Date
Thu October 2, 2014
The WAR Series: Writers as Readers, with Claire Caldwell
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The WAR Series: Writers as Readers, with Soraya Roberts
Submitted by Grace on June 22, 2016 - 10:03am
ECW Press' Pop Classics series is a quirky pop culture-obsessed line of short and sweet books that offer cultural commentary that is equally parts witty and insightful. Delving into film, television, actors, musicians, and much more, if it's got a cult following or an unexplained fascination, it fits into Pop Classics. The latest instalment might be the one to hit hardest for children of the '90s: Soraya Roberts's In My Humble Opinion: My So-Called Life. Unpacking the appealing of the one-season-wonder, In My Humble Opionion goes in depth on the series, which groundbreaking in its gritty attention to a teen girl's quest for identity, laying the groundwork for later series like Veronica Mars, Freaks & Geeks, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Soraya joins us today to talk about the best-loved and most influential books in her life as part of our WAR Series: Writers As Readers questionnaire. She tells us about the book that made her laugh out loud, the French novelist who shaped her writing, and a very related potential title for her autobiography. The WAR Series, Writers as ReadersThe first book I remember reading on my own: The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch. A book that made me cry: Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. The first adult book I read: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. A book that made me laugh out loud: Lifespan of a Fact by John D'Agata and Jim Fingal. The book I have re-read many times: The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. A book I feel like I should have read, but haven't: The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir. The book I would give my 17-year-old self, if I could: The Lover by Marguerite Duras. A book I feel strongly influenced me as a writer and why: The Lover by Marguerite Duras, because of her subtle manipulation of pronouns and her ability to distill complex thoughts and ideas into simple lyricism. The best book I read in the past six months: Where Art Belongs by Chris Kraus. The book I plan on reading next: Brand New Ancients by Kate Tempest. A possible title for my autobiography: Unthrilled. Related item from our archives |
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