Scottish author Jenni Fagan, known for her novels and poetry, opens up about the books that have influenced her life and writing. From childhood fairytales to transformative reads as a teenager, Fagan offers a glimpse into her literary world.
Earliest reading memory
Fagan recalls being obsessed with fairytales as a child, taking them seriously as moral lessons. She says, 'I soon knew that I’d always help any old lady cross the road, it really is always best to do so.'
Favourite book growing up
Fagan names The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien as her favourite book while growing up. 'It expanded my understanding of what could be achieved in fiction. I found Tolkien’s world transformative. I felt as if I knew the hobbits, and I so wanted to see the elves. I could hear the crack of fireworks as they turned into dragons that flew overhead.'
The writer who changed my mind
Maya Angelou had a profound impact on Fagan. 'Maya Angelou taught me that I owed myself hope. No matter how painful or difficult it was. Her work has such dignity and light. I read all of her work for years and took as many lessons from it as I could. It made me want to step up and continue to try to find a way to create a life that mattered to me.'
The book that made me want to be a writer
Fagan’s love for language began early. 'I was reading the dictionary when I was really quite little; if I found a word I didn’t know I would always go and look it up. Strange thing for a kid to do but I fell in love with language itself.'
The book I came back to
Fagan initially found Frankenstein by Mary Shelley too claustrophobic but later connected with it profoundly. 'In recent years I have connected with Shelley in a profound way and I am now writing a modern adaptation of Frankenstein that will be published next year. She was so ahead of her time, she began sci-fi, brought to life such a powerful archetype in the Creature... Shelley was only a teenager when she first wrote the book; interestingly, she revisited it and made revisions over decades. Like a master painter, perhaps, who adds a touch of shade and light later on, only to heighten a work’s immortal glow.'
The book I reread
Fagan cites The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka as one of her favourite stories. 'Gregor Samsa wakes up one morning as an Ungeziefer, some kind of monstrous creature. I think it perfectly encapsulates the relationship between the individual and social structures.'
The book I could never read again
Fagan dismisses Enid Blyton’s works, saying 'Her work has not aged well.'
The book I discovered later in life
While travelling in Egypt, Fagan read The Yacoubian Building by Alaa Al Aswany and Midaq Alley by Naguib Mahfouz. 'Both books are intertwined with my memories of staying in downtown Cairo.'
The book that changed me as a teenager
At 15, living in a children’s home, Fagan read A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess. 'Its protagonist, Alex, was the same age as me. I found the book shocking. The use of “nadsat” (teenage slang) as the language spoken by his “droogs” also showed me that there are many ways to innovate in a novel.'
The book I am currently reading
Fagan is reading Gisèle Pelicot’s memoir A Hymn to Life. 'I think she is extraordinary and inspiring.'
My comfort read
Fagan finds solace in poetry: 'A single stanza in Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird by Wallace Stevens, or The Man-Moth by Elizabeth Bishop, or Temptation by Nina Cassian. There are so many poems I return to endlessly, as with a favourite record that never fails to contain something familiar and new at the same time.'
The Delusions by Jenni Fagan is published by Hutchinson Heinemann (£18.99). To order a copy go to guardianbookshop.com. Delivery charges may apply.
