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Brussels Writers Circle & Belgian author Julien Oeuillet ...
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Complete article at following URL:
http://brusselswriterscircle.wordpress.com/tag/vladimir-nabokov/
BWC Recommends
Posted on April 1, 2012
When I was fifteen, my uncle gave me a book and said that I should treat it like a fine wine. I should take time to savour it, and be sure not to read too much at once. He was right about its fineness, though sometimes I shirked his advice and ended up drunk.
In this new (and hopefully regular) segment, members of the BWC will talk about their favourite literary meals. Those paragraphs that are so rich they take a while to digest, that packet of word crisps you put in the cupboard but keep going back for until the whole thing is empty, that comforting poetry soup you heat up when you’re not feeling well. What is it about these novels, plays or poems that makes them so delicious?
First up we’re talking with BWC member Julien Oeuillet, a Belgian author, journalist and documentary filmmaker who hopes one day to publish delicious dishes in English language literature.
Belgian author Julien Oeuillet
What are your five favourite books (or poems or plays)?
The Real Life of Sebastian Knight by Vladimir Nabokov might be the only real writing lesson I ever received – eighteen chapters dismantling all the stereotypes and tropes a writer should avoid, and two last chapters to demonstrate what writing really is.
Valis by Philip K. Dick should be read by anyone regardless of its questionable label as a science-fiction novel – at least the first chapter, which might be the most beautiful thing I ever read, and a perfect demonstration of what non-linearity can do for a writer.
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Who is your favourite writer? Why do you like him/her?
Nabokov may be my favourite. The man can be both a monster and a magician, and I like such a complex personality. His writing is always flawless – in my sense, which means he tramples on many rules and he is right to do so every time. Everything he ever wrote touched me and inspired me: he taught me how to embrace absolute freedom in writing. Every writer should be like Nabokov: make their literature their own realm, governed by their own law, and keep their diplomatic skills for the rest of their life routine.
[ … ]
The funny thing with this description is that there are a hundred French novels that could be hidden behind this mask. And in fact, perhaps I was speaking about all of them.
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