
My Secret Life of Crime by Geoff Dyer - Narrow esacpes from death, imprisonment and grevious bodily harm. A trio of life changing events that never were.
The Rise of the Essay by Zadie Smith - Why novelists love writing essays, explained by a novelist in an essay.
The Rumor by John Updike - A rumour takes on a life of its own. A great story that manages to feel both real and imagined.
The Ecstasy of Influence by Jonathan Lethem - A plagiarism
William and I by Michael Chabon - Why it’s easier to be a great dad than a great mum.
The Capital-T Truth by David Foster Wallace - DFW offers a stark but hopeful perspective on life’s fundamental questions.
Liking Is for Cowards by Jonathan Franzen - Is clicking buttons a way to avoid real commitment?
Living With Geese by Paul Theroux - As well as getting to the heart of Goose psychology, the author launches a scathing offensive against the needy, anthropomorphising animal lover.
Riding the Rays by Douglas Adams - Heading out on a Bond-style submarine moped in search of a giant manta ray to surf. (Yes, it is nonfiction)
The Autumn of the Multitaskers by Walter Kirn - Easily the best of the slew of essays about how multitasking makes us stupid that appeared a few years ago.
Colombia: The Return of Death by Martin Amis - The brutal reality of life in a Colombian favella.
And, of coure, no list of essays by novelists would be complete without some Orwell: Politics and the English Language, Shooting An Elephant and Books vs. Cigarettes all pretty much do what they say on the tin.
for my future reference.
probably won’t get around to.