Aridjis, Cloe. Asunder (2013) Boston: Mariner Books (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt).
This novel explores the relationship between creation and destruction, told from the point of view of a London museum guard. The story has a mysterious tone, a haunting beautiful elegance. Marie, the narrator, has a fascination with violent imagery and an obsession with decay and the passage of time. She is yet herself oddly passive and pedestrian.
“Painters create order from disorder, but the moment that order has been created, the slow march towards disorder begins again.” (p.62)
Balzac, Honore de. Lost Illusions (1843). Modern Library Edition, 1985. Kathleen Raine, trans.
A beautiful, fledgling poet, Lucien, wants to escape the provincial life he has grown up in, wants to find success in his poetry, and wants to be part of the exciting creative society of the big city. While he does find some of these elements along his journey, his life path is far from what he expected. A great read for anyone whose big ambitions have been challenged or even blocked. And a great story for novel lovers, full of interesting characters (the most memorable of which are the bad guys).
“The theatre, that first love of all poetic souls, fascinated Lucien. The actors and actresses seemed to him awe-inspiring figures; he never dreamed of the possibility of crossing the footlights and conversing with them as ordinary people. Those able to give so much pleasure seemed to him marvelous beings, treated by the newspapers on an equal footing with affairs of the state. To be a playwright, to be acted– that was a dream to be cherished!” (p.209)
Barr, Lisa. Fugitive Colors (2013). New York: Arcade Publishing
A historical fiction novel set in the 1930s, the novel explores the importance of art, how it binds friendships and serves an important role in culture. Three young artists find their creative goals blocked, changed and controlled by the outside forces of Nazism and war. For anyone who has ever wondered how important his/her artistic passions are, or how much he/she would give up for them, this a great story to really challenge those passions.
“Yes, he was once a Jew. Yet in Paris, art was his religion. But was he even an artist? Right now he had nothing to show for himself but a series of forgettable paintings…. Many of the greatest artists throughout history produced their finest work during political unrest. Perhaps Berlin would be an inspiration to him.” (p.69)
Lytal, Benjamin. A Map of Tulsa (2013)
This is the story of a defining love affair, and also the slow, painful birth of a writer. Early experiences sear into the narrator’s brain, years pass, life goes on. Eventually a tragic event forces him to begin dealing with these impressions. The artists portrayed in this novel are outsiders, they are all struggling to find their own voice. It is beautifully written and highly recommended for anyone with a creative calling.
“People like Adrienne and me would go on trying to be artists, until it was too late and kids like Jenny would long since have accepted the reality of their lives. Chase would be a real artist.” (pp.166-167)
Messud, Claire. The Woman Upstairs (2013). New York: Borzoi (Knopf)
A single elementary school teacher in her late thirties has always dreamed of becoming an artist, but is stuck feeling invisible, alone and unnoticed. She falls in love with a dashing and refreshing Italian artist who has a son, and suddenly her life is bright and full. Only she keeps her love a fantasy, and consequently all of her new adventures lack a foundation. A captivating read, Nora is at once fascinating, relate-able and exasperating. This is a novel particularly for people who’ve always wanted to do something big, but have never had the guts.
“If, in the studio, I felt free to travel to imaginary lands, and in fact to travel into someone else’s imaginary land– an altogether unforeseen adventure– then as I walked the city streets by night, I was transported out into an actual world, a world of wonders the existence of which caused me to marvel, and to dream.” (p.157)
Morton, Brian . A Window Across the River (2003).
A writer and a photographer rediscover their love after five years, and the story focuses on how they juggle that past history and their own creative callings. An interesting look at how personal life bleeds into an artist’s work. A must read for creative people, especially those in a serious relationship with another creative.
“I know plenty of people who dedicated themselves to their art for a few years, but when they didn’t become world famous by the age of thirty, they just gave up. I admire it that you found a way to keep going.” (p.50)
Oz, Amos. Rhyming Life and Death (2007). translated by Nichols de Lange. Boston: Houghton Mifflin
A famous author is giving a reading form his new book. He faces a numbing barrage of the usual celebrity-writer questions and attentions. But he begins to wonder about the members of the audience. He fantasizes about them and then becomes involved in their lives. Or rather, they become part of his life. A mental study of a creative mind, what it needs and how it world out the puzzles of creation.
“For me this is an experience, it’s as though you’re giving me a preview of your next story, one you haven’t written yet. Or even one that you’ve started and haven’t finished. Of course, you don’t have to tell me. I’m sorry I asked, you should never ask a writer questions like that.” (p.36)
Storey, David. A Temporary Life (1973).
A story about creating your own life and circumstances. It is written largely through dialogue, in a sparse self-consciously masculine style, with Colin Fieldstone at its center, a mysterious former boxer and artist, who sis telling us this story while also seeming to cause it to happen.
“He doesn’t realize that art, like life, is a conscious act of will. It comes from the stomach: it needs direction. Direction implies discipline; discipline implies skill, skill implies tradition, taste, tuition. In other words, in a nutshell, it demands a school of art.” (pp.113-114)
Zackheim, Michelle. Broken Colors (2007).
The creative process itself is explored in this novel, set against the backdrop of a troubled time (World War II) and a beautiful troubled love story. The many obstacles and disappointments that must occur for an artist to find her own voice, for her work to have depth, and for her life to have meaning. We see an artist’s entire life span, and how creative work is the thread that moves her through it.
“Choosing to be an artist… is choosing to mine deep caverns. It’s like getting lost in the darkness and spending the rest of your life trying to find your way out.” (p.34)