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Rooms of Their Own: Where Great Writers Write
Rooms of Their Own travels around the world examining the unique spaces, habits and rituals in which famous writers created their most notable works.
The perennial question asked of all authors is, 'How do you write?' . What do they require of their room or desk? Do they have favourite pens, paper or typewriters? And have they found the perfect daily routine to channel their creativity? Crossing centuries, continents and genres, Alex Johnson has pooled 50 of the best writers and transports you to the heart of their writing rooms – from attics and studies to billiard rooms and bathtubs.
Discover the ins and outs of how each great writer penned their famous texts , and the routines and habits they perfected . Meet authors who rely on silence and seclusion and those who need people, music and whisky. Meet novelists who travel half-way across the world to a luxury writing retreat, and others who just need an empty shed at the bottom of the garden. Some are particular about pencils, inks, paper and typewriters, and some will scribble on anything – including the furniture. But whether they write in the library or in cars, under trees, private islands, hotel rooms or towers – each of these stories confirms that there is no 'best way' to write.
From James Baldwin, writing in the small hours of the morning in his Paris apartment, to DH Lawrence writing at the foot of a towering Ponderosa pine tree, to the Brontë sisters managing in a crowded co-working space, this book takes us into the lives of some of history's greatest ever writers, with each writing space illustrated in evocative watercolour by James Oses.
In looking at the working lives of our favourite authors, bibliophiles will be transported to other worlds , aspiring writers will find inspiration and literature fans will gain deeper insight into their most-loved authors.
The perennial question asked of all authors is, 'How do you write?' . What do they require of their room or desk? Do they have favourite pens, paper or typewriters? And have they found the perfect daily routine to channel their creativity? Crossing centuries, continents and genres, Alex Johnson has pooled 50 of the best writers and transports you to the heart of their writing rooms – from attics and studies to billiard rooms and bathtubs.
Discover the ins and outs of how each great writer penned their famous texts , and the routines and habits they perfected . Meet authors who rely on silence and seclusion and those who need people, music and whisky. Meet novelists who travel half-way across the world to a luxury writing retreat, and others who just need an empty shed at the bottom of the garden. Some are particular about pencils, inks, paper and typewriters, and some will scribble on anything – including the furniture. But whether they write in the library or in cars, under trees, private islands, hotel rooms or towers – each of these stories confirms that there is no 'best way' to write.
From James Baldwin, writing in the small hours of the morning in his Paris apartment, to DH Lawrence writing at the foot of a towering Ponderosa pine tree, to the Brontë sisters managing in a crowded co-working space, this book takes us into the lives of some of history's greatest ever writers, with each writing space illustrated in evocative watercolour by James Oses.
In looking at the working lives of our favourite authors, bibliophiles will be transported to other worlds , aspiring writers will find inspiration and literature fans will gain deeper insight into their most-loved authors.
192 pages, Hardcover
First published April 19, 2022
70 people are currently reading
1215 people want to read
About the author
Alex Johnson
13 books76 followersLatest book: Shed Manual (Haynes, 2019)
Next book: Edward Lear & The Pussycat: Famous Writers and Their Pets (August, 2019)
Next book after that: Menus That Made History (Kyle/Octopus, September, 2019)
I am a professional blogger and journalist, part of The Independent newspaper's online team in the UK. I run Shedworking (www.shedworking.co.uk) which inspired the book 'Shedworking: The Alternative Workplace Revolution' published by Frances Lincoln, The Micro Life (www.themicrolife.co.uk), and curate Bookshelf (www.onthebookshelf.co.uk), which was published as a book in 2012 by Thames & Hudson as 'Bookshelf'.
'Improbable Libraries', a survey of the most unusual and intriguing libraries around the world, was published by Thames & Hudson in April 2015 and 'A Book of Book Lists' in October 2017 by The British Library. My book on book towns around the world, 'Book Towns', was published by Frances Lincoln in March 2018 and 'Shelf Life, a selection of essays about books and reading, in October 2018 by The British Library. The same month, I brought out a literary trumps card game called The Writers Game with Laurence King Publishing.
Next book: Edward Lear & The Pussycat: Famous Writers and Their Pets (August, 2019)
Next book after that: Menus That Made History (Kyle/Octopus, September, 2019)
I am a professional blogger and journalist, part of The Independent newspaper's online team in the UK. I run Shedworking (www.shedworking.co.uk) which inspired the book 'Shedworking: The Alternative Workplace Revolution' published by Frances Lincoln, The Micro Life (www.themicrolife.co.uk), and curate Bookshelf (www.onthebookshelf.co.uk), which was published as a book in 2012 by Thames & Hudson as 'Bookshelf'.
'Improbable Libraries', a survey of the most unusual and intriguing libraries around the world, was published by Thames & Hudson in April 2015 and 'A Book of Book Lists' in October 2017 by The British Library. My book on book towns around the world, 'Book Towns', was published by Frances Lincoln in March 2018 and 'Shelf Life, a selection of essays about books and reading, in October 2018 by The British Library. The same month, I brought out a literary trumps card game called The Writers Game with Laurence King Publishing.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 104 reviews
February 1, 2023
Amănuntele adunate de Alex Johnson (mai întîi, pe un blog care se păstrează și astăzi) țin de ceea ce lumea anglo-saxonă numește literary trivia, fleacuri / curiozități literare: ce mînca Homer la micul dejun, cîte neveste a avut sfîntul Augustin, ce marcă de automobil prefera Shakespeare...
Nu toți cei 50 de autori recenzați sînt „mari”. Unii sînt chiar mititei, dar asta nu are importanță. Fiecare scriitor primește o pagină, cel mult două. Nu sînt aranjați cronologic, cum ar fi mai firesc, ci alfabetic. James Baldwin e pus înainte de Balzac, iar Balzac îl precede pe Ray Bradbury. Nu putem observa, așadar, vreo modificare a tabieturilor de scris în istorie, deși subiectul e foarte interesant. Nu se mai scrie azi ca în Antichitate sau Evul Mediu. Ritualul scrisului s-a modificat drastic.
O constatare generală: cei mai mulți scriitori își pun masa de lucru la fereastră pentru a arunca, din cînd în cînd, o privire în natură (la Melihovo, Cehov, de pildă, contempla o livadă de vișini), unii își construiesc un soi de cabane personale (George Bernard Shaw, Virginia Woolf etc.), cîțiva scriu lungiți în pat (Mark Twain, Truman Capote), foarte puțini folosesc un pupitru. Exemplul cel mai ilustru: Ernest Hemingway. Cîțiva prozatori și-au compus opera în automobil. Unii literatori au scris cu creionul, alții cu pana, alții cu condeiul, alții cu stiloul, alții la mașina de scris. Acum cam toată lumea folosește laptopul. În Antichitate, se nota cu stylul (un instrument din metal, lemn sau fildeș, un fel de skewer) pe tăblițe de lemn acoperite cu un strat de ceară.
Cei mai simpatici scriitori și-au compus capodoperele în garaj (Ray Bradbury) sau în boxa de la subsolul clădirii (John Cheever, exemplul îmi aparține). Alții în mașină.
Am găsit și cîteva inexactități: anul morții lui George Bernard Shaw nu este 1920, ci 1950. Michel de Montaigne a scris foarte rar cu mîna proprie. De obicei, se plimba prin celebrul lui turn, răsfoia cărți și îi dicta unui secretar...
P. S. O carte asemănătoare, despre care am scris acum cîteva luni, poartă titlul de Ritualuri zilnice ale oamenilor de geniu și a fost redactată de Mason Currey.
Nu toți cei 50 de autori recenzați sînt „mari”. Unii sînt chiar mititei, dar asta nu are importanță. Fiecare scriitor primește o pagină, cel mult două. Nu sînt aranjați cronologic, cum ar fi mai firesc, ci alfabetic. James Baldwin e pus înainte de Balzac, iar Balzac îl precede pe Ray Bradbury. Nu putem observa, așadar, vreo modificare a tabieturilor de scris în istorie, deși subiectul e foarte interesant. Nu se mai scrie azi ca în Antichitate sau Evul Mediu. Ritualul scrisului s-a modificat drastic.
O constatare generală: cei mai mulți scriitori își pun masa de lucru la fereastră pentru a arunca, din cînd în cînd, o privire în natură (la Melihovo, Cehov, de pildă, contempla o livadă de vișini), unii își construiesc un soi de cabane personale (George Bernard Shaw, Virginia Woolf etc.), cîțiva scriu lungiți în pat (Mark Twain, Truman Capote), foarte puțini folosesc un pupitru. Exemplul cel mai ilustru: Ernest Hemingway. Cîțiva prozatori și-au compus opera în automobil. Unii literatori au scris cu creionul, alții cu pana, alții cu condeiul, alții cu stiloul, alții la mașina de scris. Acum cam toată lumea folosește laptopul. În Antichitate, se nota cu stylul (un instrument din metal, lemn sau fildeș, un fel de skewer) pe tăblițe de lemn acoperite cu un strat de ceară.
Cei mai simpatici scriitori și-au compus capodoperele în garaj (Ray Bradbury) sau în boxa de la subsolul clădirii (John Cheever, exemplul îmi aparține). Alții în mașină.
Am găsit și cîteva inexactități: anul morții lui George Bernard Shaw nu este 1920, ci 1950. Michel de Montaigne a scris foarte rar cu mîna proprie. De obicei, se plimba prin celebrul lui turn, răsfoia cărți și îi dicta unui secretar...
P. S. O carte asemănătoare, despre care am scris acum cîteva luni, poartă titlul de Ritualuri zilnice ale oamenilor de geniu și a fost redactată de Mason Currey.
April 12, 2026
Rooms of Their Own, written by Alex Johnson and illustrated by James Oses, is a stunning book about the writing rooms of fifty beloved authors, from attics and studies to hotel rooms, towers, and boat sheds. Each creative space offers a behind-the-scenes look into their writing methods, routines, and daily habits.
As someone who is fascinated by the lives of authors, reading this book—between sips of my morning orange juice—was an absolute joy!
Learning about Virginia Woolf’s preference for blue writing paper, and John Steinbeck’s passion for pencils, and the stuffed toy lion Ernest Hemingway kept on his desk, made each of them feel wonderfully human. Oftentimes, it is easy to forget that the great and masterful minds behind our favorite books were real people. They thought, felt, and loved as we do. They had mothers and fathers, cats and dogs, favorite coffees and teas. By acknowledging this truth, I not only felt, and continue to feel, deeply connected to these people through their writing but also through their humanity.
Now, I shall ask, do you realize how profound and meaningful that is? Have you ever looked at your bookshelves, or the photographs and paintings you have framed on your walls, and marveled at what humans can do? When you read your favorite books, do you feel lucky to simply be able to read them? Do you feel proud of the authors whom you’ve never met but whose words feel like part of your soul? I have, and it’s why I’m here. It’s why I read, and paint, and write, and share my love of creativity with anyone who will listen.
Humanity is beautiful, and the proof is in the Rooms of Their Own, as well as all the rooms, fields, mountains, and waters, which have helped to bring light, peace, hope, joy, and love into our world.
As someone who is fascinated by the lives of authors, reading this book—between sips of my morning orange juice—was an absolute joy!
Learning about Virginia Woolf’s preference for blue writing paper, and John Steinbeck’s passion for pencils, and the stuffed toy lion Ernest Hemingway kept on his desk, made each of them feel wonderfully human. Oftentimes, it is easy to forget that the great and masterful minds behind our favorite books were real people. They thought, felt, and loved as we do. They had mothers and fathers, cats and dogs, favorite coffees and teas. By acknowledging this truth, I not only felt, and continue to feel, deeply connected to these people through their writing but also through their humanity.
Now, I shall ask, do you realize how profound and meaningful that is? Have you ever looked at your bookshelves, or the photographs and paintings you have framed on your walls, and marveled at what humans can do? When you read your favorite books, do you feel lucky to simply be able to read them? Do you feel proud of the authors whom you’ve never met but whose words feel like part of your soul? I have, and it’s why I’m here. It’s why I read, and paint, and write, and share my love of creativity with anyone who will listen.
Humanity is beautiful, and the proof is in the Rooms of Their Own, as well as all the rooms, fields, mountains, and waters, which have helped to bring light, peace, hope, joy, and love into our world.
April 26, 2022
This is such a fun read! Writers and readers will enjoy this book. I didn't expect the book to be this entertaining. I expected a serious read about writers but with the illustrations and the possible assumptions on each of these famous writers made a very enjoyable read.
Love the illustrations. Please don't take everything so seriously when you happen to read this book. If you are a writer, you will understand better what I mean to say here. But also, you will get to learn a lot more about the writers mentioned.
And I loved Virginia Woolf's A Room of One's Own a lot.
It's fun to read this compilation!
Thank you, Quarto Publishing Group White Lion, for the advance reading copy.
Love the illustrations. Please don't take everything so seriously when you happen to read this book. If you are a writer, you will understand better what I mean to say here. But also, you will get to learn a lot more about the writers mentioned.
And I loved Virginia Woolf's A Room of One's Own a lot.
It's fun to read this compilation!
Thank you, Quarto Publishing Group White Lion, for the advance reading copy.
May 15, 2022
This is an enjoyable read about where authors like to write, their habits and methods. There’s a wide range of writers covered from classic to contemporary with lots of trivia. It has pretty illustrations throughout but I think I’d’ve preferred photos where available. But it’d be a lovely gift for any well read person who wants a light read about some of their favourite authors (although I really didn’t need to know about Dickens’s anal fistula!)
April 10, 2026
A fascinating insight into the lives, writing spaces, and daily rituals of many beloved authors: the Brontës, John Steinbeck, Margaret Atwood, Hemingway, Chekhov, Edith Wharton, Mark Twain, and many more.
Reading a couple of authors’ chapters each morning while I sipped my coffee, I felt that the book struck a very enjoyable balance between the depth and breadth of information written about their lives, offering insights into their approaches to writing, as well as giving the right amount of relevant information about their lives and other fun (to me, at least) facts.
The range of approaches taken by each writer, and the diversity of the environments in which they wrote, just go to show that there is no correct way to write. We each have distinct personalities, upbringings, and inexplicable peculiarities which make us who we are and which we should lean into. This uniqueness is what makes each of these great authors great.
With that said, there are things common among them all, such as having a regular routine of writing at the same time each day, or having a page or word target to reach each day. While we may like to think of these great works of literature being written up in a storm after being struck by overwhelming inspiration, the more realistic picture is that these writers have worked steadily and consistently each day, even when they haven’t felt particularly inspired.
Lastly, I loved the watercolour illustrations of the desks, rooms, and places in which the authors lived and worked. It made for a more immersive read, being able to more fully imagine these masters at work in their respective places and times.
Reading a couple of authors’ chapters each morning while I sipped my coffee, I felt that the book struck a very enjoyable balance between the depth and breadth of information written about their lives, offering insights into their approaches to writing, as well as giving the right amount of relevant information about their lives and other fun (to me, at least) facts.
The range of approaches taken by each writer, and the diversity of the environments in which they wrote, just go to show that there is no correct way to write. We each have distinct personalities, upbringings, and inexplicable peculiarities which make us who we are and which we should lean into. This uniqueness is what makes each of these great authors great.
With that said, there are things common among them all, such as having a regular routine of writing at the same time each day, or having a page or word target to reach each day. While we may like to think of these great works of literature being written up in a storm after being struck by overwhelming inspiration, the more realistic picture is that these writers have worked steadily and consistently each day, even when they haven’t felt particularly inspired.
Lastly, I loved the watercolour illustrations of the desks, rooms, and places in which the authors lived and worked. It made for a more immersive read, being able to more fully imagine these masters at work in their respective places and times.
March 4, 2023
Enjoyable quick read that almost any adamant Goodreads member will find of interest.
Each author (I didn’t notice until I was in the Ws that they are arranged alphabetically 🙂) gets a one- to three-page spread accompanied by charming watercolor illustrations and including all sorts of interesting tidbits about the unique environs in which famous writers surrounded themselves as well as some details about their writing habits.
There are also some fun sidebars that detail the way various writers have spoken about or dealt with typewriters, pets, rejection letters, exercise, daily word counts, and so on.
The style is chit-chatty and entertaining, and the end of the book has a reference about how and where one can visit the homes of the writers included in the book. When traveling, I love to tour authors’ homes (and to pop by their graves 😮) so will use this as a resource for planning future such trips!
Each author (I didn’t notice until I was in the Ws that they are arranged alphabetically 🙂) gets a one- to three-page spread accompanied by charming watercolor illustrations and including all sorts of interesting tidbits about the unique environs in which famous writers surrounded themselves as well as some details about their writing habits.
There are also some fun sidebars that detail the way various writers have spoken about or dealt with typewriters, pets, rejection letters, exercise, daily word counts, and so on.
The style is chit-chatty and entertaining, and the end of the book has a reference about how and where one can visit the homes of the writers included in the book. When traveling, I love to tour authors’ homes (and to pop by their graves 😮) so will use this as a resource for planning future such trips!
January 2, 2024
I was determined to start 2024 out right; headed to Barnes and Noble in Nashville for the day, and found this little gem that I’ve been wanting to read for awhile now.
Loved it! I loved the illustrations that went along with each writer, whether it was of their shed or writing space, the tools they used, their typewriters…..
I loved reading about their process, their disciplines, their quirks, their accomplishments.
All in all, a very inspiring read and a great ‘first read’ to start out the New Year.💕
Loved it! I loved the illustrations that went along with each writer, whether it was of their shed or writing space, the tools they used, their typewriters…..
I loved reading about their process, their disciplines, their quirks, their accomplishments.
All in all, a very inspiring read and a great ‘first read’ to start out the New Year.💕
February 4, 2024
While I enjoyed the book, there were some typos that sent me to the internet e.g. Stephen King is not a Canadian writer and George Bernard Shaw died in 1950 not 1920 like the author states. Research and editing are good things.
August 17, 2024
I really enjoyed reading this book. Not so much for the description of the writing spaces as for all the bits of random information about some of my favorite writers.
I learned that Isabel Allende starts every new novel on January 8, the date she wrote a letter to her dying grandfather back in the day, which evolved to be The House of the Spirits.
That Margaret Atwood wrote The Handmaid’s Tale in West Berlin where she lived for a year in 1984, before the Wall came down. That Atwood came up with the idea of the first remote-signing device in 2004 and that she has her own eponymous medium roast coffee blend.
That Honoré de Balzac had up to 50 cups of coffee a day and woke up to start writing at midnight (these two facts are obviously related).
That Anton Chekhov planted at his country estate outside of Moscow, a cherry orchard of 50 trees, which in a sad example of life imitating art was cut down after he sold the estate in 1899.
And many more.
Recommended to all literature lovers.
I learned that Isabel Allende starts every new novel on January 8, the date she wrote a letter to her dying grandfather back in the day, which evolved to be The House of the Spirits.
That Margaret Atwood wrote The Handmaid’s Tale in West Berlin where she lived for a year in 1984, before the Wall came down. That Atwood came up with the idea of the first remote-signing device in 2004 and that she has her own eponymous medium roast coffee blend.
That Honoré de Balzac had up to 50 cups of coffee a day and woke up to start writing at midnight (these two facts are obviously related).
That Anton Chekhov planted at his country estate outside of Moscow, a cherry orchard of 50 trees, which in a sad example of life imitating art was cut down after he sold the estate in 1899.
And many more.
Recommended to all literature lovers.
Read
August 18, 2022Interestingly written. A page or two per author.
The drawings were beautiful. And I do understand why drawings were chosen over pictures — only a small percentage of these spaces exist in a currently photographable state. But I repeatedly found myself wishing there were pictures where possible.
A pretty good range of classic vs contemporary writers. Very England and America centric. 90+% white.
The drawings were beautiful. And I do understand why drawings were chosen over pictures — only a small percentage of these spaces exist in a currently photographable state. But I repeatedly found myself wishing there were pictures where possible.
A pretty good range of classic vs contemporary writers. Very England and America centric. 90+% white.
January 1, 2023
My first read of 2023 feels a particulaly apt one as I look ahead to finally creating a designated writing space all of my own.
This beautiful book was a Christmas gift from my OG writing buddy. She’s not on socials, but I owe her everything … she was the one who encouraged me (aggressively) to finally write the book I'd been talking about writing forever. Without her, I don’t know if I ever would have taken the leap, and what a world of healing, self-discovery and self-fulfilment I would have missed out on.
In Rooms of their Own, Alex Johnson provides a wonderful insight into various famous authors and the spaces in which they chose to write. Beautifully illustrated by James Oses, if like me you have an almost spiritual sense of fascination with creative space I think you’ll love this book. The thing that fascinates me most, is the multiplicity of approach. For some authors, place is key, while for others place doesn’t really matter, some crave solace and silence, others require background noise and companionship. And yet they all create … In the end then, perhaps the how doesn’t really matter.
Though if I had to choose one of the writing spaces discussed in this book, I know exactly which one it would be … Vita’s tower at Sissinghurst 💞 so maybe the how matters a little after all (to me anyway) 🙈🤣
This beautiful book was a Christmas gift from my OG writing buddy. She’s not on socials, but I owe her everything … she was the one who encouraged me (aggressively) to finally write the book I'd been talking about writing forever. Without her, I don’t know if I ever would have taken the leap, and what a world of healing, self-discovery and self-fulfilment I would have missed out on.
In Rooms of their Own, Alex Johnson provides a wonderful insight into various famous authors and the spaces in which they chose to write. Beautifully illustrated by James Oses, if like me you have an almost spiritual sense of fascination with creative space I think you’ll love this book. The thing that fascinates me most, is the multiplicity of approach. For some authors, place is key, while for others place doesn’t really matter, some crave solace and silence, others require background noise and companionship. And yet they all create … In the end then, perhaps the how doesn’t really matter.
Though if I had to choose one of the writing spaces discussed in this book, I know exactly which one it would be … Vita’s tower at Sissinghurst 💞 so maybe the how matters a little after all (to me anyway) 🙈🤣
July 14, 2023
This was an impulse buy. A drawing of a Hermes 3000 graces the cover ... what more can I say?
It's fun to read about writers: their sheds & huts; their typewriters; their writing schedules; their daily routines.
The only thing is, there were inaccuracies, like calling Stephen King a Canadian novelist when Maine is in King's DNA. I found that a bit odd.
It's fun to read about writers: their sheds & huts; their typewriters; their writing schedules; their daily routines.
The only thing is, there were inaccuracies, like calling Stephen King a Canadian novelist when Maine is in King's DNA. I found that a bit odd.
July 24, 2024
This was a delightful coffee table book that explored the rooms of many different writers through a text description and a watercolor image of the room!
Read
January 17, 2026Quick, easy read that I would recommend if you are interested in how many beloved (and maybe some unbeloved) authors wrote. This was certainly a very fun book and one that made me want to be a writer even though that has never really been an aspiration of mine. Even reading about writers you don’t particularly care for was enjoyable and curious.
My one critique is that while the drawings of the rooms are fun I would have preferred real pictures of the places they were talking about.
My one critique is that while the drawings of the rooms are fun I would have preferred real pictures of the places they were talking about.
October 1, 2023
This was a fun read full of interesting facts about famous authors and the spaces where they wrote and their writing habits. Brief chapters so it was easy to open it and read one or two when I felt like it.
February 2, 2024
What a lovely collection of essays on writers and their writing spaces. Includes a list of which places are open to the public. Now I have more places I’d like to visit, as well as a reminder of how many books I want to read!
September 19, 2024
I truly enjoyed reading about the rooms and spaces various writers wrote or write in, including Stephen King and JK Rowling. The book also contains information regarding what happened to those spaces of those now passed on. Some of the spaces are memorialized in museums.
January 1, 2025
So fun to read about the places authors write. My only comment is that I wish there had been photographs included when possible in addition to the lovely watercolor-esk depictions of each writing space.
October 9, 2023
Great coffee table book
April 15, 2024
This was a beautiful to book to read a page every now and then.
May 11, 2023
Delivers
The concept of the book intrigued me, and I felt it delivered on its promise. It was interesting to learn how many famous authors designed their writing space, and followed their habits. It seemed especially dry in some places, and the chapters felt a little formulaic, but it was full of information and creative ideas.
The concept of the book intrigued me, and I felt it delivered on its promise. It was interesting to learn how many famous authors designed their writing space, and followed their habits. It seemed especially dry in some places, and the chapters felt a little formulaic, but it was full of information and creative ideas.
January 4, 2023
Gli scrittori lasciano sulle cose un segno più profondo delle persone comune, trasformando a propria immagine e somiglianza il loro tavolo, la sedia, le tende il tappeto (p. 6), diceva Virginia Woolf, il cui scritto Una stanza tutta per sé dà il titolo a questo libro illustrato, edito da L'Ippocampo, che è una chicca imperdibile per chi ama sbirciare nella vita degli scrittori, nelle loro manie, nelle abitudini che hanno accompagnato la scrittura dei loro capolavori. I lettori amano andare a visitare le case degli scrittori, emozionandosi come se incontrassero di persona il loro romanziere preferito. Questo perché continua ad aleggiare un non so che di magico nella stanza in cui uno scrittore ha lavorato: la vista su cui di tanto in tanto allungava lo sguardo, la poltrona dove riposava, l'atmosfera da lui creata e che a sua volta gli era di ispirazione. All'avventore curioso questi luoghi offrono più di una semplice occhiata agli arredi prediletti da chi ci viveva: rivelano ciò che a un autore stava particolarmente a cuore. (p. 7)
Alex Johnson ci porta a spasso per questi luoghi e ce n'è davvero per tutti i gusti e ciò vale a dimostrare che ognuno trova l'ispirazione nel modo a lui più consono. Cinquanta case per cinquanta scrittori, rigorosamente in ordine alfabetico. Si comincia dalla casita di Isabelle Allende, una stanza con bagno, in fondo al giardino, a cui nessuno poteva accedere, nemmeno per fare le pulizie. Allende comincia ogni nuovo romanzo l'8 gennaio, suo "giorno sacro" da quando scrisse in quella data al nonno morente la lettera che le avrebbe ispirato La casa degli spiriti.
Durante la prima stesura lavora alla scrivania tutti i giorni tranne la domenica, dalle 8.30 - dopo avere portato a spasso i cani, aver fatto ginnastica e meditato - alle 19, con una pausa pomeridiana per una passeggiata. Tale ritmo prosegue fino a quando la prima stesura non è completata, cosa che avviene di solito verso maggio. (p. 13)
Poi si passa ai luoghi di scrittura di Maya Angelou, Margaret Atwood, Wystan Hugh Auden, per lo scrittoio portatile di mogano di Jane Austen e la masseria di James Baldwin. Insieme ai luoghi, quello che rende avvincente la lettura del libro di Johnson sono anche le curiosità sulle modalità di scrittura degli abitanti di queste "stanze tutte per sé". Come ad esempio, il rapporto scrittura/caffè in Honoré de Balzac, il quale preparava personalmente una miscela e arrivava a consumarne una cinquantina di tazzine al giorno.
Gli effetti della caffeina gli garantivano la carica necessaria ad affrontare i suoi insoliti orari di lavoro. Balzac rivelò di aver scelto da ragazzo la carriera di scrittore, e non quella di avvocato, proprio perché non sopportava l'idea di "mangiare, bere e dormire a orari prestabiliti". (p. 32)
Del resto, Balzac si svegliava a mezzanotte, lavorava per otto ore consecutive, poi pranzava, poi altre cinque ore di lavoro, cena e poi andava a letto. Ritmi sovrumani per una produzione sterminata. Molto più tranquille apparivano le abitudini delle sorelle Brontë e la loro la writer room «ogni sorella possedeva un cofanetto portatile in palissandro, dotato di una serratura e di un ripiano inclinato in velluto: li chiamavano i "confanetti scrittoio" e vi custodivano inchiostro, carta da lettere, penne, pennini, carte assorbenti e altri piccoli oggetti preziosi». (p. 41)
Vi è chi, aveva bisogno della scrivania con vista sul giardino come Anton Čechov, chi di un tavolo robusto e una sedia dura con lo schienale rigido da usare quando batteva a macchina, come Agatha Christie, la quale, però, scrisse anche in una tenda durante un viaggio in Medio Oriente, quando accompagnò il marito impegnato in una campagna di scavi. C'è la baita di Paolo Cognetti, il capanno di Roald Dahl, lo chalet prefabbricato di Charles Dickens, il seminterrato di Ray Bradbury, fino ad arrivare ad una casa biblioteca, quale quella di Umberto Eco. Un appartamento molto ampio, in un palazzo con una visione panoramica del Castello Sforzesco., uno studio senza pareti, una biblioteca con oltre 30.00 volumi. La nostra Sabrina Miglio ha visitato la casa milanese di Umberto Eco e di questa esperienza, che lei ha definito "mistica" ci ha regalato bellissime foto e un interessante articolo.
Dopo Ian Fleming e Thomas Hardy, arriva il turno di Ernest Hemingway, il quale a causa di due ferite riportate in due incidenti aerei scriveva sempre in piedi, poggiando la macchina da scrivere su una libreria addossata al muro, in camera da letto.
Teneva vicino un tabellone su cui registrava il numero di parole scritte ogni giorno. Erano in media 500, ma con Fiesta l'asticella si alzò quasi fino a 2000. La stanza era arredata in tipico stile alla Hemingway, con una testa di gazzella appesa al muro, trofeo di una battuta di caccia, e una pelle di leopardo in cima all'armadio. (p.74)
In piedi scriveva anche Victor Hugo, utilizzando una scrivania verticale vicino alla finestra, in modo da ammirare la veduta delle isole Hern e Sark, dopo che andò in esilio in un'isola della Manica, a causa di dissidi con Napoleone III. «Uno scrittore che si alza prima dell'alba e finisce la giornata a mezzogiorno ha compiuto il suo dovere» sosteneva Hugo e in effetti, il pomeriggio era dedicato alle passeggiate e alla visita alla sua amante Juliette Drouet.
Ma se siete legati all'immaginario di Jo March e della sua soffitta minuscola, Samuel Johnson è lo scrittore che fa per voi! A Londra affittò una stanza all'ultimo piano e in questo abbaino spoglio e dimesso, diede vita al celebre Dizionario della lingua inglese. Anche le dimensioni della scrivania sono problemi a cui uno scrittore deve tenere conto. Lo sa bene Stephen King, che da giovane ne usava una enorme, in età adulta, invece è passato ad una piccola scrivania non più al centro della stanza, ma in un angolo appartato. Appartato ma non troppo, perché volle rendere l'ambiente, con tappeto, divano e televisore accogliente anche per i figli, perché «La vita non dev'essere di sostegno all'arte, ma viceversa». Messi da parte Olivetti e Underwood in favore di un PC, King non disdegna tuttavia carta e penna, che trova molto più utili per riflettere. Anche per King la disciplina è tutto: è convinto che bisogna prefissarsi un numero di pagine al giorno (lui solitamente sei), cominciare la mattina presto e staccare alle 13.30; il resto della giornata dedicarlo a famiglia e lettura. Per Kipling il problema dell'inchiostro non era da sottovalutare, per Margareth Mitchell non dovevano mai mancare le buste, dove lei ripose - un capito a busta - le immortali pagine di Via col vento. Murakami ha bisogno della musica, Geogre Orwell del completo isolamento. Le donne, de sempre più brave a conciliare il caos della vita domestica con le attitudini intellettuali, hanno saputo trovare (è il caso di Sylvia Plath e Hilary Mantel) uno strano e precario equilibrio tra figli, preparazione dei pasti e scrittura, un poco dove capita.
Se invece, vi capita di amare il letto non solo per dormire ma anche per leggere e scrivere, riempendo la trapunta di fogli e foglietti, non siete soli: Mark Twain, Truman Capote, ma soprattutto Marcel Proust che scriveva sdraiato, con le ginocchia a fare da scrivania nella sua camera da letto, isolata con pesanti tende di raso e scuri, insonorizzata con pannelli di sughero alle pareti. Spesso i compagni di questi isolamenti sono i fedeli animali domestici, come nel caso di Edith Wharton.
Si arriva infine (è la quarantanovesima) a Virginia Woolf, che ha appunto teorizzato la necessità di avere uno spazio proprio. Le varie scrivanie che ebbe in vita la Woolf erano piene di aloni lasciati dalle tazze di caffè e dalle macchie di inchiostro. Disciplina e regolarità negli orari di scrittura anche per lei.
Una carrellata piacevole, che rimanda la necessità per gli scrittori, ma anche per noi, di avere un rifugio, un luogo di incontro con noi stessi, e uno spazio che sia sottratto al mondo esterno e alle necessità degli altri. Un luogo dell'anima. Questo è il cuore pulsante del libro e altrettanto intime ed espressive sono le illustrazioni di James Oses, che con pennellate rapide ci consentono di immergerci nelle stanze dei nostri romanzieri.
Alla fine, il libro di Johnson ci ricorda che la scrittura, indipendentemente dall'esito e dallo stile, è innanzitutto un'educazione dell'anima e un incontro con il proprio io, perché proprio come diceva l'amata Virginia:
Fino a quando scrivi ciò che desideri scrivere, non c'è altro che conti; e che conti per secoli o solo per qualche ora, nessuno può saperlo. (p. 82)
Alex Johnson ci porta a spasso per questi luoghi e ce n'è davvero per tutti i gusti e ciò vale a dimostrare che ognuno trova l'ispirazione nel modo a lui più consono. Cinquanta case per cinquanta scrittori, rigorosamente in ordine alfabetico. Si comincia dalla casita di Isabelle Allende, una stanza con bagno, in fondo al giardino, a cui nessuno poteva accedere, nemmeno per fare le pulizie. Allende comincia ogni nuovo romanzo l'8 gennaio, suo "giorno sacro" da quando scrisse in quella data al nonno morente la lettera che le avrebbe ispirato La casa degli spiriti.
Durante la prima stesura lavora alla scrivania tutti i giorni tranne la domenica, dalle 8.30 - dopo avere portato a spasso i cani, aver fatto ginnastica e meditato - alle 19, con una pausa pomeridiana per una passeggiata. Tale ritmo prosegue fino a quando la prima stesura non è completata, cosa che avviene di solito verso maggio. (p. 13)
Poi si passa ai luoghi di scrittura di Maya Angelou, Margaret Atwood, Wystan Hugh Auden, per lo scrittoio portatile di mogano di Jane Austen e la masseria di James Baldwin. Insieme ai luoghi, quello che rende avvincente la lettura del libro di Johnson sono anche le curiosità sulle modalità di scrittura degli abitanti di queste "stanze tutte per sé". Come ad esempio, il rapporto scrittura/caffè in Honoré de Balzac, il quale preparava personalmente una miscela e arrivava a consumarne una cinquantina di tazzine al giorno.
Gli effetti della caffeina gli garantivano la carica necessaria ad affrontare i suoi insoliti orari di lavoro. Balzac rivelò di aver scelto da ragazzo la carriera di scrittore, e non quella di avvocato, proprio perché non sopportava l'idea di "mangiare, bere e dormire a orari prestabiliti". (p. 32)
Del resto, Balzac si svegliava a mezzanotte, lavorava per otto ore consecutive, poi pranzava, poi altre cinque ore di lavoro, cena e poi andava a letto. Ritmi sovrumani per una produzione sterminata. Molto più tranquille apparivano le abitudini delle sorelle Brontë e la loro la writer room «ogni sorella possedeva un cofanetto portatile in palissandro, dotato di una serratura e di un ripiano inclinato in velluto: li chiamavano i "confanetti scrittoio" e vi custodivano inchiostro, carta da lettere, penne, pennini, carte assorbenti e altri piccoli oggetti preziosi». (p. 41)
Vi è chi, aveva bisogno della scrivania con vista sul giardino come Anton Čechov, chi di un tavolo robusto e una sedia dura con lo schienale rigido da usare quando batteva a macchina, come Agatha Christie, la quale, però, scrisse anche in una tenda durante un viaggio in Medio Oriente, quando accompagnò il marito impegnato in una campagna di scavi. C'è la baita di Paolo Cognetti, il capanno di Roald Dahl, lo chalet prefabbricato di Charles Dickens, il seminterrato di Ray Bradbury, fino ad arrivare ad una casa biblioteca, quale quella di Umberto Eco. Un appartamento molto ampio, in un palazzo con una visione panoramica del Castello Sforzesco., uno studio senza pareti, una biblioteca con oltre 30.00 volumi. La nostra Sabrina Miglio ha visitato la casa milanese di Umberto Eco e di questa esperienza, che lei ha definito "mistica" ci ha regalato bellissime foto e un interessante articolo.
Dopo Ian Fleming e Thomas Hardy, arriva il turno di Ernest Hemingway, il quale a causa di due ferite riportate in due incidenti aerei scriveva sempre in piedi, poggiando la macchina da scrivere su una libreria addossata al muro, in camera da letto.
Teneva vicino un tabellone su cui registrava il numero di parole scritte ogni giorno. Erano in media 500, ma con Fiesta l'asticella si alzò quasi fino a 2000. La stanza era arredata in tipico stile alla Hemingway, con una testa di gazzella appesa al muro, trofeo di una battuta di caccia, e una pelle di leopardo in cima all'armadio. (p.74)
In piedi scriveva anche Victor Hugo, utilizzando una scrivania verticale vicino alla finestra, in modo da ammirare la veduta delle isole Hern e Sark, dopo che andò in esilio in un'isola della Manica, a causa di dissidi con Napoleone III. «Uno scrittore che si alza prima dell'alba e finisce la giornata a mezzogiorno ha compiuto il suo dovere» sosteneva Hugo e in effetti, il pomeriggio era dedicato alle passeggiate e alla visita alla sua amante Juliette Drouet.
Ma se siete legati all'immaginario di Jo March e della sua soffitta minuscola, Samuel Johnson è lo scrittore che fa per voi! A Londra affittò una stanza all'ultimo piano e in questo abbaino spoglio e dimesso, diede vita al celebre Dizionario della lingua inglese. Anche le dimensioni della scrivania sono problemi a cui uno scrittore deve tenere conto. Lo sa bene Stephen King, che da giovane ne usava una enorme, in età adulta, invece è passato ad una piccola scrivania non più al centro della stanza, ma in un angolo appartato. Appartato ma non troppo, perché volle rendere l'ambiente, con tappeto, divano e televisore accogliente anche per i figli, perché «La vita non dev'essere di sostegno all'arte, ma viceversa». Messi da parte Olivetti e Underwood in favore di un PC, King non disdegna tuttavia carta e penna, che trova molto più utili per riflettere. Anche per King la disciplina è tutto: è convinto che bisogna prefissarsi un numero di pagine al giorno (lui solitamente sei), cominciare la mattina presto e staccare alle 13.30; il resto della giornata dedicarlo a famiglia e lettura. Per Kipling il problema dell'inchiostro non era da sottovalutare, per Margareth Mitchell non dovevano mai mancare le buste, dove lei ripose - un capito a busta - le immortali pagine di Via col vento. Murakami ha bisogno della musica, Geogre Orwell del completo isolamento. Le donne, de sempre più brave a conciliare il caos della vita domestica con le attitudini intellettuali, hanno saputo trovare (è il caso di Sylvia Plath e Hilary Mantel) uno strano e precario equilibrio tra figli, preparazione dei pasti e scrittura, un poco dove capita.
Se invece, vi capita di amare il letto non solo per dormire ma anche per leggere e scrivere, riempendo la trapunta di fogli e foglietti, non siete soli: Mark Twain, Truman Capote, ma soprattutto Marcel Proust che scriveva sdraiato, con le ginocchia a fare da scrivania nella sua camera da letto, isolata con pesanti tende di raso e scuri, insonorizzata con pannelli di sughero alle pareti. Spesso i compagni di questi isolamenti sono i fedeli animali domestici, come nel caso di Edith Wharton.
Si arriva infine (è la quarantanovesima) a Virginia Woolf, che ha appunto teorizzato la necessità di avere uno spazio proprio. Le varie scrivanie che ebbe in vita la Woolf erano piene di aloni lasciati dalle tazze di caffè e dalle macchie di inchiostro. Disciplina e regolarità negli orari di scrittura anche per lei.
Una carrellata piacevole, che rimanda la necessità per gli scrittori, ma anche per noi, di avere un rifugio, un luogo di incontro con noi stessi, e uno spazio che sia sottratto al mondo esterno e alle necessità degli altri. Un luogo dell'anima. Questo è il cuore pulsante del libro e altrettanto intime ed espressive sono le illustrazioni di James Oses, che con pennellate rapide ci consentono di immergerci nelle stanze dei nostri romanzieri.
Alla fine, il libro di Johnson ci ricorda che la scrittura, indipendentemente dall'esito e dallo stile, è innanzitutto un'educazione dell'anima e un incontro con il proprio io, perché proprio come diceva l'amata Virginia:
Fino a quando scrivi ciò che desideri scrivere, non c'è altro che conti; e che conti per secoli o solo per qualche ora, nessuno può saperlo. (p. 82)
May 10, 2022
Rooms of Their Own
Where Great Writers Write
by Alex Johnson
Pub Date 19 Apr 2022
Quarto Publishing Group – White Lion, Frances Lincoln
Biographies & Memoirs
I am reviewing a copy of Rooms of Their Own through Quarto Publishing Group, White Lion and Netgalley:
How do you write? What is it you require from your room or desk? Do you have a favorite pen, typewriter? Did they find a routine, that fit their creativity perfectLy? These are the questions that were asked about writers, crossing centuries, genres and continents.
In Rooms of their own you will not only discover the unique spaces, habits and rituals in which famous writers created their most notable works, but you’ll also discover how each great writer penned their famous texts, and the routines and habits they perfected.
Meet authors who rely on silence and seclusion and those who need people, music and whisky. Meet novelists who travel half-way across the world to a luxury writing retreat, and others who just need an empty shed at the bottom of the garden. Some are particular about pencils, inks, paper and typewriters, and some will scribble on anything – including the furniture. But whether they write in the library or in cars, under trees, private islands, hotel rooms or towers – each of these stories confirms that there is no 'best way' to write.
In this book you’ll discover James Baldwin, writing in the small hours of the morning in his Paris apartment, to DH Lawrence writing at the foot of a towering Ponderosa pine tree, to the Brontë sisters managing in a crowded co-working space, this book takes us into the lives of some of history's greatest ever writers, with each writing space illustrated in evocative watercolour by James Oses.
If you’re looking for a quick peek into the ways which writers like Maya Angelou, and Ray Bradbury I highly recommend Rooms of Their Own.
Five out of five stars!
Happy Reading!
Where Great Writers Write
by Alex Johnson
Pub Date 19 Apr 2022
Quarto Publishing Group – White Lion, Frances Lincoln
Biographies & Memoirs
I am reviewing a copy of Rooms of Their Own through Quarto Publishing Group, White Lion and Netgalley:
How do you write? What is it you require from your room or desk? Do you have a favorite pen, typewriter? Did they find a routine, that fit their creativity perfectLy? These are the questions that were asked about writers, crossing centuries, genres and continents.
In Rooms of their own you will not only discover the unique spaces, habits and rituals in which famous writers created their most notable works, but you’ll also discover how each great writer penned their famous texts, and the routines and habits they perfected.
Meet authors who rely on silence and seclusion and those who need people, music and whisky. Meet novelists who travel half-way across the world to a luxury writing retreat, and others who just need an empty shed at the bottom of the garden. Some are particular about pencils, inks, paper and typewriters, and some will scribble on anything – including the furniture. But whether they write in the library or in cars, under trees, private islands, hotel rooms or towers – each of these stories confirms that there is no 'best way' to write.
In this book you’ll discover James Baldwin, writing in the small hours of the morning in his Paris apartment, to DH Lawrence writing at the foot of a towering Ponderosa pine tree, to the Brontë sisters managing in a crowded co-working space, this book takes us into the lives of some of history's greatest ever writers, with each writing space illustrated in evocative watercolour by James Oses.
If you’re looking for a quick peek into the ways which writers like Maya Angelou, and Ray Bradbury I highly recommend Rooms of Their Own.
Five out of five stars!
Happy Reading!
April 30, 2022
This is a really lovely book that tells us all about the preferred writing rituals of fifty well-known authors. It is the sort of book you can leave on your coffee table and pick up when you have five minutes, and become absorbed in the writing life of your favourite author. It has a nice balance of modern and traditional writers and is punctuated with fun, full-colour illustrations that bring a sense of light playfulness to the book.
This book would make a perfect gift for both writers and readers and it introduced me to several authors that I had not heard of before. It is full of interesting facts about each writer but more importantly, it made these great writers into real human beings - the portrait in Roald Dahl’s shed of his daughter who died aged seven; Colette’s habit of procrastinating and how she attempted to overcome it by being locked in a room for four hours to make her write; Emily Dickinson’s need for solitude; and I loved Margaret Mitchell’s envelopes! Many of the writers made efforts to create their own spaces in which to write. As a writer myself I felt a kinship with these authors as I realised that they struggled too, but they pushed through these struggles by ensuring they had the best conditions for them to write in. It has inspired me to take a good look at my own writing space!
I really recommend this book if you like to have a peek into the lives of other writers. There is much to be learned here. With thanks to Netgalley and Quarto-White Lion for providing an advance review copy. All opinions are my own.
This book would make a perfect gift for both writers and readers and it introduced me to several authors that I had not heard of before. It is full of interesting facts about each writer but more importantly, it made these great writers into real human beings - the portrait in Roald Dahl’s shed of his daughter who died aged seven; Colette’s habit of procrastinating and how she attempted to overcome it by being locked in a room for four hours to make her write; Emily Dickinson’s need for solitude; and I loved Margaret Mitchell’s envelopes! Many of the writers made efforts to create their own spaces in which to write. As a writer myself I felt a kinship with these authors as I realised that they struggled too, but they pushed through these struggles by ensuring they had the best conditions for them to write in. It has inspired me to take a good look at my own writing space!
I really recommend this book if you like to have a peek into the lives of other writers. There is much to be learned here. With thanks to Netgalley and Quarto-White Lion for providing an advance review copy. All opinions are my own.
March 25, 2022
Coffee – whether one or fifty cups a day – or something stronger? Silence or music? Meditation and dog-walking before a day's shift, a skinny-dip, or the usual two a.m. alarm bell? A must-have bolt-hole, or any desk in a storm? Writers' residences and their habits in them are looked at in lots of pleasant little essays here, which almost seem linked and flowing in one narrative at times (although the disjuncture between Ray Bradbury's disembodied head maquettes and the Bronte parsonage has never been exceeded). It's a genial, light entity perfect for browsing and perhaps wishing to have similar posthumous renown coming to our own homes when we're gone. The stickler for detail in me would probably prefer photographic evidence as opposed to the artist's knock-ups, but all the same this is for lovers of writerly trivia, and may also provide lots of fun experimentation for those still just finding their path to the full page. On that note, however, much of this is for the trained liver only.
December 31, 2023
50 (hauptsächlich englischsprachige) Schriftsteller der Weltliteratur werden in “Schreibwelten” vorgestellt. Die Portraits haben den Schwerpunkt auf dem Schreibprozess und den Anforderungen an Ort und Umstände des Schaffens.
Von festen Abläufen bis zum Schreiben an beliebigen Orten sind alle Ausprägungen vertreten. Man nehme beispielsweise den Schrankkoffer. “Öffnet man ihn jedoch, verwandelt er sich in einen Schreibtisch mit Bücherregal, Schreibmaschine und Schubfächern. Conan Doyle war von seiner Sonderanfertigung begeistert.”, verständlicherweise! Zur Auflockerung werden Zitate und Exkurse mit Themenfokus, wie über Ablehnungsbescheide an die einst unbekannten Autoren, eingestreut.
Zu jedem Autor gibt es mindestens eine ganze bebilderte Seite des typischen Schreibplatzes, manchmal noch zusätzlich Illustrationen einzelner Gegenstände, die den Schreibtisch üblicherweise zierten. Dieser Augenschmaus lädt Bibliophile zum Blättern und Schmökern ein.
Von festen Abläufen bis zum Schreiben an beliebigen Orten sind alle Ausprägungen vertreten. Man nehme beispielsweise den Schrankkoffer. “Öffnet man ihn jedoch, verwandelt er sich in einen Schreibtisch mit Bücherregal, Schreibmaschine und Schubfächern. Conan Doyle war von seiner Sonderanfertigung begeistert.”, verständlicherweise! Zur Auflockerung werden Zitate und Exkurse mit Themenfokus, wie über Ablehnungsbescheide an die einst unbekannten Autoren, eingestreut.
Zu jedem Autor gibt es mindestens eine ganze bebilderte Seite des typischen Schreibplatzes, manchmal noch zusätzlich Illustrationen einzelner Gegenstände, die den Schreibtisch üblicherweise zierten. Dieser Augenschmaus lädt Bibliophile zum Blättern und Schmökern ein.
April 28, 2026
Una storia semplice ma appassionante, sospesa e racchiusa in una luminosità diffusa, pallida, quasi priva di ombre, in cui non ho potuto fare a meno di viverci. Una brama intensa per i libri, la buona letteratura, così come l'atto del leggere e dello scrivere in un filo intrecciato che ha dato vita a un graziosissimo disegno. Un motivo memorabile ricco di parole, ricordi, emozioni che manipola frasi, modifica paragrafi o interi capitoli affinché non si sgualciscono completamente. Spiegazzandole e cincischiando. Una dichiarazione d'amore ai libri, all'essere Lettore la cui storia riesce a districarsi perfettamente fra esperienze dell'autore comuni e non, tra presente e passato. Una storia che crea dipendenza, struggimento. Sa di amore, fede e fiducia. Una pace interiore che potrebbe durare a lungo. Intensa, affannosa, calorosa come una sposa premurosa che desidera riabbracciare l'amato: - Mancavi solo tu, sei in ritardo. -
Esaltare i romanzi, chi li scrive, e scovare specialmente quella magica postazione nel quale quel battesimo magico che avrebbe messo in relazione due mondi netti e contrastanti, il mondo di quà con quello di là, è superiore in ogni imperfezione grazie a un indomito lampo di immaginazione che, esplosivo del genio nel mezzo, ci lascia incrinati e imperfetti, ma stellati di poesia. Una gemma di verità pura da avvolgere tra le pagine dei nostri appunti e conservare sulla mensola strapiena di una gigantesca libreria.
Non un tipo di comunicazione a me sconosciuto. Da amante della scrittura e della buona letteratura sono consapevole che le parole, se adoperate con maestria, hanno un suono diverso perché accompagnate da una sorta di ronzio musicale - eccitante, avvolgente - che trasforma il valore delle parole stesse. Un ronzio dell'anima che sembra quasi impossibile tradurre in parole.
Quel che è assolutamente sorprendente è che, percorrendo a ritroso la storia di questi artisti, curiosando impunemente in quei luoghi in cui ogni cosa avvenne, ogni magia fu realizzata, ogni parola estratta dal loro genio intellettivo, questo romanzo fu un'esperienza straordinaria che in qualche modo l'autrice trasmesse anche a me. Perché questo non era un semplice resoconto, quanto un espediente mediante i romanzi di decantare la purezza dell'animo e l'intensità delle storie alzando nude pareti dalla nuda terra. E pur di farlo era necessario ribellarsi. Nell'anima dei più irrazionali i romanzi hanno il potere di tracciare con dell'inchiostro invisibile, sulle pareti della nostra mente, una premonizione che Una stanza tutta per sé conferma egregiamente. Un disegno accostato al fuoco del genio purché diventi visibile.
Che al lettore, mediante l'atto del leggere, succeda qualcosa di simile? Che chi legge avverte il contatto dell'anima di chi l'ha scritto, le emozioni che sono suscitate da una penna dalla punta invisibile e che sono passate attraverso il suo corpo? Una follia, si direbbe. Eppure, in una visione più spregiudicata della realtà letteraria, una visione secondo la quale i romanzi hanno una certa importanza poiché sono legati alla vita di chi li ha scritti. Non tessute a mezz'aria da creature incorporee, ma lavori di uomini o donne che soffrono, legati a cose volgarmente materiali.
Quella di Una stanza tutta per sé è il racconto di svariate storie, storie realmente accadute, racconti di vita o di morte di autori e delle loro storie. Non un prodotto finito, ma il processo, il divenire del pensiero in tutte le sue tortuosità. Una serie di gesti agitati che vietano la compiacenza, la sicurezza, la chiusura mentale, avvolti quasi in una cortina di mistero, solitudine e insoddisfazione, che si stanza in un grande e magnifico periodo del secolo.
Esaltare i romanzi, chi li scrive, e scovare specialmente quella magica postazione nel quale quel battesimo magico che avrebbe messo in relazione due mondi netti e contrastanti, il mondo di quà con quello di là, è superiore in ogni imperfezione grazie a un indomito lampo di immaginazione che, esplosivo del genio nel mezzo, ci lascia incrinati e imperfetti, ma stellati di poesia. Una gemma di verità pura da avvolgere tra le pagine dei nostri appunti e conservare sulla mensola strapiena di una gigantesca libreria.
Non un tipo di comunicazione a me sconosciuto. Da amante della scrittura e della buona letteratura sono consapevole che le parole, se adoperate con maestria, hanno un suono diverso perché accompagnate da una sorta di ronzio musicale - eccitante, avvolgente - che trasforma il valore delle parole stesse. Un ronzio dell'anima che sembra quasi impossibile tradurre in parole.
Quel che è assolutamente sorprendente è che, percorrendo a ritroso la storia di questi artisti, curiosando impunemente in quei luoghi in cui ogni cosa avvenne, ogni magia fu realizzata, ogni parola estratta dal loro genio intellettivo, questo romanzo fu un'esperienza straordinaria che in qualche modo l'autrice trasmesse anche a me. Perché questo non era un semplice resoconto, quanto un espediente mediante i romanzi di decantare la purezza dell'animo e l'intensità delle storie alzando nude pareti dalla nuda terra. E pur di farlo era necessario ribellarsi. Nell'anima dei più irrazionali i romanzi hanno il potere di tracciare con dell'inchiostro invisibile, sulle pareti della nostra mente, una premonizione che Una stanza tutta per sé conferma egregiamente. Un disegno accostato al fuoco del genio purché diventi visibile.
Che al lettore, mediante l'atto del leggere, succeda qualcosa di simile? Che chi legge avverte il contatto dell'anima di chi l'ha scritto, le emozioni che sono suscitate da una penna dalla punta invisibile e che sono passate attraverso il suo corpo? Una follia, si direbbe. Eppure, in una visione più spregiudicata della realtà letteraria, una visione secondo la quale i romanzi hanno una certa importanza poiché sono legati alla vita di chi li ha scritti. Non tessute a mezz'aria da creature incorporee, ma lavori di uomini o donne che soffrono, legati a cose volgarmente materiali.
Quella di Una stanza tutta per sé è il racconto di svariate storie, storie realmente accadute, racconti di vita o di morte di autori e delle loro storie. Non un prodotto finito, ma il processo, il divenire del pensiero in tutte le sue tortuosità. Una serie di gesti agitati che vietano la compiacenza, la sicurezza, la chiusura mentale, avvolti quasi in una cortina di mistero, solitudine e insoddisfazione, che si stanza in un grande e magnifico periodo del secolo.
January 14, 2025
Rooms of Their Own is a book that, in its text and its images, is all about details—the details (like the good condition of Balzac’s table’s cross-bar, which is cited, and the colors, brands, models, and materials of writers' various tools of the trades) that make up a background that makes possible the writing process and the routines that define it. We get a sense of the distinct way in which each writer defines a space, be it in terms of architecture, furnishings, mood, solitude, etc., and the greater and lesser degree to which each writer needs requirements to be met; some writers have permanent spaces that are irreplaceable, whereas others merely need one to have a certain set of elements in place—a distance above or below ground level, a view, a noise level, a type of surface, a particularly defined source of light, a size of desk, a placement of furniture, a size—that will accommodate other favored patterns—a diet, a time, a position, the presence of a pet. Sometimes, a writer’s room seems nearly defined by the “talismans,” to use Haruki Murakami's word, with which he surrounds himself, the array of artifacts—trinkets, memorabilia, heirlooms, and mementos—that make a writer’s room nearly portable (though not as literally so as Arthur Conan Doyle’s bespoke trunks that transformed into writing desks, one of my favorite elements in the book; other favorites include the light shade of Colette’s made from her favorite blue writing paper; George Bernard Shaw's rotating writing hut; and Victor Hugo’s glassed-in aerie, tiled with Delft and allowing grand views of gulls, ships, and tides). The prose does a very good job orienting the reader highly specifically in each space, allowing the charming illustrations to be somewhat more impressionistic, still detailed (a rendering of a clothespin——spring and all—that appears twice, early and late, is the image that lingers most) but in a less technical way; effectively matching the mood of each room with the choice of palette, the drawings have a way of focusing in for most writers, almost always beginning with a broader look at the space (or, less commonly, the exterior) before focusing in on a desktop, or some discrete objects (or the interior, if following an exterior), as if intuiting where the truest center lies.
April 5, 2023
A really lovely little book that had me entertained and inspired in equal measure. I loved learning that many writers prefer to write either horizontally in bed or standing up, and that most writers write as soon as they wake up. It’s a little detail, but I also liked learning about each writer’s must-have tools, from specific pencil shapes, models of typewriter, or shades of ink. The watercolor illustrations were charming windows into each writer’s space, pretty enough to be interesting outside the context of the book. I am especially intrigued by the concept of the “she shed,” which is described as the female writer’s equivalent of a “man cave,” and usually takes the form of a cozy little shed in the back garden.
This would have been a five star for me, except for one strangely written entry on Margaret Mitchell, author of Gone With the Wind. The author describes every other writer’s space with journalistic precision, occasionally sprinkling in fun facts about the writer’s process. However, Margaret Mitchell’s work is deemed a “problematic story” and the author even cautions us not to be fooled by the film adaptation because “considerable racist elements to the story […] were edited out for the Vivian Leigh and Clark Gable movie.” I notice he does not include similar warnings for other writers in this book whose works have been deemed “problematic” (which, at some point in history, includes almost all of them), including Mark Twain for racism, Roald Dahl for antisemitism, or Vladimir Nabokov for glamorizing pedophilia. The sharp admonishment was a startling departure from the otherwise effervescent tone of the book, especially when the notable detail about Margaret Mitchell’s process was that she stuffed her type-written chapters into unmarked envelopes out of order to hide that she was writing a book.
Despite this one odd break in tone, I would still recommend Rooms of Their Own to anyone interested in writers or their creative process. It is easy to finish this book in one sitting, but it would be a great coffee table read as well. I definitely plan on flipping through it the next time I need inspiration for my own creative process!
This would have been a five star for me, except for one strangely written entry on Margaret Mitchell, author of Gone With the Wind. The author describes every other writer’s space with journalistic precision, occasionally sprinkling in fun facts about the writer’s process. However, Margaret Mitchell’s work is deemed a “problematic story” and the author even cautions us not to be fooled by the film adaptation because “considerable racist elements to the story […] were edited out for the Vivian Leigh and Clark Gable movie.” I notice he does not include similar warnings for other writers in this book whose works have been deemed “problematic” (which, at some point in history, includes almost all of them), including Mark Twain for racism, Roald Dahl for antisemitism, or Vladimir Nabokov for glamorizing pedophilia. The sharp admonishment was a startling departure from the otherwise effervescent tone of the book, especially when the notable detail about Margaret Mitchell’s process was that she stuffed her type-written chapters into unmarked envelopes out of order to hide that she was writing a book.
Despite this one odd break in tone, I would still recommend Rooms of Their Own to anyone interested in writers or their creative process. It is easy to finish this book in one sitting, but it would be a great coffee table read as well. I definitely plan on flipping through it the next time I need inspiration for my own creative process!
April 2, 2023
Ｒｅｚｅｎｓｉｏｎ📚
📚Ｍｅｉｎｅ Ｍｅｉｎｕｎｇ
Ihr wolltet schon immer mal wissen wo Jame Austin ihre Romane geschrieben hat? Wo Stephen King gesessen hat während er Christine oder auch ES geschrieben hat? In diesem Buch erfährt ihr es. Bestückt mit wunderschönen, kunstvollen Bildern der Räume, Zitate und Infos über die Schriftsteller ist dieses Buch ein Muss für alle Lesefans. Rowling arbeitete in einem Café, sie mochte die Gesellschaft dabei sehr gerne. King hat strickte Abläufe und man erfährt wirklich interessante und witzige „Marotten“ der Autoren. Mit Christie dürfte ich mir wohl eine Seele teilen, da sie die besten Ideen, unter anderem, in der Badewanne hatte 🤣🩵 Aber lest selbst!
Für mich gibts daher 5/5 Masken! 🎭🎭🎭🎭🎭
„𝙳𝚒𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚎 𝚉𝚎𝚒𝚝, 𝚎𝚒𝚗 𝙱𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚣𝚞 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚎𝚗, 𝚒𝚜𝚝 𝚋𝚎𝚒𝚖 𝙶𝚎𝚜𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚛𝚛𝚜𝚙ü𝚕𝚎𝚗.“ 𝙰𝚐𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚊 𝙲𝚑𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚎
📚Ｋｌａｐｐｅｎｔｅｘｔ📚
Mit welcher Tinte schrieb Jane Austen? Warum beginnt Isabel Allende alle Romane am 8. Januar? Was kostete Ray Bradburys Schreibmaschine? Alex Johnson unternimmt in »Schreibwelten« eine unterhaltsame Reise durch die Weltliteratur und erzählt von den kleinen Geheimnissen und merkwürdigen Gewohnheiten unserer Lieblingsschriftsteller:innen – von Astrid Lindgrens Geheimschrift über Victor Hugos Ofen bis zu Mark Twains Gartenlaube.
Wir erhalten Zugang zu ihren ganz privaten Lebensräumen, blicken ihnen beim Schreiben über die Schulter und erfahren, wie sie ihre besten Werke geschaffen haben.
Xo 🖤
Christl
#wien #blogger #bookstagram #vienna #book #buch #buchtipp #lesen #read #bookish #büchernewswelt #buechernewswelt #rezension #kritik #lesetipp * Rezi exemplar. Könnte Spuren von Werbung enthalten
📚Ｍｅｉｎｅ Ｍｅｉｎｕｎｇ
Ihr wolltet schon immer mal wissen wo Jame Austin ihre Romane geschrieben hat? Wo Stephen King gesessen hat während er Christine oder auch ES geschrieben hat? In diesem Buch erfährt ihr es. Bestückt mit wunderschönen, kunstvollen Bildern der Räume, Zitate und Infos über die Schriftsteller ist dieses Buch ein Muss für alle Lesefans. Rowling arbeitete in einem Café, sie mochte die Gesellschaft dabei sehr gerne. King hat strickte Abläufe und man erfährt wirklich interessante und witzige „Marotten“ der Autoren. Mit Christie dürfte ich mir wohl eine Seele teilen, da sie die besten Ideen, unter anderem, in der Badewanne hatte 🤣🩵 Aber lest selbst!
Für mich gibts daher 5/5 Masken! 🎭🎭🎭🎭🎭
„𝙳𝚒𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚎 𝚉𝚎𝚒𝚝, 𝚎𝚒𝚗 𝙱𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚣𝚞 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚎𝚗, 𝚒𝚜𝚝 𝚋𝚎𝚒𝚖 𝙶𝚎𝚜𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚛𝚛𝚜𝚙ü𝚕𝚎𝚗.“ 𝙰𝚐𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚊 𝙲𝚑𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚎
📚Ｋｌａｐｐｅｎｔｅｘｔ📚
Mit welcher Tinte schrieb Jane Austen? Warum beginnt Isabel Allende alle Romane am 8. Januar? Was kostete Ray Bradburys Schreibmaschine? Alex Johnson unternimmt in »Schreibwelten« eine unterhaltsame Reise durch die Weltliteratur und erzählt von den kleinen Geheimnissen und merkwürdigen Gewohnheiten unserer Lieblingsschriftsteller:innen – von Astrid Lindgrens Geheimschrift über Victor Hugos Ofen bis zu Mark Twains Gartenlaube.
Wir erhalten Zugang zu ihren ganz privaten Lebensräumen, blicken ihnen beim Schreiben über die Schulter und erfahren, wie sie ihre besten Werke geschaffen haben.
Xo 🖤
Christl
#wien #blogger #bookstagram #vienna #book #buch #buchtipp #lesen #read #bookish #büchernewswelt #buechernewswelt #rezension #kritik #lesetipp * Rezi exemplar. Könnte Spuren von Werbung enthalten
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