Writers on Writers books in order

The Writers on Writers series features literary essays by various authors, including Colm Toibin's contributions on Whitman, Elizabeth Bishop, and others.

Reading order

# Title Published Author Buy on Amazon
1 Notes on Sontag 2009 Colm Tóibín Buy
2 On Whitman 2010 Colm Tóibín Buy
3 On Conan Doyle 2011 Colm Tóibín Buy
4 What W. H. Auden Can Do for You 2013 Colm Tóibín Buy
5 On Elizabeth Bishop 2015 Colm Tóibín Buy
6 On Empson 2017 Colm Tóibín Buy
7 On Henry Miller: Or, How to Be an Anarchist 2018 Colm Tóibín Buy
8 On Seamus Heaney 2020 Colm Tóibín Buy
9 On Tim Winton 2022 Colm Tóibín N/A

The Writers on Writers series pairs notable authors with literary subjects they admire. Each book offers a personal essay-length treatment of the subject’s life and work. The format is compact and opinionated, less like an academic study and more like one writer explaining why another writer matters to them.

Colm Toibin has contributed several entries to the series, writing about figures as different as Walt Whitman and Arthur Conan Doyle. Other contributors to the series include various contemporary authors, each bringing their own perspective to a writer who has influenced them.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books are in the Writers on Writers series?

There are nine books in the Writers on Writers series, published between 2009 and 2022.

What is the first book in the Writers on Writers series?

The first book in the Writers on Writers series is Notes on Sontag, published in 2009.

Who are the subjects of the Writers on Writers books?

The series covers a wide range of literary figures including Walt Whitman, Arthur Conan Doyle, W.H. Auden, Elizabeth Bishop, William Empson, Henry Miller, Seamus Heaney, and Tim Winton.

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