Authors and literary influences

The whole world is buzzing with news of the Swedish Academy's latest pick for the Nobel Literature Prize, but as most have discovered, the winner, Herta Muller, is barely known in the English-speaking world.

Since most news articles have already done a good job of covering the basic facts, I thought I'd give some more insight into her literary influences and her background as a writer.

In university, Muller studied Romanian and German literature, and has talked publicly about how that has influenced her writing - more so Romanian folklore due to the nuances of the language.

Muller had originally joined a German-speaking literary group in Romanian, who fought for freedom of speech and lack of censorship. This influence is evidenced in her later writings where she blatantly criticises the Romanian dictatorship, which eventually led to her being banned from publishing there.

Her husband, Richard Wagner, should also be credited as a literary influence. Like Muller, Wagner studied Romanian and German literature at the same university, and then went on to become a writer and poet. Along the way, both of them also taught German as a second language, and later fled to Germany after various incidents with the Romanian secret police.

For more details on Herta Muller, visit http://www.infloox.com/person?id=4da75d24

In a relatively short period of time, Dan Brown has managed to create waves of controversy with each book he publishes. Despite this, he consistently tops the bestseller lists and has created a massive cult following. But have you ever wondered how he got his start in writing?

Originally starting out as English teacher, Brown was vacationing in Tahiti, when he picked up a Sidney Sheldon novel called "The Doomsday Conspiracy". Reading through, he realised, "Hey, I can do that!" As soon as he returned home, he started working on his first novel, Digital Fortress. Thus began his extremely successful life as a professional novelist.

Amongst his other favourite literary influences and authors, Brown lists Shakespeare, Steinbeck, Harlen Coben (through a personal connection), and unsurprisingly, Robert Ludlum's "Bourne" series. (ref: http://www.infloox.com/person?id=17de7d0)

The Obamas have proved to be voracious readers - such that some publications have even gone so far as to put them on par with Oprah where influence on book sales is concerned. Michelle Obama does readings to pre-schoolers and youngsters, picking from her favourite childrens' books including Life of Pi, The Cat in the Hat, Where the Wild Things Are, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? , Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, Olivia and various others. It's wonderful to see someone of that stature taking the time in person to encourage literacy and the development of a good reading habit. For more on Obama, have a look at her Infloox page

With all the buzz surrounding Harry Potter and the most recent movie release, I thought I'd post a few of Rowling's favourite books to see what molded her imagination over the years. (As I type there, there is another ad for the new HP movie on tv!) :)

#1. "Ballet Shoes" by Mary Noel Streatfeild
A chronicle of the lives of three sisters that follows then into their teenage years. One of Rowling's favourites as a child!

#2. "Manx Mouse" by Paul Gallico
The adventures of a tail-less ceramic mouse who magically comes to life one night.

#3. "Emma" by Jane Austen
Humourous Victorian novel of a group of people's romantic misadventures.
Rowling once mention, "Emma has the merit of having a heroine who annoys me because she is in some ways so like me, and it is the most skilfully managed mystery I've ever read."

#4. Roddy Doyle (author)
"Roddy Doyle is my favourite living writer. I love his work for many of the same reasons I like Jane Austen's." - J.K. Rowling

#5. "The Iliad" by Homer
Of the epic Greek poem, Rowling admits, "Saving Cedric's body reminded me of the Hector Patroclus Achilles triangle in the ''Iliad.'' - That's where it came from. That really, really, REALLY moved me when I read that when I was 19."

(References: http://www.infloox.com/person?id=5016a966)