Reading a good book that you really connect to is one of the most rewarding experiences. Finding a book that actually maintains your interest for more than the first fifty pages also serves as a common challenge. Although each person's literary taste varies, I have found each of these author's writing exceptional in some capacity. The overall writing styles and themes differ drastically for these five authors; however, you are arguably exposed to something new in the work of each of them.
1. Marina Keegan. Marina Keegan was a 2012 graduate of Yale University who wrote the acclaimed collection of both fiction and nonfiction essays titled, The Opposite of Loneliness. Keegan, who had a promising future at New York Magazine tragically died in a car accident days after graduating college. Keegan’s family members and former professors worked to get The Opposite of Loneliness published and it not only includes exceptional coming of age excerpts that especially appeal to college students on the verge of entering into the real world, but at the same time reflects Keegan’s strong narrative voice. Had Keegan lived, she would have absolutely produced many more strong pieces of work.
2. Junot Diaz. Diaz is perhaps one of the most influential authors of this decade. He has written This Is How You Lose Her, Drown, and The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. The Brief and Wondrous Life is the winner of both the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the 2008 National Book Critics Circle Award. Diaz’s work incorporates a combination of Spanish narrative along with Diaz’s unique and unassuming sense of humor. Diaz currently teaches at MIT and is an in-demand public speaker. As someone who has attended one of his book readings, it is without a doubt highly worthwhile to explore his work. In person, Diaz mirrors the exact image the characters in his books are portrayed as, which is very encouraging to observe.
3. Toni Morrison. Toni Morrison is a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize and the Pulitzer Price who has published numerous successful novels since the publication of her first novel, The Bluest Eye, in 1970. Morrison’s work is imperative to the conversation about racism, womanhood, and inequality in general. Having read The Bluest Eye and Sula, I can confidently say Morrison possesses the ability to create a multitude of resonating characters throughout her novels that all contribute to an important overarching theme. Her writing is modest, but at the same time incredibly powerful. Whether you end up reading her for a class or are just looking for something new, Morrison’s work absolutely won’t disappoint and will cause you to examine many of society’s ongoing issues from a different perspective.
4. Charles Bukowski. Bukowski is known as one of the biggest names in modern literature. He was a poet, novelist, and short story teller, who published multitudes upon multitudes of work. Bukowski is essentially known for his vulgar, but simultaneously beautiful and talented literature. He wrote about his harsh childhood, European escapades, and preached certain life mottoes, that he encourages you not to try. I haven’t read all of Bukowski’s publications; however, my favorite so far is The Most Beautiful Woman in Town, and an assortment of some of his other short stories. The first time I read him I was on a seven hour flight and by the time I landed, I had read The Most Beautiful Woman in Town in its entirety twice. Bukowski undeniably didn’t lead the most conventional or stable life, however his work speaks for itself and what I like most about him is that each manuscript or story sounds completely different from the others. Creativity and novelty are sometimes hard for writers to achieve, and Bukowski goes above this.
5. Nikolai Gogol. Gogol was a nineteenth century Russian author and dramatist, who is seen as one of the first realist literary figures. Although I’ve only read one of Gogol’s books, Dead Souls, I was pleasantly surprised by it. It was published in 1842 and around the same time his other most well-known work, The Overcoat, came out. Although Gogol found himself unable to publish competent literature after the mid nineteenth century, he became the main influencer of other prominent Russian authors such as Leo Tolstoy and Fyodor Dostoyevsky. If you are looking to read an unconventional literary piece, Gogol is recommended.
Hopefully at least one of these authors has a positive impact on your literary experience. These are just a few specific examples of what they have to offer.
