Have you ever gone on a literary pilgrimage? Ever visited a childhood home of a beloved author. There’s Faulkner’s home in Mississippi or Laura Ingalls Wilder’s in De Smet. There’s the Bird and Baby for Inklings fans and the whole town of Providence for Lovecraft fans. Big Sur means something different after Kerouac along with every major highway and mountain. Even Hopkins thought this way when he marveled at the fact that he was breathing the same air as Duns Scotus when living in Oxford:
Yet ah! this air I gather and I releaseHe lived on; these weeds and waters, these walls are whatHe haunted who of all men most sways my spirits to peace
What if, instead of just breathing the same air, seeing the same weeds, or haunting the same walls, what if we could meet these authors? Part Time Monster just reminded me of Top Ten Tuesday (hosted by The Broke and the Bookish) with their post on books they’ll never read, and I couldn’t resist this week’s meme: Ten Authors I REALLY Want to Meet.
1. Gerard Manley Hopkins
I know. No one’s surprised. Except Fr. Hopkins in his frumpy frock as he tries in bewilderment to figure out who this overly excited, fast-talking American is who just barged into Manresa House.
2. Flannery O’Connor
Because anyone who inspires a birthday parade like this has got to be amazing.
3. C. P. Cavafy
I don’t know what we would do or what we would talk about. Maybe we would just smoke cigarettes. I don’t know, but I do know that we could talk because he spoke English.
4. Jack Gilbert
I have this impression that we wouldn’t get along — I really don’t know why — but that doesn’t stop me from really wishing it was still possible to go to one of his readings.
5. J. R. R. Tolkien
I would probably get on this one’s nerves more than Gilbert’s… but, hey, we could smoke pipes together!
6. Edith Stein
I would put out my pipe right away so I could learn at her feet about the glories of philosophy. Is it offensive or respectful that I assume she would want me to put out my pipe? (Wow, I never thought I would be searching: “Did Edith Stein smoke?” It’s apparently a matter of some interest.)
7. Haruki Murakami
To get some quality advice about life.
8. Jane Austen
For the parties!
9. Virgil
But I might be disappointed when he doesn’t lead me through hell and purgatory.
10. Stanley Kunitz
He would help me calm down Hopkins, and besides I can’t think of anyone better to go “roaming through the stacks” of a library with:
Wow, is everyone on this list dead? Well you know what that means it’s time for:
Great post. I would want Roald Dahl, Ian Fleming , Douglas Adams … all from the Dead Writers Society sadly. Judith Kerr would be another must and M.C .Beaton. (alive!)
All the best. Kris.
http://www.awritersden.wordpress.com
I like to imagine that Adams would be a lot of fun in person!
Am blogging this. 😁
Thanks!
Reblogged this on 1951 Club.
Wouldn’t that be wonderful!
I know! Who would be on your list?
Fun! I’d like to meet Charles Dickens, Douglas Adams and Virginia Woolf. Also, China Mieville and Harukia Murakami. I laughed at the Kirk hug 🙂
Good list! It would be fun to talk with Mieville about Lovecraft.
I really enjoyed this. I feel the inspiration for a post coming on. For me, Tolkien, George R.R. Martin, Robert Jordan, Charles Bukowski, Haruki Murakami, William Faulkner, Tishani Doshi, Charles Dickens, Leo Tolstoy, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, and a whole host of others.
Thanks!
Oh man, imagine if some of them were in the same room together! Tolkien and Martin have such different views of the genre. Can’t wait to read yours.
Yes…It is odd that Martin opposes Tolkien view, and yet he continuously reads The Lord of the Rings. I think he only disagrees with his lack of portraying gritty reality.
My list would be short: Haruki Murakami, Margaret Atwood, and W.G. Sebald.
Yes! I feel like I should redo this list and add Atwood. I especially love her poetry. We had “Variation on the Word Sleep” at our wedding reception.