We asked our authors from around the world to share their thoughts on why they write, why they read, and the books that have influenced them.
Here’s what they had to say.
Tell us why you read and share your favorite books! Join the discussion @HarperCollins on Twitter using #hc200.
Copyright © by Marian Wood Kolisch
Dear HarperCollins:
You ask me, “Why do you read? Why do you write?” Well, I mean, duh.
Why do you publish?
What have we got to do that’s better?
Sure, all right — sex, politics, bungee jumping, Zen, whatever . . . Sometimes.
Sometimes I have felt that filing letters or cleaning out the refrigerator would be preferable to writing.
Perhaps you have sometimes felt that running a successful plumbing company would be preferable to publishing irresponsible authors for unpredictable readers.
But reading? You really want to know why I read?
Like, why do I breathe?
Because I am a living, literate, human being with functioning lungs, mind, and heart.
Yours truly,
Ursula K. Le Guin
