ITT: Stories about times we met authors
>be me a while ago
>run into Stephen King in a bookstore
>Introduce myself
>Tell him that I really like some of his books
>We talk for a few minutes
>Getting pretty chummy
>I say "Your books were better when you were on drugs!"
>whole mood shifts for some reason
>King excuses himself and leaves the bookstore
Seemed a bit autistic if you ask me.
My dad writes historical fiction about Indians (feather, not red dot), so I guess I count my interactions with him.
I'm going to meet dfw soon, anyone got any messages you want me to pass on?
>>7733590
I met Jared Diamond, He was bird watching and asked me and my wife if we knew where the bird watching pamphlets were because there was no park staff working.
>>7733747
Ask him to get some talent before he kills himself next time
Met Umberto Eco once. He told me a few stories. I told him he'll probably go to hell. He asked me why. I just shrugged and sent him on his way.
>>7733868
You have a wicked sense of humor, son.
I saw JM Coetzee at a grocery store in Kimberley once. I told him how cool it was to meet him in person and told him how much I enjoyed Waiting for the Barbarians and Disgrace, but I that didn’t want to be a douche and bother him and ask him for photos or anything.
He said, “Oh, like you’re doing now?”
I was taken aback, and all I could say was “Huh?” but he kept cutting me off and going “Gonnatalkaboutthemanbooker? WhatwasitlikewinningtheNobel? huh? huh?” and slapping his hands shut like a book in front of my face. I walked away and continued with my shopping, and I heard him chuckle as I walked off. When I came to pay for my stuff up front I saw him trying to walk out the doors with like fifteen snickers in his hands without paying.
The girl at the counter was very nice about it and professional, and was like “Sir, you need to pay for those first.” At first he kept pretending to be busy and not hear her, but eventually turned back around and brought them to the counter.
When she took one of the snickers and started scanning it multiple times, he stopped her and told her to scan them each individually “just like a future darkies wife would count cattle',” and then turned around and winked at me. After she scanned each candy bar and put them in a bag and started to say the price, he kept interrupting her by shouting "DISGRACE" really loudly.
>>7733590
I met Frank Delaney when I was in high school. I showed him to the bathroom and he gave me writing advice. He also critiqued one of my stories.
I went to a funeral once and Stephen King was present. He was attending the service with his wife, and he started loudly asking the people around him what they thought of 11/22/63. It was really, awkward, no one had actually read it, or avoided speaking about it during "Amazing Grace". Astonished and seemingly upset by this, King got up from the pew and left for a few minutes. He came back from his car with a huge box filled with hardcover copies. After a few uncomfortable moments arguing with the pastor he started handing out copies to the people around him and demanding they they turn to certain pages and passages. I can only describe King's behavior while doing this as erratic and horrifying. He would laugh and scream and insist that we read aloud during the service, and finally he was escorted out by the usher and funeral director.
>>7734077
This is a good story.
I talked to Harold Bloom once.
>>7733868
Hey
I had Allen Ginsberg as my professor for a literature seminar once, long time ago. Also, I had been taking German courses at NYU and Slavoj Zizek was my professor. Cool guy.
>>7734107
Once I was on shore-leave in Thailand in like 1995 (I was 19 at the time), and me and my bros were in an open air cafe taking it easy later in the evening at like midnight or so. And know who walks by us? Allan Ginsberg with like 7 little Thai boys between the ages of 5 and 12, all on those leashes that overprotective parents used. It was the weirdest shit.
>>7734042
Great post mate
I met the authors of the Berenstain Bears books a few times. They lived just down the road from where I grew up.
>be in New York
>visited friend in Manhattan
>in the elevator of his apartment building
>elevator stops a few floors down from my friend
>older man walks in
>fuck, it's Don DeLillo!
>I'm petrified, he smiles awkwardly and nods
>another guy walks in after him, he's wearing a hat and looking down at his phone
>they both turn around and face the elevator door and talk a bit
>guy in the hat sounds so familiar I swear to god
>elevator door opens again, both exit
>hear DeLillo mutter something about being recognized in public just as the door starts closing
>guy in the hat looks back at me over his shoulder
>see his buckteeth
>reality sets in again
>FUCKthis never happened
>>7733739
>feather, not red dot
Why not both?
I've met a few historians. Nothing to brag about, tho', since they keep coming.
>>7734143
no one wants to read about designated shitting streets
>>7734145
How about designated shitting indian burial grounds?
>>7734119
Bro, that's gotta be made up. That's the most disturbing thing I've read
>>7734140
I'd be terrified if I realized I just saw the Pyncher tbqhwymcr
I once met Zadie Smith when she attended some book event in my country. I wasn't fortunate enough to talk to her lounger, but we had pretty interesting conversation for about 10 minutes. My English is not as good as I want it to be - still, we understood each other well.
>get invited to a 'late late show' after party
>told Rushdie would be there
>Bring first edition of 'Satanic Versus'
>Get introduced to Rushdie
>me: 'Excuse me, Mr. Rushdie, would you mind signing this for me.'
>He's pleasantly excited to do so, no one there paid him too much attention.
>Him: 'do you read much?'
>I nod and say 'I try'
>He starts attempts a conversation with me about this book he just read.
>I spaghetti everywhere
>He thinks I'm half retarded
>He walks away
>>7733590
i worked as a waiter in a cafe that bolaño frequented, the fuck never gave me any tip.
And my grandpa said that he meet Burroughs in a bar sometimes.
>>7734119
If this was anybody other than Ginsberg I wouldn't believe it.
Etc etc electrical infetterance.
>>7734161
There’s a story by Kenzaburo Oe where he meets Allen Ginsberg (might be made up) and Ginsberg has a teenage boy with him that he refers to as his "wife" and at one point had clearly just fugged, according to Oe.
>>7733590
Back to fucking reddit, faggot.
>>7733941
Neat. Fuck that commie.
>>7734042
i lold
feel like 5-6 stories in this thread could be put into the middle of savage detectives w/ no problem, good job guys
>>7733590
I once sorta met jk rowling after an appearance.
I say sorta because we shared and elevator.
I tried to fart silently. It was not silent. Or a fart.
>>7734455
>be 8
>mom takes me to a reading of Scary Stories to tell in the Dark by author Alvin Scheartz
>he is incredibly old
>has a handler who slowly points words out to him
>afterwards I get my book signed by him
>his handler guides his hand and pockets my money
>leads him out soon after
I read the book till it fell apart and regret it.
>>7734455
What was it then?
>>7735350
I got sucked off by David Foster Wallace in an adult book store video booth in 2002. He made me wear a bandanna and mumble incoherently.
>>7733590
I met charles barkley at a book signing. He seemed excited to talk about himself when we met.
>>7733590
I met David Sedaris when I was very young. He gave me one of those hotel soap things and then got upset when I told him my parents were still together because "he wanted to hatch a plan to get them back together". Then he signed my book.
>>7733590
Umm, telling a recovered addict that they should go back to doing coke until their heart explodes because you think it made them write better horror stories is pretty autistic.
I saw Joseph Delaney shopping in a Tescos, in Preston, I went up and thanked him for the Spooks series because I thoroughly enjoyed them as a kid, and they got me into reading. He looked delighted
I went to a slam poetry night once. It's not really my thing, but I was truly surprised to see Harold Bloom as a guest judge. He kept interrupting the performers, calling their performances "unimaginative" and "phantasmagoric". This young Jewish girl did a really powerful performance piece and when it came time for the judges to rate it, Harold Bloom pretended to be asleep. I went out for a cigarette and when I came back, security was trying to separate him from one of the other judges. He was yelling something about the death of art, and so on.
I don't expect many people to know him, but I used to live around the corner from Bernard Beckett.
>>7735420
Back to imgur
>>7735420
The pot calling the kettle irony.
