influences
Some time after he died, I found a piece of paper that my dad had printed out. It said, "Lily, Now that you're off to college I want to give you a list of books, movies & music that have been influential to me. Don't feel compelled to deal with any or all of them (you may not have the time anyway) just know that I think they are worth knowing about."
Curiously, the paper is dated December 20, 2002. I didn't even graduate high school until 2005. He must have been thinking about it for a long time.
I've decided to change something on my mission 101 list to the goal of tackling everything on his list. I don't feel compelled; I want to. And some of them I've done already.
Novels & Short Stories
"Red Planet" by Robert Heinlein
"Moby Dick" by Herman Melville
Any of the early novels by Melville (especially "Mardi")
The last short stories by Melville: "The Bell Tower," "Benito Cereno," "Billy Budd" etc. (avoid "Bartleby the Scrivener")
"On the Road" by Jack Kerouac
Sherlock Holmes
Non-Fiction
All of Richard Halliburton's stuff, especially "The Flying Carpet"
"The Encantadas" by Herman Melville
"Voyage of the Beagle" by Charles Darwin
"The Snow Leopard" by Peter Matthiessen
"A Moveable Feast" by Ernest Hemingway
Movies
Everything by Buster Keaton, especially "The General" and "Steamboat Bill Junior"
"The Seven Samurai" by Akira Kurosawa
"Billy Budd" by Peter Ustinov
There was no music, despite its mention earlier. I can only surmise that there was originally more to the document, now lost, and that I regret.
Curiously, the paper is dated December 20, 2002. I didn't even graduate high school until 2005. He must have been thinking about it for a long time.
I've decided to change something on my mission 101 list to the goal of tackling everything on his list. I don't feel compelled; I want to. And some of them I've done already.
Novels & Short Stories
"Red Planet" by Robert Heinlein
"Moby Dick" by Herman Melville
Any of the early novels by Melville (especially "Mardi")
The last short stories by Melville: "The Bell Tower," "Benito Cereno," "Billy Budd" etc. (avoid "Bartleby the Scrivener")
"On the Road" by Jack Kerouac
Sherlock Holmes
Non-Fiction
All of Richard Halliburton's stuff, especially "The Flying Carpet"
"The Encantadas" by Herman Melville
"Voyage of the Beagle" by Charles Darwin
"The Snow Leopard" by Peter Matthiessen
"A Moveable Feast" by Ernest Hemingway
Movies
Everything by Buster Keaton, especially "The General" and "Steamboat Bill Junior"
"The Seven Samurai" by Akira Kurosawa
"Billy Budd" by Peter Ustinov
There was no music, despite its mention earlier. I can only surmise that there was originally more to the document, now lost, and that I regret.