books
Lily King: ‘I couldn’t get past the first 20 pages of Pride and Prejudice’
The Women’s prize-shortlisted author on being obsessed with Judy Blume, hating Jane Austen at first, and the joys of Tove Jansson
TL;DR
- Early reading memories include 'The Little Engine That Could' and being obsessed with Judy Blume.
- 'It’s Not the End of the World' by Judy Blume was a significant book at age nine, influencing her desire to become a writer.
- Sherwood Anderson's 'Winesburg, Ohio' further solidified her desire to pursue writing during her teenage years.
- Virginia Woolf and Laura McNeal's writing significantly changed her style during graduate school.
- Initially disliking 'Pride and Prejudice,' she later found revelation in Jane Austen's works.
- William Faulkner's 'The Sound and the Fury' is a book she rereads, appreciating its depth and complexity.
- 'The Summer Book' by Tove Jansson is a later-life discovery that deeply resonated with the author.
- Current reads include Anthony Powell's 'A Dance to the Music of Time' and research books for a new project.
- Her comfort read is Dodie Smith's 'I Capture the Castle.'