Books That Inspired Me To Write

Without any specific order, some fantastic books that inspired me to write:

The Unconsoled by Kazuo Ishiguro. I’m not even going to try to explain what this book is about. Maybe the most fascinating book I’ve ever read.

The Collector by John Fowles. A boy kidnaps a girl. Just to have her. Psychologically very strong. And very scary.

The New York Trilogy by Paul Auster. Or pick any Auster (except Timbuktu). After one page he’s got me. No one can build up characters like him.

The Room by Hubert Selby Jr. Let’s make it clear straight away - Selby is not for the faint at heart. He is one of my biggest inspirations when writing.

Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett. I love reading plays and Godot is the most fascinating one I’ve ever read.

The Crucible by Arthur Miller. Together with Salesman his best. He’s a genius.

Teach Us to Outgrow Our Madness by Kenzaburo Oe. No short story has moved me more than this one.

Waiting for the Barbarians by J.M. Coetzee. A timeless classic about humanity and evil.

The Stranger by Albert Camus. An existentialist masterpiece.

The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks. Provocative. And I just like his style.

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. A tour-de-force in storytelling.