cover image Dancing with Mrs. Dalloway: Stories of the Inspiration Behind Great Works of Literature

Dancing with Mrs. Dalloway: Stories of the Inspiration Behind Great Works of Literature

Celia Blue Johnson. Perigee, $16.95 trade paper (256p) ISBN 978-0-399-53692-2

In this cornucopia for aspiring writers and trivia fans, Johnson (co-founder of Slice Literary) draws from research, first- and second-hand accounts, and "myths" to explore what inspired some of Western literature's titans and beloved children's authors, including: Tolstoy, Pasternak, Cervantes, Hemingway, Faulkner, Tolkien, Twain, Woolf, and others. Johnson's approach will best suit readers who are familiar with these authors and their signature works, since she assumes prior knowledge and forgoes biographical backgrounds and plot summaries in favor of succinct, genial sketches that enliven the moment creativity struck. Sections often conclude with positive results through publication or subsequent recognition. While some authors were inspired by real personages, memories, everyday incidents, travel, and other stories, others were driven by larger, political consequences (Orwell's Animal Farm), or crimes (Capote's In Cold Blood). Darker sources of inspiration are attributed to Burroughs, who, after killing his wife, wrote to stave off the "Ugly Spirit," and Vonnegut, who recalled the bombing of Dresden. Johnson narrates with wonderment, effectively balancing the romantic image of authors composing in reverie with the reality that disruptions between initial thought and finalized manuscript are common. (Oct.)