Top 5 Paris Review Interviews

I made a habit of reading each interview in the four available volumes of the Paris Review Interviews and I came out with great insights into the writings of some of the world's most revered authors. Not just the writing though, there were great insights into their contexts and lives, the kinds of injustices and changes that were taking place during the time that they were writing their most noteable works. There are five main interviews I want to go over as being my favourites and honestly, it was difficult to choose because I was so in love with them all.

If you are a writer, then you would want to check out how the writing styles of certain authors not only came to be but also how writers write. For example: we have Jack Kerouac who does not like revisions by the editors, then you have Graham Greene who writes like crazy - or Truman Capote who can only write drinking coffee and lying down in a Romanesque position. There is an absolute ton to learn from these writers about not only how or why they write - but also how they consider writing their purpose and whether or not this is what they had planned on doing with their lives.

So, if you love learning about the craft of writing like I do, then you will definitely want to read all four volumes of the Paris Review Interviews. But here are five that I enjoyed most of all. I'll include a bit of what they are about and why I enjoyed them so much.

They are in no particular order.

Top 5 Paris Review Interviews

Truman Capote

Truman Capote is such an interesting man to read about. The famed first drafts upon yellow paper, the act of only writing whilst lying down with a cigarette and a cup of coffee. This idealised version of fame as a writer carried by this incredible talent for writing - Truman Capote discusses his upbringing and his first stints in the writing world at a young age. It is one of the most interesting and informative interviews I have ever read about or by him.

James Baldwin

James Baldwin's interviews are never anything but amazing, interesting and thought-provoking. There is something about the way he uses words which makes me believe (and I have said this many times before) that he is one of the most articulate people who has ever lived. He has a way with interviews about not only informing us about the books, his writing and his life - but also where this all fits into the bigger social consciousness: injustice, poverty and racial divides. James Baldwin, if you didn't know already, was a genius.

Ralph Ellison

A genius - the writer of "Invisible Man". Ralph Ellison proves to us that criticism and analysis may not always be correct in his battle of wits with the interviewer. The interviewer making grand claims about the book sees that Ralph Ellison is breaking these down in order to tell him what the true nature of the book is about. This was one of the first and best interviews of the Paris Review series I had read and to this day, it has a profound impact on my view of literary analysis.

Jack Kerouac

Have you ever wanted to read about Jack Kerouac's viewpoints on the editing process of his novels? Well, then his views on it may be harsh and they may be unwelcome - but at least they are honest. There is something incredible about witnessing a fan of Kerouac's (who had read "The Town and the City" first) coming into contact to interview him and watch him play with Haiku in the midst of this interview. It is one of the most mind-boggling and fun interviews I have ever read on the subject of literature.

Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou is an international treasure of the Southern Gothic and Black Narrative tradition. She is considered to be a literary goddess and her interview makes no exceptions. Her incredible intelligence shines through as she delves into her life experiences, her darkest hours, her most incredible feats and achievements and finally, but not lastly - her great work "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings". Inspired by true life events, I don't think I have read a more beautifully worded interview about experience in my entire life.

Others that you should read because they too, are incredible and some of my favourite writers:

• William Faulkner
• Gabriel Garcia Marquez
• Isaac Bashevis Singer
• Stephen King
• Evelyn Waugh
• Norman Mailer
• Haruki Murakami