Authors And Wine
Many writers and readers love wine, but the connection between authors and wine goes beyond shared tastes and preferences. In fact, there’s an historical connection between writers and alcohol that spans many of the world’s most famous literary figures, as well as some surprising facts about the inspiring role wine played in some of their best work. Of course, today’s authors still drink plenty of wine—you might be surprised by the amount of wine being consumed by your favorite authors—and in this article, we will explore the inextricable connection between authors and their favorite wines.
The Connection Between Wine and Authors
To write, one must read. To drink good wine, one must also read. With so many great wine books out there, it is no wonder that so many authors are avid readers of wine literature and can talk intelligently about their favorite vintages.
Fun Fact:
A small glass of wine helps unleash creativity.
For many writers, a glass of wine has become an integral part of the writing process. In fact, authors and wine have a long history together. Edgar Allan Poe created his own wine blend when he was in high school; Ernest Hemingway was a prolific drinker of Manhattan’s; Charles Dickens invented his own cocktail. While most of us are not going to invent our own literary libations, it is still nice to know that drinking wine can be part of the creative process!
Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Hemingway was one of history’s greatest writers and he used to drink to make his write-ups interesting for readers. Unfortunately, he did not have a healthy relationship with alcohol. It is an obvious fact that wine and alcohol were the lifeblood of Ernest Hemingway, for himself as much for his imaginary accomplices. Even in the African Green Hills, Hemingway was rarely without a cup of a gimlet. He was even trucking around a jug of Rose’s Lime Juice since new limes were subtle on a safari.
It is exceedingly difficult, considering all of this, to parse the real drinking propensities of Hemingway from his frat-boy antics. Yet, that is how Philip Greene has treated his amazing book- To Have and Have Another: A Hemingway Cocktail Companion which was again released with 35 amazing new recipes. Greene explains that Ernest Hemingway’s relationship with liquor was almost spiritual and impractical.
Indeed, he sometimes deceived his alcoholic bona fides by drinking crazy amounts and leaving a path of crushed highballs and companionships afterwards. Be that as it may, booze was more critically an existential ointment for Hemingway; a much-needed balm following a tiresome day of safeguarding the Queen’s English.
Greene also explains that when Hemingway ended it all in 1961, he was depending on drinks to dull his torment. Yes, it is a fact that drink damaged him a lot but, along with this, it also enhanced his writing.
Charles Baudelaire
Charles Baudelaire was a French artist famous for his affinity towards sex, medications, wine, and other human indulgences. He has been held up as an archetypal image that is called ‘decadent dandy,’—an image that has survived until the present. Within the world of Baudelaire, wine is an important subject in his process of artistic creation.
Maybe the modernist pressure is the way to clarify Baudelaire’s veneration of wine. The French artist believed that human problems begin with the flesh and then, it ultimately goes onto the supernatural or metaphysical level. In a similar manner, the wine starts from sweat and misery, and yet it offers profound delight. It delights the senses of the drinkers, and it lifts their characteristics and permits a full articulation of their true capacity. In fact, if you want to establish a bridge between the spiritual and material levels, according to Baudelaire, you need to embrace the spirit of wine.
Sylvia Plath
Sylvia Plath is another renowned author who has a very inextricable connection with the wine. She was an American writer most popular for her verse assortments and semi-self-portraying novels such as The Bell Jar. Her work managed various mixed subjects including personal confession, death, nature, and so on. She is considered by many to be a trailblazer of confessional poetry. Plath experienced clinical despondency all through her life and it was in 1963 when she committed suicide.
Sylvia Plath expounded regularly on drinking, both in her writing and her diaries, explicitly referencing her affection for sherry. Besides conceding that she partook in a “huge measure of it” every so often, she additionally waxed expressive with regards to the wine. She loved drinking wine as it used to give her the true sensation of erotic-tinged, bliss, luxury, and indulgence. Likewise, she enjoyed the taste of wine with her companion and individual writer Anne Sexton.
William Faulkner
William Faulkner was born in Mississippi and was an accomplished author. He penned everything from poetry and screenplays to short stories and novels. He is a pillar of Southern American literature. His novel, The Reivers, was published in 1962 followed A Fable, which was published in 1954 and won the Pulitzer Prize.
In terms of drinks, Mint Julep was his favorite. It is made of water, sugar, mint, and a special Bourbon base, and this drink is usually served in pewter cup. Faulkner once said that drink and war are certain things that men can always afford.
Also read:
Dorothy Parker
While enamored with whisky sours, blunt American artist, satirist, critic, and short-story writer, Dorothy Parker was an ardent Martini fan. Composing consistently for Vogue, Vanity Fair and The New Yorker, Dorothy Parker’s screenplays received two Academy Award Nominations.
After her death, a gin was made in her distinction by New York Distilling Company. They utilized hibiscus petals, cinnamon, and elderberries. There are various cocktails that acknowledged her incorporating Dorothy Parker American Gin blended with Acerbic Mrs. Parker and lemon juice, hibiscus syrup and orange alcohol.
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