My Favorite Writers



A section of one of my bookcases

All you bibliophiles out there, this one is for you. I have been a reader all my life, and the 20+ years I spent working in bookstores provided me with amazing access to millions of books. I do not currently work in the book industry, but I am still an avid reader, and love to promote reading, share my knowledge, and write about all things book-related.

That said, I thought it would be fun to compile a list of my favorite writers, as well as include my favorite books by each of them. As I was putting this list together, I noticed several recurring themes. I don’t know what they say about me, or my taste in authors and books, but here are my observations:

○ All the writers are dead

○ Most of them were gay/lesbian

○ Several of them were from the American South

○ Catholicism is a recurring theme in many of their works

○ Buddhism and Eastern philosophies feature in several of my favorite titles

○ Spiritual journeys are central to quite a few of the books on the list

I wasn’t sure how I wanted to categorize this list, and ultimately decided to organize it alphabetically to keep things simple. Of course, I enjoy the works of many other writers, but these authors are the ones that have had the biggest impact on me, and their books are some of my most cherished possessions.  

Baldwin, James

Favorite work: Giovanni’s Room (novel)

Crisp, Quentin

Favorite work: The Naked Civil Servant (autobiography) 

Dogen

Favorite work: The Essential Dogen (collected writings) 

Greene, Graham

Favorite work: The Power and the Glory (novel)

Hesse, Hermann

Favorite work: The Journey to the East (novel)

Isherwood, Christopher

Favorite work: The Berlin Stories (omnibus of two novels)

Kazantzakis, Nikos

Favorite work Zorba the Greek (novel)

Kerouac, Jack

Favorite work: The Dharma Bums (novel)

Lewis, Sinclair

Favorite work: Elmer Gantry (novel)

Maugham, William Somerset

Favorite work: The Razor’s Edge (novel)

McCullers, Carson

Favorite work: The Heart is a Lonely Hunter (novel)

Merton, Thomas

Favorite work: The Seven Storey Mountain (autobiography)

O’Connor, Flannery

Favorite work: A Good Man is Hard to Find (short story collection)

Waugh, Evelyn

Favorite work: Brideshead Revisited (novel)

Williams, Tennessee

Favorite work: The Glass Menagerie (play)

While I love all of the above writers, my all-time favorite is William Somerset Maugham. I love everything I have ever read of his (which, as far as I know, is everything that has been published). From his essays, to travelogues, to fiction, and even his plays, his writing never fails to pull me in. So much of his inspiration was drawn from his own experiences and people he knew, which, I think, is what lends his work such a familiar, conversational tone. He makes you feel as if he is there with you, telling you a story. (Fun fact: In my wallet, I used to carry a photo of him that I printed off the internet.)

Everyone has their own preferences when it comes to their book selections. Some people only read fantasy books, while others read exclusively nonfiction. Personally, I am no snob, and like everything from Vicktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning to Patricia Highsmith’s Strangers on a Train, and everything in between. The only way to see what you like is to pick up a book (physical or digital) and start reading it.

If you are unfamiliar with some of the above authors, or have heard of them but have not gotten around to reading them, I hope your curiosity was sparked, and you decide to give one (or all!) of them a try. You just might discover a new favorite for yourself.       


















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