Not every great writer is a great human being. We expect the people who touch our souls with their prose to be as wonderful as their words but sadly, that isn’t always the case. There are some writers whose work I admire, that I wouldn’t want within a mile of me, alive or dead. On the other hand, I wish I could have met the Oscar Wilde in Richard Ellmann’s biography of that name. Seldom has literary genius been paired with such a decent, gentle spirit. It’s hard these days to think of Wilde’s life as anything other than tragedy. There he is in his early years, telling the customs agent he “has nothing to declare but his genius.” That was an example of Oscar’s hyperbole and humor but it was also a statement of fact for this Oxford educated son of Ireland. His moral code was based on aesthetics, not just because he believed in in the innate goodness of beauty but because his own instincts usually directed him to be kind. His observations and plays outraged Victorian society but they were outrageously funny and stylish. No one before had let the air out of English sails with such…
God never meant me to cook good food. When it comes to spices, herbs, flavors and proteins, I’m a major disaster. I mean major. My home economics teacher recognized this when I put tablespoons of oregano in her braised radishes instead of the teaspoons she specified. (Who braises radishes anyway?) My husband figured it out the night I added sugar to the meatloaf instead of salt. He thanked me for inventing meat cake and took me out for a burger instead. The fact is, the kitchen never excited me as much as the printed page does. So instead of cooking the regular way, I cook with words. One thing I have learned is that Great Cooks aren’t Born, They Are Made. Julia Child had to go to school, August Escoffier learned through an apprenticeship, and Justin Wilson was taught by his mother. The same goes for cooking with words. All writers start out as great readers, picking up skills by studying the best. And like all students who’ve watched accomplished teachers, those would-be creators studied their texts, picked up their tools and concocted….horrendous messes. Good books and teachers can help you get started but nothing is a substitute for…
There’s a theory that people come into our lives to teach us what we need to know. They may be people we like or dislike and we may not always care for their lessons but the knowledge we gain from them helps move us through our lives. I like that theory but I think it needs to be expanded to include books. Along with entertainment and education, the right book at the right time can change a person’s future. I’m still giving thanks for a book that came my way about twenty-five years ago. I’ll always be indebted to Pat Conroy for writing The Prince of Tides. If anyone missed the announcements, Mr. Conroy writes stories about the perennial outsider. Whether the focus is on a Marine’s family readjusting to a new environment or the English Major in a military college, his people don’t think they fit in the orderly pattern that makes up their world. Because they don’t fit, Outsiders tend to stay on the defensive. The first lesson in The Prince of Tides is how defending yourself can cost you everything you care for in life. Tom Wingo, the coach in The Prince of Tides has had good…