Inspired

A post or two ago I mentioned I was reading an autobiography of Oscar Wilde. It's dense reading so I am taking it slow, savoring the reflections on art and life that were so much a part of his daily diatribe. O.W. was a believer in art and beauty and his life reflected that belief at every hairpin curve of his impressive life. I am impressed by the depth of his belief.  As I read, I dig deeper to have my own writing reflect the beauty I want to see in the world and that I catch glimpses of as I make my daily trek through normality. Oscar pressed the bounds of propriety in his approach to life and his craft. He believed that literature was the "supreme art..." one that could "transform a painting into words, a life into an artifice."*

I too believe in beauty and love and art. I believe it has the potential to transform those who read it for good... or for ill. A teacher and I once had a discussion about the books she was recommending to her class. At that time she felt they would only read books they could relate to, stories that were spawned from authors who lived similar lives. At this point I offered a suggestion that went a bit against the grain of common knowledge. While I understood why she and her fellow teachers felt they needed to offer reading material that reflected the life kids knew in order to engage them, "How," I queried, "would they imagine more?" How do they imagine a different kind of life than violence and ugliness if all they read are books that have the same reality that takes place in their homes? If they never read a book like A Wrinkle in Time or War of the Worlds will they dream of the stars and what lies beyond? Would they create fantasies of grand adventures and exciting travels if they haven't read Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea or The Narnia Chronicles? No, I proposed, I fear they... you and I... would not. Your dreams and aspirations would remain within the realm in which they were created- a world of day to day reality which may include abuse, drugs, alcoholism and gangs.... (fill in the blank)

Too sad to even think about really.

So Oscar Wilde inspires me to do more than write about the day-to-day, regular occurrances. I am emboldened to "take on [the] mask" of the writer in order to speak truth-- a truth that I hope will challenge readers to search for more out of life than what is "normal".

What authors have inspired you?



*Oscar Wilde by Richard Ellman, p. 339.

Northern lights... gorgeous!

One of my favorite science blogs... oops I mean websites, Why Evolution is True posted this video from YouTube. It hails from Norway-- the Aurora Borealis in all it's glory. According to Jerry Coyne the Borealis results from activity on the sun (solar flares) which increase the energy of the atom in the earth's atmosphere. The atoms then release that energy as bursts of light. And different atoms produce different colors. 

According to the Youtube poster the music is Visions of Socrates by Martijn de Man...never heard of him before but it fits with the video. I will add that at approximately 2:20-2:30 there is a shooting star which is also lovely. 

Hope this adds some beauty to your day as it did mine!  

Papa H

For Christmas Mo bought me several books that connect me to Papa Hemingway and by extension Key West . The first, I Killed Hemingway, is a fine work of fiction by author William McCranor Henderson. Our main man, one Elliot McGuire, is assigned to check out a claim put forward by a man known as 'Pappy' Markham that he not only knew Hemingway but was, in fact, his murderer. Recognizing that this revelation would rock the literary world, McGuire heads to Key West to check out the story for the publisher who is interested in publishing the man's memoir. Ostensibly our man is fact checking, in reality he's doing little more than rubber stamping the project. Roped in to the intrigue, McGuire lends his hand to the telling of the tale, only to find himself readdressing a past he'd thought he buried.

Henderson's story is compelling, keeping readers en rapt with details from Hemingway's life as they are being retold by the irascible Pappy. Character's names are drawn from Hemingway's history- i.e. McGuire's love interest's first name is Lyn- a reference to the biographer Kennith Lynn and the spin on his life (which is all pure fiction according to Pappy) is amusing.  Although the final chapters are rushed and ridiculous, the preceding 250 pages are worth the price of admission and readers may find themselves drawn into the real life drama of Hemingway once the final curtain is drawn.



Next up to bat?  I am in the midst of reading a book called Hemingway's Suitcase- a work of fiction by McDonald Harris. Delving a bit more into the legend's life from a fictional character's perspective, it seems the lost manuscripts that Hadley (Hemingway's first wife) lost have been found. Are they real or are they memorex? I'll let you know...




All this takes me back to the porch I wish I could sit on, tossing about plots and poetic musings. I wouldn't mind reclining here to stir the muse one bit...

 

It's January...

And I'm not getting much writing done on my WIP or blogging. The weather hasn't been too horrible-  moderately cold days peppered with very cold but we've had plenty of snow and apparently it's bringing out the wildlife in the broad daylight....

(sorry about the fuzziness of some of them but I took them through my windshield)

 Just a few yards from my car, this guy was checking out the area.

 Thought about heading in for a snooze...

 changed his mind

 and turned to head further down the road.

I hope the neighbors were keeping their cats and small dogs inside!