Writers in any sense

August 26, 2006


September. Fall. The turning of leaves, the raking, and the bite of a cold breeze.

In South Dakota, September means something more – books. The smell of a musty page, the excitement of a new purchase, the promise of a unknown writer, of a person looking for that small push towards notoriety. More specifically, September signifies the coming of Fourth Annual South Dakota Festival of Books. I, for one, am very excited.

And when I’m excited, I start listing things.

In honor of the upcoming book festival, I will be presenting my personal Top 25 Writers Countdown – the 25 writers who I look up to, who changed my outlook on words, or who inspired me to finally try this reading thing, this writing thing, and this blogging thing.

But what is a writer?

To me, this term can’t be smashed into one category. The best writers aren’t just authors or poets. They’re great lyricists. They’re important journalists. They write articles, songs, graphic novels, screenplays, television scripts, advertising, stand up comedy, hip hop, and opinions.

Who would you pick? The Coen Brothers or Bob Dylan? Walter Cronkite or Hunter S. Thompson? Ernest Hemmingway? Art Spiegelman? Joni Mitchell? Crispin Porter, David Sederis, or David Cross?

Constant readers probably remember my Top 100 Countdown back in April. For me, the most enjoyable part of constructing that list wasn’t the countdown itself, but the responses from friends, family, and fellow bloggers. Top ten lists came from everywhere. I’m not the only one who likes to list things, and it showed in the responses I got. Everyone has different tastes, and it’s fascinating to see the reasons why.

So in the upcoming weeks, you’ll be seeing the same thing. Writers being honored. Lyricists being heralded. Poets and playwrights and comics being raised up together, as one populace dedicated to putting words together in their own unique ways.

Do you think Jay-Z is more important to you than Charles Dickens? Would you rather experience the collective writing of the Monty Python troupe or the inventive wordplay of Shakespeare?

Send me your top ten. And let’s join together in celebrating the art of writing.

Tags: Literature, The Top..., Writers |

Comments

5 Responses to “Writers in any sense”

  1. Will on August 29th, 2006 1218 pm

    Don’t know if I can come up with 10, but here’s the first few who come to mind (roughly in order):

    1. Ken Kesey — the greatest American writer, bar none. There’s nothing like it. Too bad he only wrote a few books, but he did more with those few than most do with dozens. Kesey is an enormously influential cultural figure. As a corollary to Kesey, I’d recommend Tom Wolfe’s “Electric Kool Aid Acid Test,” which is sort of a biography of Kesey and his gang of Merry Pranksters.

    2. John Steinbeck — needs no explanation. His stories bring tears to my eyes.

    3. Tom Robbins — perhaps a bit obscure, and definitely out there, but deep, profound, hilarious, and superbly entertaining.

    4. Fyodor Dostoyevsky — if you want to learn how to *write*, read Dostoyevsky. Rich and deep and complex, but amusing and fun as well.

    5. Jack Kerouac — there are some writers you just identify with, regardless of the writing itself. That’s sort of how I feel about Kerouac. Nothing special about Kerouac’s writing itself, but what’s behind it is what’s important.

    6. Robert Heinlein — I’ve read only one of his books (Stranger in a Strange Land) but it was enough to get him on this list. Heinlein is a sci fi writer, but he uses sci fi to communicate some truly revolutionary ideas. It’s the ideas that make Heinlein worth reading.

    7. Richard Bach — of “Jonathan Livingston Seagull” fame. Simple books which communicate a great way to look at life. They’re all worth reading. Particularly “Illusions.”

    8. Robert Pirsig — wrote the cult favorite “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance,” a book which is sort of like a pencil sharpener for your mind. I think it makes you a little smarter to read that book. He wrote another one too, “Lila,” which is just as good. Pirsig isn’t for everybody (like most of the authors on this list) but if you have an interest in Eastern philosophies, this is a good book.

    I’m sure I’m forgetting many, but this is what comes to mind. I’m intentionally leaving off non-fiction and the great philosophers, like Plato, Rousseau, Locke, and Nietzsche.

    Ahhh … so many books, so little time to read them. Your library looks marvelous.

  2. makethelogobigger on September 1st, 2006 148 am

    Have to admit, I rarely read. Which is to say, almost never. Looking at the list I came up with though and I realized, a lot are musicians or screenwriters. What I skip in terms of reading, I make up for with movies and music, and many of them below influence me much the same as novelist might someone else.

    Except for No. 1, all others in no particular order.

    1) David Mamet. Glengarry Glen Ross is my absolute favorite of his, both book and film. House of Games and Oleanna as well. If you have the chance, he also has two incredible interviews on his writing process with Elvis Mitchell on the Treatment podcast here.

    2) Cohen Bros. Not just because you suggested it either, but while Mamet writes with great rhythm, their ear for writing regional dialect is uncanny: Raising Arizona. O Brother, Where Art Thou? Fargo.

    3) Mark Fenske. Copywriter at Wieden + Kennedy. His blog is here and every word he writes seems to be just right one.

    4) Quentin Tarentino - Micky Spillane meets Mamet.

    5) Anthony Swofford - Solid columnist. Great book, Jarhead.

    6) Shawn Colvin - Complicated relationship themes and a great voice to deliver them with.

    7) Whoever wrote the Apple Quickstart guides. Genius actually.

    8) Garry Shandling. (Next to UK Office, The Larry Sanders Show may be the funniest show ever written. Performances are always key no matter what show you’re talking about, but someone still has to write it.)

    9) Barry Levinson - Very solid film screenwriter but my favorite is his TV work: Homicide: Life on the Street. one of the best detective shows there was.

    10) Peter Gabriel/Sting/Bono - Lyrics with universal human themes. None of them ever really sing about their ex-girlfriend walking down the street the way a Tom Petty might.

  3. Corey Vilhauer on September 1st, 2006 1143 am

    Thanks — all awesome lists.

    But you’re supposed to wait! Send them to me for the grand revealing!

    That’s okay — I’ll just copy and paste.

  4. makethelogobigger on September 6th, 2006 1255 am

    Sorry. Guess I misread the email.

  5. Corey Vilhauer on September 6th, 2006 821 am

    That’s okay. No harm, no foul.

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