"I do remember taking a copy of Pierre Choderlos de Laclos's Dangerous Liaisons off the shelf when I was maybe 10 or 11 far too young to be reading it. I was suitably scandalised and excited by it."
"The Jungle by Upton Sinclair... transformed my understanding of what a story was. That was the first time I understood the capacity of the novel not only to comment on, but to enact social change."
"I understood the possibilities of writing differently after I read Oe, the way it both sat alongside ordinary life but also offered a perch from which to understand it."
"Henry James's The Portrait of a Lady... seems to shift each time you read it, which is one of the many signs of its greatness."
Childhood memories of reading include discovering Dangerous Liaisons at a young age, which sparked excitement. Theodore Dreiser's works, especially Sister Carrie, were influential despite not being assigned in school. The Jungle by Upton Sinclair transformed the understanding of storytelling and social change. Kenzaburo Oe's A Personal Matter inspired a desire to write, while Yasunari Kawabata's books became more appreciated over time. Henry James's The Portrait of a Lady is a book that reveals new meanings with each reading, showcasing its depth and greatness.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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