Complete article: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17995977/site/newsweek/
A Life In Books: David Hajdu
April 16, 2007 issue - He loves Henry James, though he admits James's novels are full of dead ends. Then again, as a biographer, David Hajdu has a knack for working around dead ends, resulting in the detailed life stories of musicians Joan Baez and Billy Strayhorn.
MY FIVE MOST IMPORTANT BOOKS
- "The Adventures of Augie March" by Saul Bellow.
It's the first book I ever finished and then immediately started reading it again. I love the way it combines high and low elements. - "Up in the Old Hotel" by Joseph Mitchell.
I love his respect for little lives. He's also the first writer I ever tried to imitate. My early writing is essentially plagiarism of Mitchell. - "Lolita" by Vladimir Nabokov.
For the fearlessness of the subject matter and Nabokov's passion for language.
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