Writers Portraying Writers

While reading Hilma Wolitzer’s recent book An Available Man, I was reminded of a book I’d been meaning to read. Starting Out in the Evening by Brian Morton is mentioned as the favorite book of Wolitzer’s main character’s deceased wife. Morton’s book is about an aging writer who is revered by a young female graduate student working on a thesis about him. The novel proceeds to investigate the nature of fame, ambition, art, and personal connections.

Many works of fiction feature a writer as the main character. If you’ve ever wondered how writers portray their own kind, some of the following titles could be of interest:

What Happened to Sophie Wilder – Christopher Beja

The Wife – Meg Wolitzer

Thinks – David Lodge

Old School – Tobias Wolff

How I Became a Famous Novelist – Steve Hely

Wonder Boys – Michael Chabon

The Ghost Writer – Philip Roth

The Biographer’s Tale – A. S. Byatt

Unless – Carol Shields

Bech: A Book – John Updike

The History of Love – Nicole Krauss

2666 – Roberto Bolano

For film lovers:

Ask the Dust (DVD) (based on a book by John Fante)

Starting Out in the Evening (DVD) (based on the book by Brian                                                             Morgan)