Get ready to be transported into the world of words with Northern Irish author Lucy Caldwell, whose remarkable journey as a writer has been shaped by the incredible books that have captivated her imagination. From childhood classics that left an indelible mark on her young mind to modern masterpieces that ignited her creative spark, Caldwell's love affair with literature is a true tale of enchantment and discovery.
It all began in the summer of 1985, when Lucy's middle sister was born – a time that also marked the start of an unforgettable reading adventure. Her mother would treat her to the latest issue of Storyteller, a series of captivating tales from around the world accompanied by cassette tapes. One of the most memorable stories for Lucy was 'The Goblin Rat', a Japanese folktale that left her both entranced and terrified at just two years old. She vividly recalls listening until she could recite it by heart, the sound of the goblin rat's eerie laughter still echoing in her mind.
As she grew older, Susan Cooper's The Dark Is Rising series became a firm favourite, with Lucy devouring them at the age of ten. These timeless tales are a 'haunting story of the age-old battle between the forces of dark and light', interwoven with Arthurian legend and a mature melancholy that keeps them spellbinding even today. Lucy re-reads the title book every midwinter and shared the experience with her own ten-year-old son just last year, passing on the magic to the next generation.
But it was at 13 that Lucy's ambition to become a writer truly took flight, thanks to Jennifer Johnston’s How Many Miles to Babylon?, which she read for English class. The homework assignment to write an extra chapter immersed her in the intoxicating feeling of creating another world that felt more real than her own. Later on, James Joyce's Ulysses would become one of the most 'glorious reading experiences' of her life – a transformation from initial 'undergraduate anxiety' to pure literary joy, proving that even everyday communications can 'fizz' with newfound meaning after experiencing Joyce through fresh eyes.
Caldwell firmly believes that every woman should read Clarissa Pinkola Estés's Women Who Run With the Wolves, a book she's returned to time and again since her 20s, 30s, and 40s. It's an exploration of the 'secret gifts and power of mythology' and the journey to reclaim one's 'wildness', a must-read that has left an indelible mark on Caldwell's own writing journey.
Currently, Caldwell is devouring Helen Bain's debut The Daffodil Days, which she recently finished, and Courttia Newland's The Art of Opposition, a collection of essays on 'hope, resilience and creative expression beyond the mainstream', written by a writer she admires as a 'formidably sharp and compassionate thinker'. It's clear that Caldwell's love for reading continues to inspire her own writing, and we can't wait to see what she'll create next.