When I saw this topic coming up for The Broke and the Bookish's Top Ten Tuesday, I knew I was going to have to participate.Since starting this process, I have been thinking about all the questions I would ask these authors if I had the chance to. I mean, who wouldn't want to nitpick the brains of these greats?
Now, while the topic says we can pick authors dead OR alive, I decided to stick with the dead guys. Why? Because I know that no matter what, I won't meet these people. There is still a chance for anyone still kicking! ;)
In no particular order...
- Virginia Woolf. I really admire and respect the woman that Woolf was and a chance to shake her hand....it would be wonderful.
- Edith Wharton. You knew she would be on here, right? As one of my all-time favorites, I would go all fangirl on her. Might scare her a bit. :)
- Homer. I would LOVE the opportunity to listen to him recite The Odyssey. That is how it was meant to be, and I think hearing him performing some of my favorite lines would be simply amazing.
- J.R.R. Tolkien. I would love to share my love of Smaug, Gondor, and attractive elves with this man. And ask him how it feels to be the author of one of the most definitive pieces of fantasy literature ever.
- Jane Austen. I think it could get no better than asking one of the most beloved authors of all time to sign my editions of her novels. Even my duplicates.
- William Shakespeare. I would probably just bow down to him. Repeatedly.
- F. Scott Fitzgerald. I have many questions for this guy-about Gatsby, the green light, and the genius that came out of his head.
- Kurt Vonnegut. I am so sad that Vonnegut died when he did. I was just beginning to discover him and fall in love. He would be great to talk to, even for a moment.
- William Faulkner. As one of my other all-time favorite writers, I would cherish any time with him. One his novels helped me cope with the death of my grandfather. I would love to tell him that.
- Walt Whitman. This one man has comforted me more than any other. I see him as a friendly grandfather figure, and one who i love and respect more than anything.
This was actually a really hard list to narrow down. To be honest, I would love to meet any of the authors on my list, including my arch-nemesis Dickens, just for a moment. I wonder how many of them would have thought that we would love and cherish their work as much as we do when they wrote it. Do you think they knew the impact of their words on future generations? Do you think they would be proud or happy or saddened by their enduring fame?
I wonder...
Who would you pick?
GREAT choices! I think I'd have questions for all of these folks.
ReplyDeleteGreat choices. Sticking with the theme of deceased authors, I would also like to meet Emily Dickinson and Elizabeth Gaskell (so I could find out how Wives & Daughters was supposed to end!)
ReplyDeleteI'm still irritated with myself for forgetting Shakespeare! But all those authors are pretty much amazing :).
ReplyDeleteGreat choices! Wharton and Vonnegut would definitely be on my list too. They both seem like they would have such interesting thoughts and stories.
ReplyDeleteGreat choices. It is so hard to answer the question of what they would think of their fame now. I sometimes wonder if the appreciate or agree with today's interpretation of their work. Maybe what they would think would depend on that.
ReplyDeleteGreat list.
Interesting list . Vonnegut strikes me as a jester
ReplyDeleteVonnegut is definitely on my list as well, as is Rowling, Bradbury, Tolstoy, Dickinson, Dostoyevsky, Alcott, the Bronte sisters, and Dahl. I know some of them are poets but they're just as inspirational. And now I have even more ideas walking into my head. This is hard!
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to read Wharton! I've read two of her short stories, but never any of her novels. I so agree, about Whitman. :-)
ReplyDeleteUgh I forgot about Virginia Woolf! Great list! I also tried sticking with the ones no longer living. I've always wanted to know what they thought about their longevity and that their books are still assigned in classes, esp for Jane Austen.
ReplyDeleteWoolf and Wharton are on my list as well! Great choices!
ReplyDeleteI cannot believe that I left Shakespeare off my list! Epic Fail on my part. I do love your list though.
ReplyDelete