25.7.08

a second meme...

...and this one is tougher.

My tastes - to some degree - have changed since I read Three Billy Goats Gruff ... the book that dominated my childhood - and beyond.

As an adult, the following selections have influenced or impacted me the most...

[These works may or may not be my favorites, and I may have first encountered them when I was much younger.]


the book:
        History of Art (1st edition) by H. W. Janson

the film / network series:
        Bride of Frankenstein (1935), James Whale, Dir.

the music / spoken word recording:
        Live at the Old Quarter, by Townes Van Zandt

What are yours?

Tag: Suzanne, C. Dale, CE, Clare, Pamela, Arlene, Chet, Rebecca, GG, Ivy, Jill, Kate, Lyle, John, Sandra, Sara, Pris

...and anyone else ...

17 comments:

Kate Evans said...

Cool! It's always so interesting to see what goes into making us who we are as writers & people.

I'm going to post about the wedding early in the week...my response to this meme will appear Thursday. Cheers!

LKD said...

What's the meme?

These are works that have impacted you as a writer?

sam of the ten thousand things said...

Probably not as a writer, Laurel. Though maybe so - at least to some degree. Imapcted me period.

Looking forward to your list, and the wedding, Kate.

John Gallaher said...

I'm on it.

Actually, I already know what I'll say. This is a fun one!

Pris said...

Okay, here mine are:

Book: Man and His Symbols by Jung, published by Dell

Movie: Platoon, 1986, Directed by Oliver Stone

Music: Dvorak's Cello Concerto in B Minor (the first movement will send chills! Absolutely wondrous)

I'll post these on my blog, too!

Lyle Daggett said...

Hello, Sam.

The book:
At first I thought of various works by the art critic John Berger, though on further thought, if I just name one, it would be "Illusion and Reality" by Christopher Caudwell (published originally sometime in the late 1930's).

The film:
"Z" (late 1960's), directed by Costa-Gavras.

The music:
Joni Mitchell, the album "Court and Spark"

Thanks for the tag.

sam of the ten thousand things said...

Your list - even without the film - is a good one, John. Wonderful book selections.

Z opened my eyes in many ways. Excellent choice, Lyle. And you never go wrong with Joni Mitchell.

Pris, Man and His Symbols - if I remember correctly, was Jung's last work - changed my view on the world of dreaming. That was a strong read for me.

Anonymous said...

These choices awoke me to my self...and to thinking about/doing art. I'm thinking I might have been 17 or older when I encountered some of these works.

Book: The Master and Margarita/ Mikhail Bulgakov

Short Story: "A Hunger Artist" Franz Kafka

Poem: "Thirteen Ways of Looking At a Blackbird" Wallace Stevens)

Film: Wild Strawberries/Ingmar Bergman

Music: Got to go with Joni's "Court and Spark" too. Resonant, real and sensual--It pulled me through a series of nervous breakdowns. No kidding.

Going to put it on right now 'cause I'm feeling moody.

Sara Kearns said...

Hey Sam,

I posted my answers on my blog. It's cool to see how others have answered.

(Clare -- I love "The Master and Margarita" -- great to see it as it seems not many people know of it.)

And Sam, 'love the photo and quote from "Pulp Fiction." Speaking of influential!)

Russell Ragsdale said...

Wow, I am also astounded to see someone has read Bulgakov over there. Times are changing.

sam of the ten thousand things said...

Clare, good list. I can't begin write about the power of "The Hunger Artist" and Wild Strawberries. They never leave you.

Pulp Fiction does show something of a shift in the world, Sara. I like your list - I've noticed portions of Charlie Rose beginning to appear on special editions of dvds. Sexton is a good choice. For me, her defining work is Transformations.

And welcome, Russell.

Pamela Johnson Parker said...

Book: Lolita, which completely changed my notion of lyric prose.

Film: Rivers and Tides, which completely changed the way I teach.

Music: B-52's, because sometimes you need a kick in the ass to get motivated, and "Love Shack" has always been one of mine.

sam of the ten thousand things said...

There is a video/dramatization of Nabokov teaching Kafka's The Metamorphosis. Kafka was his literary hero. That affected my role in the classroom.

Lolita is one of those culture-changing works that come along on rare occasions.

Good list, Pamela.

M. C. Allan (Carrie, to most) said...

book: Notes from a Bottle Found on the Beach at Carmel, by Evan Connell

movie: 8 1/2 - has anyone ever come so close to capturing the terror and frustration of making art? the scene where Guido attempts to cast his movie life with actors who are pale imitations of the characters we've already seen ... who are of course, actors themselves [insert twangy sound of mind breaking]

song: That Feel, Tom Waits

poem: "Looking Outside the Cabin Window, I Remember a Line by Li Po" - Charles Wright. Last lines: We who would see beyond seeing/see only language, that burning field."

sam of the ten thousand things said...

Notes from a Bottle is a great work. I also like Connell's work on the life of Custer & Crazy Horse - Son of the Morning Star. I like your comments on 8 1/2. And Waits is such a great writer, and I think his voice is a perfect match for the music. Wright's poem is a solid choice as well. Enjoyed this list, MC. Thanks for the visit.

Ivy said...

Hi Sam,

Belatedly, my list is here. Thanks for asking me to take part and sift through the grains of influence and memory.

Ivy

sam of the ten thousand things said...

A marvelous list, Ivy. All three selections are powerful works.