July 17   Why John Irving is my favorite author

Posted by galiush

0 comments

Hello everybody.

Instead of writing what this blog is all about, I decided to just dive in.

As stated in the headline, John Irving is my favorite author. To me, all his books share an emotional note of longing that grabs the heart and rings true for any human being in any culture.

I found this analysis of recurring themes in his work on Wikipedia, and though it is interesting, I am not quite convinced this is the way to go about his work. Yes, sex and sexuality are very much present in his work, as is wrestling, but to me his work revolves more about exploring the many ways and faces of love and loss.

Yes, many of his works concentrate on New England, which is probably his safe zone, but as his career progressed he ventured into farther, more exotic places, still retaining his specific voice and sensitivities. Two glorious examples are the warmly recommended A Son of the Circus and Until I Find You, and another is the less-brilliant but still worthy The Fourth Hand.

In all his books the issue of the many faces and facets of love – love between friends, between lovers, between children and their parents – is explored to show them in their tenderness, cruelty, difficulties and triumphs. But this discussion is always authentic, never seems far-fetched, even in the most eccentric situations Irving puts his characters in, and for me is the common thread that always brings me back to him – in his books I will always get an interesting, moving and fantastic story.

I have read nearly all the books he published so far, and my personal favorites among them are The World According to Garp, Until I Find You

And my ultimate favorite and one of the best books ever : A Widow for One Year

In my next post I will discuss the wonderful ways in which two of his best novels – A Prayer for Owen Meany and Until I Find You - are connected, although written 16 years apart. Join me!





Tags: , , , , , , , ,