October | 2014 | Guy Portman's Blog

6 Famous Reclusive Authors

Oct 31 2014

Writing is a solitary activity that appeals to many people with an introverted nature, myself included. Some authors take their introversion to the extreme and become recluses.

This week’s blog post is dedicated to 6 famous reclusive authors:

Emily Dickinson

(10th December 1830 – 15th May 1886)

Emily Dickinson was a prolific American poet, who penned over 1700 poems. However she had fewer than a dozen poems published during her lifetime, and it was only after her demise when younger sister Lavinia discovered her poetry that the world discovered her remarkable talents. Undoubtedly the primary reason for Dickinson’s lack of acclaim during her lifetime was her reclusive habits, which by the late 1860s’ entailed her rarely leaving the house, and speaking to visitors from the other side of her closed front door.

Thomas Pynchon

(Born: 8th May 1937)

Thomas Pynchon is an American fiction and non-fiction writer. His best known novels are The Crying of Lot 49 (1966) and Gravity’s Rainbow (1973). Gravity’s Rainbow won the 1974 U.S. National Book Award for Fiction. Pynchon is a notoriously private man, who refuses to give interviews and has rarely been photographed. The author did however allow his voice to be used for his two brief appearances in The Simpsons, in which he wears a paper bag over his head to hide his identity. His latest book, Bleeding Edge, was published in 2013.

Harper Lee

(Born: 28th April 1926)

The American novelist is best known for her one and only published book, the 1960 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird. Harper Lee is also recognized for having assisted her friend Truman Capote in writing his seminal work, In Cold Blood. Harper Lee’s reclusive behaviour has entailed refusing to give speeches, and all but disappearing from public life for four decades. The Monroeville, Alabama resident surprised many, when at the age of seventy-nine she did an interview for the New York Times.

Cormac McCarthy

(Born: 20th July 1933)

Cormac McCarthy is an American novelist, screenwriter and playwright who has written 10 novels. His accolades include winning the Pulitzer Prize for The Road (2006) and the U.S. National Book Awards for All the Pretty Horses (1992).

The New Mexico resident is a notorious recluse, who once failed to show for a banquet given in his honour. As McCarthy never gave interviews the public were not even aware what the author looked like. In 2007 the author made an appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show, in addition to showing up at the Academy Awards to see the film adaptation of his book, No Country For Old Men, win Best Picture. He has not been seen in public since.

J.D. Salinger

(1st January 1919 – 27th January 2010)

The reclusive J.D. Salinger was an American author, whose seminal work The Catcher in the Rye (1951) spent thirty weeks on the New York Bestseller List, and went on to sell over ten million copies worldwide. To this day the book continues to sell around a quarter of a million copies a year.

Two years after The Catcher in the Rye’s publication Salinger withdrew completely from public life. For the next half a century the author ignored journalists and fans alike, and from 1965 no longer offered his works for publication.

Marcel Proust

(10th July 1871 – 18th November 1922)

French novelist, essayist and critic Marcel Proust is widely considered to be one of the best authors of all time. His most famous work, À la recherche du temps perdu (Remembrance of Things Past), was published in seven parts between 1913 and 1927.

Proust was a society figure in his younger years, but following his father and mother’s death, and his own increasing poor health, he withdrew from public life and stayed at home. The last three years of his life were spent in his soundproofed room, sleeping during the day and working at night on his seminal work, À la recherche du temps perdu.

My Visit to Recoleta Cemetery

Oct 24 2014

I have always been fascinated by cemeteries. Not only have I visited countless burial grounds, but the protagonist in my second novel, the satirical black comedy Necropolis, works for the burials and cemeteries department in his local council. Necropolis features a number of fictional cemeteries.

During my trip to Argentina earlier this month I had the opportunity to visit the world famous Recoleta cemetery in Buenos Aires.

Recoleta is filled with a dizzying array of monuments, mausoleums, statues, columns, tombstones and obelisks. On entering the burial ground visitors are greeted by the sight of this towering arch (see below), commemorating General Alvear, hero of the Argentine War of Independence.

Iconic former First Lady of Argentina, Eva Peron, is buried five metres underground in her family crypt at Recoleta. This is her plaque:

Unlike the sombre and dark traditional family crypts/mausoleums I have seen in the UK, Recoleta’s are often inviting, glass fronted structures brimming with flowers (see below). A flight of stairs leads down to the death chamber below.

Having shooed one of Recoleta’s numerous feline inhabitants away with my foot, I took this picture (see below). Note the palm tree and the pining angels clasping onto the mausoleum on the left.

Below is a picture of your esteemed author posing outside a family crypt, adorned with angels in a variety of poses.

Below is an austere, angel-free mausoleum that particularly appealed to me. I wonder if my monthly Co-operative Funeralcare plan will cover me for one of these in marble or black granite.

Another interesting burial receptacle.

Señor Donovan seemed very confident in which direction he was heading (see below).

Recoleta abounds with monuments commemorating the Generals from Argentina’s proud military past – a proud military past I was not even aware of. I made the decision it was probably advisable as an Englishman not to question the authenticity of this claim whilst in the cemetery.

Recolata is a truly remarkable and unique cemetery that I would highly recommend to anyone visiting Buenos Aires. Below is an aerial shot of Recoleta, which shows the sheer scale of the facility and the diverse nature of its monuments and numerous burial receptacles.

10 Authors Bizarre Writing Habits

Oct 17 2014

Authors writing habits never cease to fascinate me. This week’s blog post is dedicated to 10 famous authors bizarre writing habits.

Flannery O’Connor – Author and essayist Flannery O’Connor explained in The Habit of Being (collection of her letters) that she not only wrote at the same time every day, but also in the same place. That special place was facing her blank wood dresser, which provided no distractions. O’Connor only wrote for about two hours a day because as she suffered from lupus she had very little energy.

Demosthenes – This ancient Greek statesman had to constantly write speeches for his numerous public speaking appearances. When he felt unmotivated to do so he would shave one side of his head, the result being that as he was reluctant to leave the house until the hair grew back, he would spend the time writing.

Eudora Welty – This iconic author and Mississippi resident admitted in a letter to a friend, William Maxwell, that she had the peculiar habit of pinning her stories together in a long strip. The stories would get so long that she would have to stack them on beds and tables.

Maya Angelou – This African-American author had a very strict writing routine that entailed leaving her home at 7 a.m. and travelling to a bare hotel room, where she would write until about 2 p.m. The only possessions Angelou would bring with her were a pack of cards, a Bible and a bottle of sherry.

Victor Hugo – This French novelist wrote The Hunchback of Notre-Dame and Les Misérables in the nude. The reason being that it helped him avoid procrastination. Hugo, unable to leave the house unclothed, would order his valet to hide his clothes until after he had finished his writing.

Honoré de Balzac – This French novelist and playwright maintained a relentless writing routine. He would go to bed at 6 p.m. and rise at 1 a.m. before writing for seven hours. At 8 a.m. he would rest for ninety-minutes and then write until 4 p.m. De Balzac allegedly drunk 50 cups of coffee a day.

Dan Brown – Best selling contemporary author Dan Brown is an early riser, who apparently takes a break every hour from his writing to do calisthenics (stretches, sit-ups and pull-ups etc.). His bizarre writing antics do not end there. Brown, a fan of inversion therapy, often hangs upside down in antigravity boots because it helps him relax.

Truman Capote – Capote had a preference for writing lying down. While he wrote he would drink coffee and smoke cigarettes. As the day progressed he would drink mint tea, before moving on to sherry and martinis. Capote, who described himself as a ‘horizontal writer’, always wrote his first two drafts in longhand with a pencil.

Vladimir Nabokov – Nabokov had a fixation on index cards. The majority of his novels were written out on these cards with a pencil. The cards were then paper-clipped and kept in boxes. Nabokov’s rather particular writing routine did not end here. Most of his writing was done standing up.

Francine Prose – Blue Angel author Francine Prose confessed that she likes writing in her husband’s ‘red and black checked flannel pajama pants and a T-shirt.’ Prose usually writes at her desk, which faces a window, with a view consisting of a brick wall. Though the view may not be ascetically pleasing, Prose likes it because it is not distracting.

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5 Famous Bilingual Authors

Oct 10 2014

I never cease to be impressed by authors who write in more than one language. This week’s blog post is dedicated to 5 such authors.

Samuel Beckett

(13th April 1906 – 22nd December 1989)

Irish born avant-garde novelist, playwright and poet Samuel Beckett is regarded as one of the most influential writers of the 20th Century. His accolades include having won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1969. Beckett was a skilled linguist, who studied English, French and Italian at Trinity College, Dublin, and went on to live most of his adult life in Paris.

After the War Beckett published mostly in French, including arguably his most famous work, En attendant Godot (1953). With the exception of Molloy, Beckett translated all of his works from French to English himself.

Joseph Conrad

(3rd December 1857 – 3rd August 1924)

Remembered as one of the greatest English language novelists of all time, the Polish born Conrad did not learn to speak English until he was in his twenties. Though Conrad never completed his schooling he was also well versed in German, Greek and Latin, in addition to speaking fluent French.

Conrad’s career in the merchant navy led to him moving to England, where he embarked on his writing career. In 1899 his seminal work Hearts of Darkness was published, a book that is regarded as one of the most important works of the 20th Century.

Vladimir Nabokov

(22nd April 1899 – 2nd July 1977)

The Saint Petersburg born Nabokov was brought up speaking French and English, in addition to his native Russian. Nabokov’s first nine novels were written in Russian, but it is his later English language efforts that he is best remembered for. His most famous work, Lolita, is considered to be one of the greatest and most controversial novels ever written. Lolita is one of Modern Library’s 100 best novels of the 20th Century. In 1967, twelve years after he had written Lolita, Nabokov translated it into Russian.

Click here to read my review of Lolita.

Jack Kerouac

(12th March 1922 – 21st October 1969)

American novelist and poet Jack Kerouac primarily wrote autobiographical novels in a spontaneous prose style. His most famous book, On the Road, set against a backdrop of poetry, jazz and drug use, was the defining work of the postwar Beat Generation.

It has only recently been discovered that the young Kerouac initially began writing in Quebecois French, the language he has been brought up speaking by his French-Canadian parents. Kerouac went on to write poetry in French, in addition to two novels, which remain unpublished.

Click on the links to read my reviews of On the Road and Maggie Cassidy.

Nancy Huston

(Born: 16th September 1953)

Canadian born essayist and novelist Nancy Huston is a prolific author, who has published over 45 books comprising both fiction and non-fiction. Huston, who writes primarily in French, translates her own works into English. Her most famous book to date, Les variations Goldberg (1981), won the Prix Contrepoint prize. Huston is also more than capable of writing in English. Her critically acclaimed novel Plainsong (1993) was initially written in English and then self-translated into French.

Please note that I am currently overseas, and have only limited internet access. As a result it may take me a while to reply to any comments.

My Book Reviews

Oct 03 2014

On Tuesday I redesigned the book review section of my website (see My Reviews tab). There are now 56 reviews covering a diverse range of books. Previously resident book blogger Adam also contributed reviews, but he has found a home of his own (details to follow).

This week’s post takes the form of a friend asking me questions about my book reviews, and me answering. Perhaps this will lead to you discovering new books that are of interest.

(Note: Click on the book links to read my review)

Q. You have written 57 book reviews since you started your blog in addition to your weekly blog posts. Why?

A. As a writer of novels I find it useful to review the books I have read, as it helps me to analyse other authors writing styles. Above all I like writing book reviews because I enjoy sharing my reading experiences with others.

Q. Where else do you share your reviews?

A. goodreads, google+ and Twitter.

Q. What is the latest book you have read and reviewed?

A. Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi. It is a 600+ page true crime classic about the Manson murders – a fascinating, if at times heavy going read.

Q. I see you have reviewed 4 of John Steinbeck’s lesser-known works? Would you recommend any?

A. All of them, but particularly The Wayward Bus and the novella The Pearl.

Q. As you know I love non-Fiction, particularly history. Have you read any non-Fiction lately that you think I would enjoy?

A. King Leopold’s Ghost by Adam Hochschild tells the brutal history of the Belgian Congo. It is a fascinating if disturbing book.

Q. Have you reviewed any Indie books?

A. Yes, a few, and I have a couple more on my to-read list. I particularly enjoyed Barry Braithwaite’s Last Life by A R Lowe. It is a heart-warming tale about an alcoholic, with a less than impressive front cover that belies what lies beneath.

Q. Do you have a favourite non-English language author?

A. Joseph Roth, the Austro-Hungarian Jewish author. He is only now 75 years after his death getting the attention he deserves in the English speaking world. I have reviewed his seminal work, The Radetzky March and his novella The Legend of the Holy Drinker. His writing has a nostalgic tone, which I appreciate.

(Click here to read my rather morbid blog post about Roth’s demise).

Q. Your second novel Necropolis is a satirical black comedy that could be labelled as Transgressive Fiction. Have you reviewed any Transgressive books?

A. Yes, I’ve reviewed many books that could be labelled as Trangressive, including 6 Chuck Palahniuk novels and 4 of Bret Easton Ellis’s works. Peruse my book reviews and you will discover many more.

(Click here to read my blog post about the Trangressive genre).