was based upon her own novel.
If she says she’s read everything on the list you can rely on that to be true.
She’s a quintessential American author that should be read by anyone interested in literature.

I never said she hadn't read them. I only said that these lists feel more like showing off about what someone has read rather than actually reflecting what they enjoy.

And I disagree that she "should be read by anyone interested in literature". It might surprise a lot of Americans, but all their "great" literature is just a tiny drop in a vast pool. I've never read Hemingway, or Faulkner, or Melville, or Steinbeck. Or, indeed, Joan Didion.

 

[TheLobster]

Joan Didion’s 19

Happy birthday! And since this is Literotica, I believe it is appropriate to ask the following questions:

• Is she hot?
• If so, does she have an OnlyFans?

 

[Paul_Chance]

Joan Didion is one of the foremost chroniclers of the 1960s and beyond. Through novels, essays, journalism and diaries.
Along with her husband John Gregory Dunne she was also a screenwriter, creating The Panic in Needle Park, True Confessions and a Star is Born. Play it as it Lays was based upon her own novel.
If she says she’s read everything on the list you can rely on that to be true.
She’s a quintessential American author that should be read by anyone interested in literature.

Thank you.

 

[Paul_Chance]

Happy birthday! And since this is Literotica, I believe it is appropriate to ask the following questions:

• Is she hot?
• If so, does she have an OnlyFans?

LOL

As a matter of opinion - yes, yes she was. No, no OF (that I know of - she could’ve been there in disguise).

 

[Paul_Chance]

I never said she hadn't read them. I only said that these lists feel more like showing off about what someone has read rather than actually reflecting what they enjoy.

And I disagree that she "should be read by anyone interested in literature". It might surprise a lot of Americans, but all their "great" literature is just a tiny drop in a vast pool. I've never read Hemingway, or Faulkner, or Melville, or Steinbeck. Or, indeed, Joan Didion.

So, are you accusing me of showing off? Or her of showing off? Or both of us? Trying to mediate my response here.

 

[stxjimmy]

Thank you.

Sorry about how the rest of it turned out!

 

[Paul_Chance]

I never heard of Joan Didion, so I assume it's someone you admire.

But, going to the reason of my quote here, I'm going to be the first one to sin against my own people here, and believe me, I am not the only one who thinks this way: I, utterly, truly, completely, clinically, despise the modern Latinamerican authors, whether they belong to the Latinamerican Boom or not. I just do, and here's why: the majority of those books give me the feel that they were written in a lab. They feel like they've been written by academics who are trying to impress other academics in a dick measuring competition. I know that people love them. I fucking love Jorge Luis Borges and Julio Cortázar as authors, and some of the things they put about writing too. It's just that they are so overrated, so overhyped, and people keep talking about them like nothing can be better than them. They aren't authors to me, they are brands. Overpriced brands. Mario Vargas Llosa and Gabriel García Márquez are, by far, the worse of them. I don't criticise people for reading them, but I am SICK of having Gabo talked about everywhere, and I really want to punch Mario Vargas Llosa for making a stupid essay about Story of the Eye that was longer than the actual length of Story of the Eye, and the Sonrisa Vertical printing of Story of the Eye has that essay that takes up more than half of the book, while the actual novel is padded with the exquisite Hans Bellmer illustrations for the novel, plus a scan of Bataille's plans for making a sequel to Story of the Eye, as well as a transcript of said plans, and his own essay reflecting on the story.

That's all I'm saying about this list. What hurts me the most is that most Latinamerican authors are seeking to follow on those steps, and the industry doesn't help either. I can only think of one author who isn't doing that, and it's not me, it's Lucas García. Payback is the first anthology of pulp vignettes I've ever read in Spanish, and no one has written something like that in our beautiful language. Maybe Jonathan Jakubowicz has, but I never read the Juán Planchard series, and I really want to.

Yes, I admire her greatly. She is influential to me, both in subject matter and style.

On your criticism of the Latin American writers I’ve heard most of it said before from a Peruvian friend of mine and I am tempted to agree with it - unless you are from a culture how do you know the authors of another culture are actually any good? I think it’s a valid question. Personally, I like GGM (being American that means I like the translations I’ve read)..

 

[Paul_Chance]

Sorry about how the rest of it turned out!

lol that’s okay, the law of unintended consequences bites us all.

 

[StillStunned]

So, are you accusing me of showing off? Or her of showing off? Or both of us? Trying to mediate my response here.

Her.

 

[Paul_Chance]

Her.

Okay

 

[dirk2024]

Unfortunately, without the context as to why she's sharing that information, we can't really judge her motivation for sharing her favorite author's/titles.

There are many examples of wannabe 'journalists' who

* ask authors 'who was the best writer'?
* ask basketball players, 'who was the GOAT'?
* ask musicians, 'who was the most influential music star'?

All of the responders, in all instances, are merely sharing their opinions and their own bonafides are supposed to give them more oomph. It seems to be a human thing. (that not all share, of course)

It comes down to the 'journalists' who are trying to make news to sell their own articles.

 

[Paul_Chance]

Being a Joan Didion fan, I thought the list was interesting due to its source, so I thought I’d spark some conversation by sharing it and asking a few questions.

My well intentioned arrow flew astray because:

A. Very few people knew who she was, which honestly surprised me.

B. The thread spun off on pretentious lists and why we hate them straight off the bow string.

No blood, no harm.

For the record, I’ve read about half the list and will add the ones I haven’t to my nearly endless TBR list.

 

[Paul_Chance]

Unfortunately, without the context as to why she's sharing that information, we can't really judge her motivation for sharing her favorite author's/titles.

There are many examples of wannabe 'journalists' who

* ask authors 'who was the best writer'?
* ask basketball players, 'who was the GOAT'?
* ask musicians, 'who was the most influential music star'?

All of the responders, in all instances, are merely sharing their opinions and their own bonafides are supposed to give them more oomph. It seems to be a human thing. (that not all share, of course)

It comes down to the 'journalists' who are trying to make news to sell their own articles.

Yeah, that’s where I stumbled starting the thread - the assumption that Joan Didion was well known and hence worthy of conversation.

 

[dirk2024]

I've heard of her , but only because she was from my hometown. I haven't read anything of hers.

 

[Kelliezgirl]

Yeah, that’s where I stumbled starting the thread - the assumption that Joan Didion was well known and hence worthy of conversation.

Nothing wrong with giving it a whirl. Even if the conversation isn't about Joan Didion's list, a discussion about books and lists is worthwhile and fun.

It's the AH you NEVER know where a thread well go.

 

[KittyOfSteele]

unless you are from a culture how do you know the authors of another culture are actually any good?

I have a better question: if these authors are good, how come people all over the continent prefer to read foreign authors; English-speaking authors translated to Spanish instead of their own? Whenever I go to the book stores here, I see less authors of my country, or of the continent, and more authors from America or the UK, because that's what they sell. I've never heard of someone randomly going "hmm, I think I'm in the mood to read Gabo." They are mostly taken for either a school project, or someone trying to get into reading by not going after what they are interested into because somebody shamed them into going for something that they aren't curious about in the first place, and I'm a librarian!

Like I said, the problem with Latinamerican authors is that they are far busier being pretentious than actually writing. Just the first book from the Juan Planchard series by Jakubowicz, though I haven't read it, hits harder than any work written by the Boom authors. I kid you not, the first page of the Vargas Llosa essay that I mentioned just made me skip through. If I want to read an author jerking off to their own words, I'd make a 100-page essay about my worst erotica and read it, to which I have several candidates.

 

[stxjimmy]

I've heard of her , but only because she was from my hometown. I haven't read anything of hers.

Run River is a lovely book about growing up in the Sacramento valley, well worth a read.