Intimidating Authors
Have you ever been really scared of reading an author because their work intimidates you? It might be because of the quality of the writing, or the size of their books or all the accolades they have received.
Have you then actually read one of their works and been pleasantly surprised that not only could you read it, but you enjoyed reading it and want to read more of their works?
This happened to me recently when I read and enjoyed Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka and it got me thinking about other authors that I have really enjoyed despite initially being too intimidated to read their work.
Here are my top three intimidating authors that I have really enjoyed reading:
Franz Kafka
As a result, although he was an author that I had often heard about but had always been too scared to try.
Instead, what I found when I read Metamorphosis was an extremely readable story that was packed with so much meaning and subtlety that I was floored by Kafka's sheer talent. This is an author that I can't wait to read more of.
Leo Tolstoy
When I talk about being intimidated by Leo Tolstoy, I think it would be more accurate to say that I was intimated by reading Anna Karenina, which had been sitting on my sister's bookcase daring me to try it.
I think that was I was most intimidated by was its size. I also think that I expected that because it was written in Russian in the 19th Century it would somehow be difficult to read.
When I finally read it, I found that I really enjoyed it. In fact, I couldn't put it down. I just wanted to read and read and read until it was finished. It wasn't half as challenging as I expected it to be and now, I can't wait to try more Tolstoy.
Salman Rushdie
Although I had always been keen in theory to attempt his works, I was also very apprehensive. I didn't want to fail in my attempt to read his books.
The first Rushdie book I read was Midnights Children, the winner of the Best Ever Man Booker Prize Winners. I absolutely loved it, couldn't put it down. Having surprised myself, I then moved on to The Satanic Verses, the reading of which was an invaluable experience to me.
Why do I say that? Well, of all this authors that I was initially too intimidated to read, Rushdie was definitely the hardest in the end. I had to read very slowly, especially The Satanic Verses. I also found that at the end of the book, I didn't entirely understand everything that I had read, again particularly with The Satanic Verses. You can read my review of it here; the quality of the review reflects my limited understanding of what I read.
Given the difficulty I had reading and understand these books, I am proud of myself for reading them and finishing them... and enjoying them. Completing The Satanic Verses taught me that I shouldn't under-estimate myself and my reading ability.
What is my next challenge?
The other reason that I bring this up is because I am about to embark upon my next challenge - A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth.
I have owned this book for some time now but have always been too intimidated to read it. Like Anna Karenina, this aversion to reading it is largely to do with its size.
A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth is the longest novel ever written (in one volume) in the English language.
Quite something. And quite something to attempt to read. But I am going to start it as soon as I can.
What about you?
Are there any authors that you have really enjoyed once you have read their works, despite being intimidated by them? Do you have any exciting reads coming up that you have been putting off because of the challenge that they pose?
Originally posted 13 August 2010 Page Turners
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