Poverty and a kid keeps me off the line so I have lots of time to write. :|
Trust me to turn something as simple as coming up with a Top
10 Influential Books in Your Life challenge into a blog post.
I had to.
When I started listing books, my brain linked me with more
and more and those morphed into play titles which morphed into graphic novel
titles and the task became a labyrinthine octopus diagram with no end in
sight. I had to simplify things some
how. After diagramming the links and
connections of one book to another, I decided to go with the titles I deemed to
be “Gateway Books” in my life.
“Gateway Books” are those titles which opened a whole other
world for me – either inspired me to find more info on topics in the “Gateway”
title or spun me off from the original in another direction…y’know…the stuff
good books are supposed to do in the first place.
So here it is. My top
10 (in no particular chronology in my life) and the other titles the Gateway
Book inspired:
1. Mythology by Edith Hamilton
Every kid who every fell in love with Greek mythology
probably did it through Hamilton’s book.
I remember very clearly, as a 10 year old, reading this book for the
first time and thinking: “…this is my world.
These Gods and Goddesses and heroes make complete sense to me.” This is the point I knew I was different from
other kids. They were talking about toys
and Church and all I wanted to talk about was how cool Zeus was, or Ares, or
Aphrodite. Here are the stirrings of my
pagan soul.
TITLES I CAME TO
THROUGH THIS BOOK:
A. The Summer Tree by Guy
Gavriel Kay
Fantasy novel about 5 or 6 university kids from
Toronto. They get pulled into another
world, Fionavar, to save it from unravelling.
There was a reference here to King Arthur and the love triangle between
his wife Guinevere, Lancelot, and himself.
This whole King Arthur thing intrigued me and led me to:
B. The Mists of Avalon by
Marion Zimmer Bradley.
This book probably should have been in Hamilton’s spot but I
had a theme and had to stick to it or bibliochaos would have ensued. This is the book that put me on the proper
path to Wicca. After reading Zimmer
Bradley’s riveting historical fiction account of Arthur’s rise to power, I
walked into the first pagan book store I found in Victoria, and asked for
information about Arthur’s sister, Morgaine’s “old religion.” From here there was no looking back. This book placed my feet on the spiritual
path which has served as a strength and comfort for me through the years. I found my spiritual “home” thanks to this
book.
C. The Spiral Dance by
Starhawk.
Basically the Wicca 101 text book. Gives the curious all the intro info on
Wicca, its theology, and references to other books on Wicca and other
Earth-based, polytheistic belief systems.
D. Pagan Grace by Ginette Paris
Studies on Dionysus, Apollo, and Hermes. Great insights into the power and strengths
of these Gods and how they influence our lives…if we let them. When this book came into my life, I really
needed it. I learned to understand the
impact of these Gods, particularly Dionysus, in my life. Paris helped me to feel more connected and
less of a freak for having had so many experiences with Dionysus and Apollo.
2. Oedipus Rex by Sophocles
DISCLAIMER: for the
record, I really dislike this play. The
reason it is on this list as the second most influential piece of writing in my
life is that it opened up Greek drama lit to me.
Ok, maybe I don’t dislike it, I just was overexposed to it
so I am sick of it. Every drama lit
course I have ever taken has either had us study it or has referred to it in
some way – which, of course speaks to it’s importance in the Western Lit canon.
To me, what this play
brings are these jewels:
A.
The Oreseia by Aeschylus
Y’know when you were in school or
in university and you read something that felt like a revelation to you? This trilogy was that for me – especially Agamemnon. I fell in love with Clytemnestra and the
whole intertwined idea of murder and sacrifice woven into this mess of a
family. I could clearly see Agamemnon
walking on the tapestry to his death…the axing in the bathtub by
Clytemnestra. *sigh* What a woman.
I found a soft spot for Cassandra
and followed her through a number of other works as well. In fact, Marion Zimmer Bradley wrote her
version of Cassandra’s life in The
Firebrand. Really cool version of
the fall of Troy.
What I loved the most about
Aeschylus is, unlike Sophocles, he seemed to have a place in his work for the
psychology of his characters. There is
only a hint but it works and opens up the playing field for:
B.
Medea and
The Bacchae by Euripides
If Aeschylus was a revelation,
Euripides was a lightening bolt. After
reading the many works of Euripides, I realised the full power of late Greek
drama lit. Finally psychology becomes
important in understanding the characters – and the Gods, too, become more
interesting…more like Hamilton’s Gods and Goddesses.
Who could not weep with Agave
when she learned she had torn her son to pieces with her own hands while in a
blood thirsty trance placed on her by Dionysus?
Who did not share her shame – the lesson learned when you thumb your
nose at the Gods and challenge them?
It’s all just so much ambrosia.
C.
Lysistrata by
Aristophanes
Best sex comedy ever. The women of Athens go on a sex strike to make the men get out of the Peloponnesian War. When the theatre department at U of Regina
put it on in the early 80s, just a couple of years before I got there, the director
had the actor wear a 10 foot phallus.
The thing preceded the actor on stage by several minutes. People talked about it for years after. Now
*that* is a great theatrical moment. I wish I had seen it.
3. All Quiet on the Western Front by Eric
Maria Remarque
I have already dedicated an
entire post to this novel. This was my gateway to the Great War and the tragic
stories therein. I won’t add anything to
that discussion; I’ll just get on to the
books I came to from this one.
A. Regeneration by Pat Barker
This book has its own spot on the
list – discussion to follow.
B. The Rites of Spring by Modris Eksteins
Ekstiens discusses the importance
of the Great War in the formation of all aspects of society which came after
it.
Brought together all of my
favourite things: art, music, history, theatre.
This book will be on a separate list on another post.
Seriously. Just read this book.
4. Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare
Once again this is a case of HATE
THIS PLAY but it is on the list because it was my intro to William. Whose initials were my first tattoo, by the
way.
R & J was my first script.
I had never read anything in that format before this. I loved it and the language was
intoxicating. I could never understand
how kids in my class could not understand the language. It was beautiful – the most beautiful I had
ever heard. I approached it the same way
I approached learning German and any other second language.
Shakespeare blew my mind. Brought
me to:
Shakespeare: Invention of the Human by Harold Bloom.
Because Shakespeare did invent
the human. Talk about psychology in
drama lit. The King of Western Lit
addresses the King of Western Lit. Life changing. Made me want to read the whole of
Shakespeare’s works. Haven’t quite
gotten there but I’m getting close.
The script format brought me to:
A. Hedda Gabler by Heinrik Ibsen- another
strong female character. Cautionary tale
for middle class people trapped in their lives.
B. A Dream Play by August Strindberg – my
intro into post-modernist, surrealist work.
Love at first read - lead me to
Munch and other 19th century painters in this school of thought.
C. Glengarry Glenross by David Mamet –
master of 20th century theatre.
Wordsmith of never-ending talent.
The film is great, too b/c Mamet supervises it.
D. Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller –
classic. Dark side of the “American
Dream.”
E. The Iceman Cometh by Eugene O’Neill –
another script that made me feel better about my family.
F. Aunt Dan and Lemon by Wallace Shawn
G. Glass Menagerie, Night of the Iguana, and
A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee
Williams – Loved everything about this man’s work. He pulled my heartstrings with his deep pain
stemming from his inability to come out as a gay man in the south in the 40s
and 50s.
H. Hosanna by Michelle Tremblay – Hosanna
was a transvestite. When I came to this
piece I was in my early 20s…and a prairie kid.
I certainly had no insight into this world. I fell in love with Hosanna. I wanted to make her world love her as much as I did.
I. Billy Bishop Goes to War by John Gray –
Great musical.
J. The Ecstasy of Rita Joe by George Ryga –
Opened up my eyes to the realities of aboriginal women who were forced on the
streets after coming to the cities from the rez. One of the most touching pieces I have ever
read. I would love to perform it one
day.
5. I and Thou by Martin Buber
I was given this book as an assignment in my philosophy of
education class. It opened up my world
to philosophy – a passion I have pursued in one form or another from then on.
Buber, like Viktor Frankl (on my list later), was a
concentration camp survivor. Buber
developed the idea that if humans interacted with each other’s spirit – the
“thou” – we would be much more compassionate, loving, and understanding to each
other. We would create institutions that
address the “thou” and, create a peaceful, loving society.
This work was/is the foundation of my approach to
education/teaching/life.
This work led me to:
A. Love, Poverty, and War… by Christopher
Hitchens
From the first time I heard him
on CBC, I loved him. I love how he even
called out Mother Theresa. He inspired
me to speak truth to power.
I realise he is opposite in feel
to Buber but I like the contrast.
Sometimes you just have to be a douche and call it like it is.
B. 1984 by Orwell
I have loved Orwell since I was
in grade 10 when I first read Animal
Farm. I didn’t come to 1984 until I was in my late 30s, early
40s – during the second Gulf War. Talk
about a lightening bolt! Worked through
it with my first Comm 12 class. I really
felt it was important to wake them up.
Complete with some Rage Against the Machine and Public Enemy.
Incidentally, Hitchens wrote a
book called Why Orwell Matters. I have it but haven’t read it yet. Maybe it will be on my next list.
C. The Metamorphosis by Kafka
Fucking weird. The perfect metaphor. That is all I am going to say about
that. It’s just one of those pieces I
couldn’t get out of my head.
D. Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor
Frankl – will have his own entry.
6. The Marriage of Cadmus and Harmony by Roberto
Callasso
One of my all time favourite
books. Callasso writes prose like a
poet. He approaches Greek mythology from
a perspective I had never seen before…told the myths from other angles. He is a classicist so he was able to read the
myths in Ancient Greek – allowing him to get the nuances of the work. He was able to ask questions of some of the
stories and follow threads from one myth to another – from Theseus to Heracles;
Ariadne’s suicidal heritage – the hanging woman from 7 generations before her. What if Medea was just doing her duty…the
duty of all women in Greek myths…initiating the hero? What if the God’s interference in our lives
is a good thing – it brings us to life?
Do we invite the Gods into our lives or are we merely playthings or both? How did the Trojan war kill the Gods? How did it usher in a time when the
separation of man and the Gods – thus cutting the thread between Olympus and
Earth?
Perfection.
OPENED THESE WORLDS FOR ME:
A. The House of Spirits by Isabelle Allende
Rich, sensual world of Central
American magic realism. My first
exposure to her work. I am a huge
fan.
B. Neil
Gaiman– anything.
His Sandman graphic novel series
was my intro. After that came American Gods, the battle between the
old gods and the new (internet, media, money, credit cards) and in the middle
is Shadow, an ex-con who just wants to get home and put his soul in order.
This novel drove my first year
teaching. I taught Art, English, and
Drama – the holy pagan trinity. So much
mythology. It was fun.
7.
The
Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz by Mordechai Richler
Until this list, I actually
haven’t thought about this book since grade 11!
I loved this book. I got to read
it twice – once in grade 11 and once in grade 12. We moved provinces. Lucky me!
I remember loving Richler’s
writing – gritty and real. I really
wanted to love Duddy and I think I eventually did. He was such a douche, though.
What I remember the most about
this novel, was how it separated me from the rest of my class. I always felt
less intelligent than my classmates, and being smart was not a high priority in
my household, so when I demonstrated a deep understanding of the novel and rose
to the top of my class, I felt like I had held my own with the smart kids. That and I loved my English teacher, Mrs.
Babic, and I wanted to impress her with how smart I thought I was. J
I think I’ll find a copy and
re-read it to see if it still “plays well” in my head.
8. The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron
All of the credit for the effects of this book goes to my
therapist. He recommended I do the
program as a way of saving my sanity as a full time mom. It is a 12 week
program which assigns you 3 essential components: 1.
Morning Pages 2. Artist Dates 3.
Walks (that came later but is now part of the program). Four
or five plays were created out of this program, all of which were produced and
performed.
I have maintained the routine “morning pages” (3 pages of
stream of consciousness writing) off
and on for over 20 years. Much of my
creative life has been kept alive by this program. I probably owe my life to it…I was pretty
depressed when Neil told me to do this program.
I learned how important my creative life is to me and to my
healing and recovery.
9. Regeneration by Pat Barker
I stumbled upon this novel looking for WW1 info. I was looking for military history regarding
the individual battles and googled this title.
When I read in the synopsis that part of the story was about Sassoon’s
recovery at Craiglockheart Hospital, I had to get it.
From there I dove into the lives of Sassoon, Owen, Graves,
Sorley, W.H.R. Rivers (Sassoon’s psychologist), and the poetry of shell
shock. It has kept me in reading
material for over 2 years.
In fact, there was a point when I hadn’t read anything
outside of the Great War in over a year.
Coincidentally, this was the same time as the fatal car crashes in the
winter/spring of 2012. These readings
helped me to process the painful losses.
10.
Man’s Search
for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
This book was recommended to me
by my reading hook up before his book store closed down. I was trying to keep my head above the grief
of losing my student in the accident when I wandered into his bookstore one
Saturday afternoon. After our talk, he
gave me the title.
Frankl, like Buber, survived
several concentration camps. He was
interested in that intangible “something” that helped people survive situations
which seem to be impossible to survive…not just survive but come out from the
experience able to be a more compassionate person. Frankl was curious about how some people came
out of the camps angry and hateful (and justifiably so) and how others took the
experience as an opportunity to help others.
Frankl gave me this quote from
Nietzsche: “He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.”
And this from Frankl: “In some way, suffering
ceases to be suffering at the moment it finds a meaning…”
I needed this
sentiment at the time when nothing seemed to make any sense and there didn’t
seem to be an end to the pain of losing those kids.
So that’s
it. Finally. The list.
And not all of the books I originally put down made the list. I will need to do another post to deal with
them because they are equally as important to me as these are.
I'm not sure why that stuff is highlighted but what ever. I hope you enjoyed it.
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