Episode · How I Write · 2024-03-27
Books mentioned on Has He Cracked The Bestseller Formula? | Neil Strauss | How I Write Podcast
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
-
Nineteen Eighty-Four
Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell is a dystopian masterpiece that examines totalitarianism, state surveillance, and the manipulation of truth through terrifying government control.
Discussed“It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen. And it's such a good line because you're like, wait, what?”
Where to get it
-
The Stranger, The Plague (Coles Notes)
The Stranger by Albert Camus is a foundational work of absurdist literature that explores the profound alienation and emotional detachment of its protagonist, Meursault, against the backdrop of colonial Algeria.
Discussed“Mother died today. Or maybe yesterday; I can't be sure. It's great. It's so good. It's so good.”
Where to get it
-
Their Eyes Were Watching God
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston is a classic American novel that follows the profound spiritual and emotional journey of Janie Crawford as she seeks self-discovery and independence in the American South.
Discussed“Ships at a distance have every man's wish on board. What does that mean to you? Right, it makes you go... That's interesting.”
Where to get it
-
Last Exit to Brooklyn
Last Exit to Brooklyn by Hubert Selby Jr.
Discussed“There's another writer named Hubert Selby, the same genre though, but who wrote Last Exit to Brooklyn, and his typewriter was broken.”
Where to get it
-
Ask the Dust
Ask the Dust by John Fante is a celebrated 1939 novel chronicling the struggles of a young writer in 1930s Los Angeles and featuring the semi-autobiographical protagonist Arturo Bandini.
Recommended“I love John Fante's Ask the Dust. It's one of my favorite books ever. Do you know that book? No. It's great. You've got to read it.”
Where to get it
-
Hunger
Discussed“And there's an older work by Norwegian writer called Knut Hamsun called Hunger, and I think that's what John Fante took for his thing.”
Where to get it
