Today kickstarts the A-Z Blogging Challenge! The aim is to write a post for every day of the month except for Sundays, with each post representing a different letter of the alphabet. This year I'm doing an A-Z of Great Britain, covering as much as I can about British music, literature, TV and film, food, wildlife and culture.
For the letter 'A' I have chosen to write about Authors.
There are many wonderful British authors, such as J.R.R Tolkien, Roald Dahl, Charles Dickens, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and the poet Philip Larkin, to name a few.
I was originally going to do a top ten list, but the post was going to end up way too long so I decided to do a top five. So here are my top five favourite British authors:
1) William Shakespeare
Good old Bill gets the top spot because of both the quantity and quality of his work. It's believed that he wrote around 37 plays, 5 long narrative poems and 154 sonnets. His plays are based on some of our deepest human emotions- from the insatiable thirst for power and knowledge to the agony of forbidden and unrequited love. They are filled with memorable, compelling characters and a mixture of both tragedy and hilarity.[Public domain image. Source] |
Shakespeare is also known for his ability to turn a phrase. It's thought that he invented over 1700 common words that we still use today! On Quoting Shakespeare by Bernard Levin sums it up perfectly. So for me, Shakespeare deserves to come top.
2) George Orwell
[Public domain image. Source] |
But Orwell is best known for his dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty Four. Orwell’s vision of the future, where 24 hour surveillance is the norm and even thinking about breaking the rules is a crime, is an extreme version of our own society. We have even incorporated phrases from the novel, such as ‘Big Brother’, ‘Room 101’, ‘Thought Police’ and ‘Newspeak’ into our regular vocabulary. Nineteen Eighty Four has inspired numerous dystopian novels and films, such as V for Vendetta and Minority Report.
3) Lewis Carroll
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4) C. S. Lewis
C.S Lewis’ most well-known work is the children’s fantasy The Chronicles of Narnia, much of which is based on Christian symbolism. It appeals to me because I like the idea of magic existing in the most unlikely of places-even a wardrobe. The innocent belief in goodness and magic possessed by the children (particularly Lucy), reminds us of what we miss out on by becoming sceptical and cynical adults. I've always loved the wise mentor figure of Aslan the lion and the exciting stories of battle. Narnia remains one of my favourite fantasy worlds.5) J.K. Rowling
[ Image by Daniel Ogren, Creative Commons 2.0. Source] |
Rowling’s world has captured the imaginations of many adults as well as children, probably because of the extensive references to mythology that she weaves into the story and the intricate way she plots her novels down to the very last detail. Everything from character names to seemingly insignificant references has a symbolic meaning and a back story which often become important later. Rowling always keeps you guessing. It’s not always easy to see where characters’ loyalties lie so there is usually a big twist at the end of each novel that I never saw coming!
I could go on and on about Harry Potter all day, but I won’t as I’m probably preaching to the converted.
Who is your favourite British author and why?
So many wonderful British authors!
ReplyDeleteThanks Karen. I couldn't list them all, this is just a handful!
DeleteWonderful selection of British authors. Around our house, J.K. Rowling is a favorite. We tried to visit as many Harry Potter film locations as possible while we were in England.
ReplyDeleteVisiting from AtoZ.
I'm crazy about Harry Potter. I really enjoyed visiting the Warner Bros studio tour in London a couple of years ago.
DeleteYou mention loving fantasy and yet Philip Pullman is not on your favourites list, he trumps Rowling every time in our house.
ReplyDeletemartine@silencingthebell
Funnily enough I have a copy of His Dark Materials but I've never gotten around to reading it. I didn't think much to the movie, so maybe that put me off. I ought to give it a chance really as I know it's popular. Harry Potter was something I grew up with, so it's always going to be a favourite.
DeleteI love all five of your choices...and would add Philippa Gregory as one of my favorites.
ReplyDeleteI've never read anything by Philippa Gregory as historical romances aren't normally my thing. But her books do sound good. I might try them sometime when I'm looking for something different.
DeleteDarned good selection of Brits who write great stories.
ReplyDeleteThanks! There really are some great British authors.
DeleteOne of my favorite books is Wilkie Collins' Woman in White but I couldn't get into some of his other offerings so I wouldn't say he's a favorite author. Jane Austen, now....she's top f my list. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle would be up there as well. And of course, Shakespeare :).
ReplyDeleteI've never read Woman in White. Jane Austen's works are of course classics, but I never got into them in a big way other than having to read them at school. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is a good suggestion, I should have thought of him!
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