A conversation with Richard Price

This piece reads as a delightful conversation with Richard Price, author of ‘Clockers’. It gives the reader an insight into Price’s own reading list, what authors he admires and which he doesn’t. He also gives us a look into his childhood with books, the ones he loved and which he hated. He shares his views on iPad reading, claiming it has made him inattentive. He also suggests never reading a powerful novel in the process of writing your own. One would assume it would inspire the author, but he claims it only distracts.

Read an excerpt of the article written by JILLIAN TAMAKI:

RICHARD PRICE The author of ‘Clockers’ and, as Harry Brandt, ‘The Whites’ regrets reading ‘Sophie’s Choice’ in 1982: ‘Never ever read a powerful novel when you’re trying to write a novel of your own.’ Q. What books are currently on your night stand? A. Hans Fallada’s ‘‘Every Man Dies Alone,’’ William Carlos Williams’s 1937 novel ‘‘White Mule’’ and a collection of his short fiction called ‘‘The Doctor Stories,’’ compiled by Robert Coles. Louise Glück’s collected poems. Atticus Lish’s ‘‘Preparation for the Next Life.’’ Elaine Pagels’s ‘‘Revelations: Visions, Prophecy, and Politics in the Book of Revelation.’’ ‘‘Archaeology for Dummies.’’  ...read more