A Bookworm’s Reading List: 4 Books on the Joys of Reading and Writing by Beloved Authors

Reading has illuminated all of our lives in one way or another but do you know how it has impacted the life of your favourite authors? Read these four books to understand what it means to read and write for a living. By Paridhi Badgotri

There are no writers who are not readers.
– Jeanette Winterson

While writing is a representation of one’s ideas, reading is something that builds the pyramid of those ideas. We read for multiple reasons—to travel to new places, to escape our reality or inhabit another reality, to feel, to think, to cry, or to laugh. While each of us has their own reason to consume literature, reading books builds a world inside us, influences who we become, and also has a say in our daily life choices. It’s the same with writers, too! Almost every renowned author’s works are infused with something from the books they have read and loved. It is indeed only through reading that one can become a writer

At Kunzum we encourage the act of reading as much as we celebrate the craft of writing. Here are four books by great authors that describe their literary journeys and influences. All of them are available at our bookstores!

A Reading List of Books on Writing & Reading

In the Margins by Elena Ferrante

In the Margins offers a window to the mind of the famously reclusive author, Elena Ferrante. Featuring four intense essays, this slim book deals with the questions of reality and art while offering a rare glimpse of the origins of her literary powers. She talks about her struggles and influences as both, a reader and a writer.

Languages of Truth by Salman Rushdie

Salman Rushdie has always been a beacon to those who advocate speaking truth to power. In this collection of essays, he dives deep into what ‘truth’ means and reveals the malleability of language. This intellectual engagement is no less than a love letter to literature. He explores the influence of various authors, from Shakespeare to Toni Morrison, on his life in this breathtaking tour of fearless imagination.

On Writers and Writing by Margaret Atwood

With ample nuance and a sprinkle of humour, Margaret Atwood analyses how different writers, both living and dead, have portrayed themselves through the use of metaphors. With a mixture of eclectic references to other writers and her own anecdotes as a writer, Atwood raises a deceptively complex question: What does it mean to be a writer?

A Writer’s People by V.S. Naipaul

V.S. Naipaul presents a global view of literature to explain his ways of looking at the world—and what inspired them. The book travels from the literary excellence of colonial Trinidad to the classics of the Europe and Naipaul’s own Indian origin, which was kept alive through storytelling. Naipaul lets the reader enter his mind and perceive the inspirations that he gained from different writers.