Jenny Offill 'When I read Jane Eyre I thought I would keel over from boredom'
over 4 years in The guardian
The novelist on being inspired by Denis Johnson, the genius of Hans Christian Andersen’s fairytales and comfort reading Etsy listings
The book I am currently readingFlights by Olga Tokarczuk. I knew nothing about it when I started and have been pleasantly surprised to find it is filled with weird anecdotes such as the one about the 17th-century Belgian anatomist who kept his amputated leg in the headboard of his bed so he could study it whenever he fancied.
The book that had the greatest influence on my writingJesus’ Son by Denis Johnson. And yes, I know, I know, it’s like the Velvet Underground thing. (Not that many people bought the first album but everyone who did started their own band.) Dept. of Speculation is written very much in its shadow. For his part, Johnson liked to claim he just ripped off Red Cavalry by Isaac Babel. Continue reading...
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