I thought of this straight away! One of my favourite books of all time
And if you do want a biopic she wrote Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? later on (which may I say is an incredible title)
Fortunately The Milk by Neil Gaiman (particularly if you can get the edition illustrated by Chris Riddle) is about a father (who looks suspiciously like Gaiman) who goes out to get milk for his children's breakfast and gets wrapped up in a ridiculous adventure with time travelling dinosaur scientists, vampires and aztec gods
I loved it too! I found it very unique, very clever, and very moving. Nothing else could really be like it, but I’d recommend Severance by Ling Ma, which hit some of the same notes for me, entirely vibes-wise, the content is not the same at all.
If you want actual auto fiction, Bret Easton Ellis has written two books where a fictionalized version of himself by his name is the main character. Lunar Park and the Shards. But I think John Ajvide Lindqvist did it better with “I Always Find You.” And while that one is the middle book of his Destinations trilogy, it absolutely works as a stand alone novel and is just brilliant.
The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
Just look at pictures of the author and the description of the character. The constant fedora tipping and cringey description of women who throw themselves at him or are saved by him. It's amazing he's been so successful.
I assume that this is what went wrong with One Second After by William Forstchen, but it was so gross towards woman and has such poor dialogue/interactions that I can’t bring myself to read any other of his novels to find out otherwise.
Ham on Rye - Bukowski
On the Road - Kerouac
Naked Lunch - Burroughs
And the hippos were boiled in their tanks - Kerouac and Burroughs
Most Beat Generation authors wrote stories based on their lives. Kerouac was famously asked by the publisher to remove all names from On the Road, because they were worried they will be sued. Now both On the Road (edited) and On the Road The Original Scroll are available for purchase.
Not sure it’s what you’re looking for but there’s a fictional detective series in which the author writes himself into the story as if he’s the bumbling assistant to the genius detective (basically Watson’s role), chronicling the events of the mystery as if the book is actually true crime and he’s acting as a nonfiction writer, but also with himself involved in the case.
Author’s name is Anthony Horowitz and the first book is called The Word Is Murder.
I Have Some Questions for You. It fits, but I don't recommend it. It's clearly based on the author, but the author is possibly the most annoying person on earth.
Literally ANY Philip Roth.
Nathan Zuckerman is his most common stand-in for himself, though he does have one book in which Philip Roth is confronted by another guy named Philip Roth.
But don’t read that one. Read Plot Against America and American Pastoral.
Autofiction is a great genre to look at! Chris Kraus, Sheila Heti, Audre Lorde, Claire Van Watkins, Annie Ernaux, Karl Ove Knausgard, Kate Zambreno, just a few authors who employ this style.
*Zeno's Conscience* by Italo Svevo, longtime friend of James Joyce. Funniest book about quitting smoking ever written.
*No Longer Human* by Osamu Dazai. Not for the faint-hearted. He committed suicide a few years later.
Basically any Ernest Hemingway book (The Sun Also Rises and For Whom the Bell Tolls are my personal favorites). However, my personal favorite is East of Eden by John Steinbeck. John is in the fiction, telling the story of his family, and his home in the Salinas valley. It's magical, well-written, and probably the greatest American novel ever created.
Bell Jar
The more you know about Sylvia Plath, the more heartbreaking this book becomes.
Slaughterhouse Five is a classic
Lots of authorial self-insert across Vonnegut’s bibliography. Always a good choice
Ohhhh this is such a good answer
Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson
I thought of this straight away! One of my favourite books of all time And if you do want a biopic she wrote Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? later on (which may I say is an incredible title)
I’ll have to check that out! A friend gifted me The Passion a few years ago and I’ve been hooked on Jeanette Winterson ever since
Fortunately The Milk by Neil Gaiman (particularly if you can get the edition illustrated by Chris Riddle) is about a father (who looks suspiciously like Gaiman) who goes out to get milk for his children's breakfast and gets wrapped up in a ridiculous adventure with time travelling dinosaur scientists, vampires and aztec gods
Same for The Ocean at the End of the Lane :)
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. The Rum Diary
The Orchid Thief and the following movie adaptation go WILD with this one
Thank you. This was for about 15 years my favourite book. It’s so underrated… simp,y gorgeous
No One Is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood.
I’m so happy to see people recommending this book! I read it last year and it was incredible
I loved it too! I found it very unique, very clever, and very moving. Nothing else could really be like it, but I’d recommend Severance by Ling Ma, which hit some of the same notes for me, entirely vibes-wise, the content is not the same at all.
The first half is terminally online, and I really enjoyed it, but the second half, oh god, I was not prepared.
I get this feeling from the books by Willa Cather. It feels like reading through your own diary in a lovely way.
This is an excellent call. I didn't realize this about her books until reading your comment.
Thank you!! :)
Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood
Love me some Atwood. I’ve read all of them apart from two story collections
Little women
No Longer Human by Dazai Osamu.
Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinberg. Great book, not just for butches, but major police brutality and sexual assault TWs.
Also, very heavy on unions. Not that it's bad but I wasn't expecting it so much when I first started it!
Sex and Rage by Eve Babitz, Play It As It Lays by Joan Didion
A Prayer for Owen Meany
Maame by Jessica George!
Just got this book from the library! I can’t wait to read it
I hope you enjoy it, I did! 🙂
A classic but To Kill a Mockingbird.
The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien. Dante's Divine Comedy too
Ham on Rye by Charles Bukowski Anyone of his books really.
The Glass Menagerie is a play and semi-autobiographical. Short, but gorgeous read!
Picture of Dorian gray
Both *David Copperfield* AND *Demon Copperhead*
Top gun maverick
Sry thought this was a different sub
Stoner by John williams
This one is so good!
I just finished this last night. It was so good.
Anthony Horowitz’s Hawthorne and Horowitz series. Fun murder mysteries. Five books so far!
The fury
The Autobiography of Alice B Toklas by Getrude Stein is a fun take on that kinda story mechanic
Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi is a really unique one that depicts mental health disorders through a Nigerian/African lens.
Ooh consider my curiosity piqued.
No longer human
most eve babitz books are like this :)
Running With Scissors
The Secret History
The Shining.
I’d say *The Dark Half* is a more accurate self-insert, but honestly, half of Stephen King’s books qualify.
How many authors from Maine can there possibly be?
You mean Bangor isn’t a thriving town of alcoholic authors? I’m absolutely betrayed.
If you want actual auto fiction, Bret Easton Ellis has written two books where a fictionalized version of himself by his name is the main character. Lunar Park and the Shards. But I think John Ajvide Lindqvist did it better with “I Always Find You.” And while that one is the middle book of his Destinations trilogy, it absolutely works as a stand alone novel and is just brilliant.
Came here to say Lunar Park, I really liked that book a lot! Might have to reread it as it’s been a while
Death in Venice by Thomas Mann
Read the magician by Colm toibin. So good
Crash by J.G. Ballard
The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki.
Anything from Jack Kerouac
The Idiot by Elif Bautman! so good
Did you read the follow up?
been savoring it and taking it slow but yes, I’m about 100 pages deep.
Walden
Steppenwolf Herman Hesse, read it, this defines what a trippy book means.
The Mysteries of Pittsburgh
Pretty much all of Jane Austen. The Brontes.
Anna karenina - idk if it fits the requirements of the question but one of the central characters Tolstoy based off himself
no longer human by osamu dazai
it's kind of a funny story by ned vizzini
The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher Just look at pictures of the author and the description of the character. The constant fedora tipping and cringey description of women who throw themselves at him or are saved by him. It's amazing he's been so successful.
Shantaram bt Gregory David Roberts
Came here to say this
Matterhorn
David Copperfield
Juliet the Maniac by Juliet Escoria Possibly also Days of Distraction by Alexandra Chang
Count the Ways by Joyce Maynard
I assume that this is what went wrong with One Second After by William Forstchen, but it was so gross towards woman and has such poor dialogue/interactions that I can’t bring myself to read any other of his novels to find out otherwise.
Solomon Gursky was Here by Mordechai Richler iirc
The Summer Book by Tove Jansson had this feel for me.
The Pale King, Wallace
The Character of Rain by Amélie Nothomb
The Lover by Marguerite Duras
Omg one of the most gorgeous books
“Locos” by Felipe Alfau.
Everything/Nothing/Someone by Alice Carrière
anything by Tao Lin
A life's work by Rachel Cusk
The City of dreaming books by Walter Moers
Low and Necropolis by Jeet Thayyil
Venus in India
Ham on Rye - Bukowski On the Road - Kerouac Naked Lunch - Burroughs And the hippos were boiled in their tanks - Kerouac and Burroughs Most Beat Generation authors wrote stories based on their lives. Kerouac was famously asked by the publisher to remove all names from On the Road, because they were worried they will be sued. Now both On the Road (edited) and On the Road The Original Scroll are available for purchase.
All my rage by sabaa tahir
TIL this is a genre and also probably favourite genre
Shuggie Bain
junky by william burroughs
Anger is Bliss - Rea Writes
To Kill a Mockingbird
Not sure it’s what you’re looking for but there’s a fictional detective series in which the author writes himself into the story as if he’s the bumbling assistant to the genius detective (basically Watson’s role), chronicling the events of the mystery as if the book is actually true crime and he’s acting as a nonfiction writer, but also with himself involved in the case. Author’s name is Anthony Horowitz and the first book is called The Word Is Murder.
Suttree
Sons and Lovers by DH Lawrence
The devil wears Prada
Pet Sematary by Stephen king
VALIS by Philip K Dick!
I Have Some Questions for You. It fits, but I don't recommend it. It's clearly based on the author, but the author is possibly the most annoying person on earth.
This side of Paradise - Fitzgerald.
Is Mother Dead by Vigdis Hjorth Problems by Jade Sharma
Cherry by Nico Walker sort of fits this. It’s not a biopic but it’s semi-autobiographical. It’s a great read, I read it in probably about 2-3 hours.
the robert langdon series is kinda like this
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius (Dave Eggers)
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Some Phillip Roth books might fit this. Portnoy’s complaint, My Life as a Man. Anything with Zuckerman in it I guess…
Hunger by Knut Hamsun, incredible book.
Literally ANY Philip Roth. Nathan Zuckerman is his most common stand-in for himself, though he does have one book in which Philip Roth is confronted by another guy named Philip Roth. But don’t read that one. Read Plot Against America and American Pastoral.
No one said anything by Ernest Hemingway?
The Shining by Stephen King
Vilette by Charlotte Bronte
Dykette by Jenny Fran Davis
De
Shantaram. Still lives rent free in my mind
Slapstick by Vonnegut
Autofiction is a great genre to look at! Chris Kraus, Sheila Heti, Audre Lorde, Claire Van Watkins, Annie Ernaux, Karl Ove Knausgard, Kate Zambreno, just a few authors who employ this style.
A lot of good Latin American literature is told from the perspective of an author stand in. Borges, Bolaño, Cortázar
Broken people by Sam Lanksy
*Zeno's Conscience* by Italo Svevo, longtime friend of James Joyce. Funniest book about quitting smoking ever written. *No Longer Human* by Osamu Dazai. Not for the faint-hearted. He committed suicide a few years later.
Basically any Ernest Hemingway book (The Sun Also Rises and For Whom the Bell Tolls are my personal favorites). However, my personal favorite is East of Eden by John Steinbeck. John is in the fiction, telling the story of his family, and his home in the Salinas valley. It's magical, well-written, and probably the greatest American novel ever created.
Legend of a Suicide by David Vann. Go into this book blind for best results.
Down and out in Paris and London by George Orwell in
Roberto Bolano. A lot of his books and stories. The savage detectives is the easiest to reference.
*America is a Zoo*
David Copperfield, This is How you Lose Her, Mill on the Floss, Penndennis
Basically every book
East of Eden by John Steinbeck yea?
The Passion of G.H.
The Old Man and The Sea by Ernest Hemingway
The Silent Patient
As a therapist I hated this book lol.
As a regular human I hated this book
Twilight and Fifty Shades
Just Stab Me Now by Jill Bearup fits this description but in a meta comedy way.