November Reading Wrap-Up

In November, I started getting that urge to write again. I just finished my first horror story for a Halloween challenge on Reedsy. I was also inspired by writing on Medium and I just heard about the NaNoWriMo project which eventually did not turn out into a success. Besides the horror story and some articles on Medium, I didn’t do much writing myself. Instead, I read about the craft from other famous writers. In total, I finished reading four books; finding them all inspiring and worth my time.

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (5/5)

This piece of gothic literature has been on my radar for many years. I love horror, but for some reason, I’ve ignored the classics in this genre continuously throughout my reading years (for example, I still have to finish reading Dracula…). With good intentions, I wanted to bring a change in my reading habits of classics. So I planned to read Dorian Gray, Dracula, and Carmilla during the autumnal season. So far, I only managed to cross off Dorian Gray.The story of Dorian explores various subjects: love, friendship, aesthetics, power and corruption. Dorian is a beautiful young man, who is in a sort of relationship with a famous painter, their romance is not entirely clear but it is definitely suggested. Another friend of theirs is a rich aristocrat who eventually makes Dorian notice his beauty and fall in love with himself; especially his own youth. Meanwhile, the painter creates his most admirable work: a painting of the young and still innocent Dorian. He puts so much love into the painting, that it begins to form a life of its own. It lives and ages, showing the soul of Dorian.Dorian sinks into sin and corruption. Everything (and everyone) he touches becomes spoiled. But he remains beautiful, young, powerful and admired by everyone, while his soul, shown through the painting, suffers the consequences. For some time, Dorian is obsessed with a toxic French novel given to him by his aristocratic friend. It is believed that the novel is A Rebours by Karl Joris Huysmans, I plan to read it next year.

Why I Write by George Orwell (5/5)

A collection of Orwell’s essays on writing and politics. Orwell writes in a simple style, I like that. His sentences do not contain unnecessary words and are always neat and clear. Which is also one of his main points about writing. Write what you know and write it clear. I loved these essays! Some contained a bit too much politics for my taste (I detest the subject), but most times it was needed to make his point.

Ernest Hemingway On Writing (5/5)

This is a collection of fragments from letters, essays, interviews and novels by Hemingway wherein he declares his views on writing. Hemingway believed that it was bad luck to talk about writing, especially when one is in the process of writing something. Still, like most writers, he did not resist the urge to sporadically mention his ideas on the craft in his essays, letters and a couple of interviews. This book has compiled all of this information neatly and even divided the fragments into fitting themes.Hemingway’s views can be harsh and sometimes even controversial, but I think it taught me some valuable advice. While reading advice from great writers, we don’t have to agree with every statement to be able to learn from them. It is important to distil the valuable information for you and create your own truth.

Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke (5/5)

I bought this short book (Penguin Little Black Classics Edition) on a whim in my university bookstore between the classes. I planned to read it on the train during my ride back home. It was the best decision of that day. I did not finish reading all the letters (only one remained, which I read the following day) but I zoomed out for the entire train ride and found myself in a piece of Rilke’s writing soul. The letters are addressed to his friend and fellow poet, in them, Rilke shows his love for poetry and his thoughts on writing in general. Just like with poetry, these letters have to be read multiple times to really get the soul out of them. I plan to reread them soon, probably in December.

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