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Top 10 Tuesday
Top 10 Bookish People I Would Love to Meet!
09.18.2012
By Zara D. Garcia-Alvarez / @ZaraAlexis
1. Inventors of the Pen
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L.E. Waterman - inventor of the first fountain pen in 1884
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Lazio Biro- inventor of the first ballpoint pen in 1938
2. William Shakespeare
Personally thank him for creating beautiful tragedies and for holding a 50,000 word vocabulary with a special knowledge in metrical verse. And then ask him to also please write translations of his work so that I don’t have to struggle as much as I did in highschool and university trying to decipher his plays!
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3. Jane Austen
I’d gush about how much I love her book, Pride and Prejudice as well as reveal to her how many times it’s been re-made into other books, plays, movies, and parodies just to see her reaction. I would also implore her to elope with Thomas Langlois Lefroy at all costs regardless of feared poverty. What is a life without love?
Jane Austen. From: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/moslive/article-1342795/Jane-Austen-Elizabeth-I-Ten-greatest-British-women.html
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4. Sylvia Plath
I would ask to see her unpublished poetry and then convince her she shouldn’t feel over-shadowed by Ted Hughe’s work; that her work is indeed worthy of praise and will be highly acclaimed all over the world. I would also try to convince her to leave Ted Hughes on account of his roaming eye and various acts of adultery. Then I would introduce her to Cipralex and beg her to stay away from ovens.
Sylvia Plath. From: http://www.counter-currents.com/2010/11/sylvia-plath-stasis-in-darkness/
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5. Michael Ondaatje
I would ask Michael which genre he prefers writing: prose fiction or poetry? And then I would try to convince him that in love, age is inconsequential—and then I would ask him to marry me.
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6. Jhumpa Lahiri
I would ask Jhumpa Lahiri if she feels a tension, dichotomy, or a displacement in her culture, being both from India and England. And then I would be more than happy to sit, be in her presence, and gawk at both her beauty and talent.
Jhumpa Lahiri, writing goddess of “Namesake,” “Unaccustomed Earth,” and “Interpreter of Maladies.”
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7. Mark Strand
I would ask Mark Strand what inspires him and what his writing process is. I would love to know how he begins a poem and what topic or issue in society most moves him. I’d also love to know who his favourite poet is.
Mark Strand
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8. Margaret Atwood
I would love to meet Margaret Atwood in her early years before she became an “iconic Canadian writer” and ask her what her fondest memories are of living in the bush. Then I’d ask for tips for natural remedies, crafts, and DIY projects—and if she knows how to make bird calls and which one would be her favourite.
Margaret Atwood
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9. Dr. Seuss
I’d want to personally thank him for creating highly imaginative books with great rhyme that I loved as a child. Then I would love to know which is his personal favourite children’s book and then ask him if he wouldn’t mind making a caricature of me with a funny poem!
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10. Shiloh from The Dovekeepers
I’d confide in her that she’s one of my favourite literary heroines and would ask her if she could also make a copy of her book of healing and “spells!”
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What would you say and do if you met any of the above bookish people?
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Oooh Shakespeare! Good one!!!
BTW, I love your Top 10 Tuesday header! lol too cute
Thanks Michele. I think she’s cute, too! The main reason why I chose it!!
A great list indeed. Definitely would love to meet Dr. Seuss. He has brought so much joy to me and my children over the years. I cannot imagine life without Dr. Seuss. I was a late-comer to ‘Oh, the places you’ll go!’ and it has to be my favourite one.