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The April 21st death of Prince, one of my favorite performers, definitely added to the sadness that has permeated 2016 as far as the passing of celebrities goes. I greatly admired the Minneapolis-born musician and have joined many others in playing his tunes in the week since his departure. His demise caused me to reflect on great contributions to music and literature that I have encountered, and I realized that I have found myself fascinated with some incredible scribes and artists. Here’s hoping that many more wonderful works can come to influence my life and yours.
10) “Ulysses”: Yes, I cringed during my final semester of college when I learned I would need to read James Joyce’s magnum opus for a class, as its length seemed absolutely daunting. Many early elements of the book only intensified my worry, but as it progressed, the text grew on me, especially the last “episode,” as Joyce dubbed the chapters. Our final assignment allowed us to do an imitation of the musings by Molly Bloom, and I found myself hooked in attempting stream of consciousness writing for the first time in my life. Fifteen years later, the book and that form of writing still compel me.
9) “The Interpreter of Maladies”: Six years ago, I chose to read “The Interpreter of Maladies,” the 2000 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction winner by Jhumpa Lahiri. The Indian writer claimed the honor at only 32 years of age, a fact that first filled me with envy yet subsequently made me happy that someone so young could not only make such great observations but receive kudos for them, too.
8) Ludwig von Beethoven’s catalogue: My partial German heritage long ago made me enthused about engrossing myself in the life and output of Beethoven, with “Immortal Beloved,” a 1994 film starring Gary Oldman as the Teutonic titan, as the supreme source in building my knowledge. Listen to enough of Beethoven’s work, especially his symphonies, and you will realize how fortunate we were to have had such stellar reactions to angst and loss.
7) Prince’s songbook: I went to the Donatucci Branch of the Free Library the day that Prince died and was fortunate to find “Purple Rain” on CD. The nine-song masterpiece has been in steady rotation ever since, and I have to say that if the man had never written another note beyond the 1984 gem, he still would have made this list. Thank God that his mind never ran dry.
6) The works of Antonin Dvorak: I know I am a nerd in having a favorite composer, but so be it! This Czech genius gave us an incredible amount of music during his 62 years, none more stunning than his ninth symphony, “From the New World,” whose largo alone could sustain me for the rest of my life.
5) The poetry of T.S. Eliot: Broadway buffs know this American poet’s “Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats” as the inspiration for “Cats,” and while Andrew Lloyd Webber made some serious coin off that creation, I prefer Eliot at his most serious, with “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” a must for anyone looking to understand modern poetry and modern life.
4) “Leaves of Grass”: My first awareness of Walt Whitman came through “Dead Poets Society,” with Robin Williams inspiring me, as he did his students, to believe that poetry could penetrate our hearts and minds and produce lasting growth. More than 20 years after that discovery, Whitman remains my captain.
3) “The Divine Comedy”: Unlike my initial estimation of “Ulysses,” I really looked forward to reading “The Divine Comedy” by Italian poet Dante Alighieri. I had my opportunity as a graduate school student and could not put the text down, wondering how the man could teach so many lessons in one work. When completing my master’s project, I could not refuse the urge to write a poem about imagining myself as a traveler with Dante and still feel it is the most heartfelt writing that I have ever done.
2) The Beatles’ catalogue: I cannot believe that it has been more than 20 years since I fell for this band, and I have often felt envious of those who heard their music when it was new. I eventually chide myself when wishing I were older because each tune offers many chances to discover something new about my perceptions of the world and my hopes for everyone to have great encounters with love, peace, and understanding, which Paul McCartney, during the Anthology television series, said were the themes of most of their creations.
1) The Shakespeare canon: If you read last week’s top 10, you certainly know of my unwavering adoration for the work of William Shakespeare. For me and many others, the Bard will never be bested, and, like The Beatles yet with a tad more potency, he has me wondering what it was like for people who encountered his output when fresh off his quill. Four hundred years after his death, he still reminds us, as he has Duke Vincentio say in “Measure for Measure,” that “Virtue is bold, and goodness never fearful.” ■
Contact Editor Joseph Myers at jmyers@southphillyreview.com or ext. 124.
