The Writer's Reader

More about the book

The Writer's Reader is an anthology of essays on writing by major writers of the past and present and is designed to introduce beginning writers to the art of writing as well as the life of writing. It draws on the experiences and advice of many of the world's best writers, mainly from Britain and America, but also from Latin America, Asia, and Europe. These essays offer a wealth of insights into the varied ways in which writers approach writing and represent a practical resource as well as a source of inspiration for those who are hoping to become writers or who are, perhaps, just at the beginnings of their career. They include classic as well as less well-known essays, both historical and contemporary, and include, for example, essays on the vocation of writing by Natalia Ginzburg, Robert Louis Stevenson, Danilo Kis, and Jonathan Franzen; thoughts on preparing for writing by, among others, Saul Bellow, Jorge Luis Borges, Joan Didion, and Margaret Atwood; and essays on the craft of writing by writers such as Italo Calvino, Virginia Woolf, and David Foster Wallace. Taken together, this collection is a must-read for any student or devotee of writing.