Our Favorite Stories Part II: Molière, Verne, and Camus (to name a few)

Hello Readers!

We're back this week, continuing our discussion of the stories that shaped us. Last week, we looked at the formative stories that made David who he is today. So today, we turn our attention to Victoria's favorite stories. 

Explaining, analyzing, and discussing novels with her father was a favorite activity for Victoria around the house. As a result, there was an extraordinary amount of reading done while she was growing up. French was Victoria's primary language, and so when she began reading, it was the great French authors. Victor Hugo, Jules Verne, Camus. Her favorite though, was probably Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette (known to the world just as Colette). Writing in the early 1900s, Colette's titillating novels often explored the theme of women's independence in a male-dominated society, something Victoria certainly could relate to. A close second was Voltaire's surprisingly racy and satirical novels and Molière's work which lampooned the know-it-all grown-ups. 

Living in Mexico City, Victoria then transitioned to great Spanish writers. Don Quixote became an all-time classic for her, just like it did for David. But so did Calderon de la Barca's 'La Vida es Sueño' (life is a dream). Barca's story plays with the distinction between reality and illusion and connects to the great works of Plato which Victoria read and argued about with her parents as a schoolgirl. In fact, Victoria's father directed a production of La Vida es Sueño in Mexico City to great acclaim. 

As a young woman, Victoria moved to the United States after getting accepted into the University of Texas at Austin. As a result of pursuing a PhD in her third(!!) language, leisure reading ground to a halt. Then it was time to raise a son. Supporting and surviving became a 24/7 pursuit. 

It wasn't until much later on, when Victoria and David started their life together, that reading novels re-entered her life. David got Victoria interested in the works of Ray Bradbury after taking her to a conference in Santa Barbara where they got to meet and study with him. She soon read his entire canon. After that, she jumped into the Travis McGee series and fell in love with the who-dun-it style, which then sent her down an Agatha Christie rabbit hole. 

One day, while on a ski trip to Whistler, Canada, Victoria and David discovered the Harry Potter series, and were instantly hooked. The epic story of the little guy taking on the big baddie, and themes of death, prejudice, and corruption were so well done, so gripping and fun and fantastical, they became instant classics. 

Victoria received her love of reading from her father, and it's stayed with her to this day. She counts herself lucky to be able to read the great writers in their native tongue--from Shakespeare to Jean Racine to Lope de Vega. 

That's all for now. Until next time.

~2authors