Bowie's Favorite Books

Despite all the crazy stories detailing his decadent past, David Bowie has always struck me as a highly erudite person. My opinion of Bowie was further solidified with the release, by the Art Gallery of Ontario, of a list of his favorite reads. 

David Bowie has some serious smarts.
Image via www.nme.com

To publicize its current "David Bowie Is" exhibit, the Toronto-based art gallery presented a list of 100 of the legendary entertainer's preferred novels, novellas, essays, poetry collections, and more. Going over the list, I see that he and I have a few favorites in common, including A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn, The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin, On the Road by Jack Kerouac, Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, and Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell.

Other favorites on the list are books that I've been meaning to read, among them Kafka Was the Rage: A Greenwich Village Memoir by Anatole Broyard and In Cold Blood by Truman Capote. However, I also see quite a few books that I wasn't aware of before and now want to read, such as Tales of Beatnik Glory by Ed Saunders and Before the Deluge: A Portrait of Berlin in the 1920s by Otto Friedrich. Who knew that I'd ever be getting book suggestions from David Bowie? (Well, technically via the Art Gallery of Ontario...)

If you're curious about the contents of the complete list, go to the article "Read a List of David Bowie's 100 Favourite Books" at THIS LINK. And play your copy of the Ziggy Stardust soundtrack album while you're at it.

Following Your Favorite Authors on Facebook

I like James Baldwin enough that I "Liked" his page on Facebook. As a result, I routinely get quotations from Baldwin in my Newsfeed, along with news of exhibitions, readings, tributes, and other events celebrating the late American novelist, playwright, poet, essayist, and civil rights activist.
 

James Baldwin. Photo via http://www.biography.com.

The James Baldwin Facebook page, along with most other Facebook sites focused on a particular author, is maintained by the author's publisher - in Baldwin's case, Pantheon/Vintage Books. Other author sites on Facebook are managed by the estate of the author. If the author is still living, it's not uncommon for the author to upkeep his or her own Facebook page, informing fans of scheduled appearances and new releases or even sponsoring contests for signed copies of his or her books. Folowing your favorite authors on Facebook is a great way to stay informed of their literary goings-on. 

BookRiot.com recently listed "10 Bookish Facebook Feeds You Should Follow." (Alas, Baldwin's is not among them.) To see what they are, go HERE.