the late great anthony bourdain was a master chef, a music lover, a seductive tv host, and a beautiful personality. however, his beating heart was that of a writer. Whether he was traveling around the world or in the depths of New York City, Bourdain usually had a book in hand, his eyes buried in the text and consuming the words as he did with so many steaming bowls of sustenance, continually recognized his equal standing for survival
Speaking to the New York Times about his reading habits, the rock and roll chef described himself as “a quick, voracious and precocious reader as a child [who] loved creepy horror and adventure stories.” . As he grew older and his natural tastes became more varied, Bourdain immersed himself in subjects like the history of man, espionage novels, and captivating biographies alongside his usual heavy scripting.
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As compiled by Radical Readings, throughout his short time in the spotlight, Bourdain was routinely asked about his favorite books and also, through his various social media channels, provided some insights on the books I was reading, while I was reading them. .
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This insatiable attitude for art is exactly what Bourdain brought to the proceedings and, in turn, his writing, a human connection that came so immediately that one is instantly warm and welcome by his personality. he did so by subverting the author’s role, whether on the page or on television, he stood up to his audience, authentically proving that he really was a friend offering advice.
is a similarly styled show on the list of his all-time favorite books you can find below. It’s an essential reading list for any Bourdain fanatic, but also for any true book lover because the titles chosen by the chef are all top quality. as would be expected.
the chef was also a visceral writer. Bourdain’s gonzo journalism style was a welcome refresher among the Travel Channel straight-suited barnacle ensemble you never wanted anywhere near your hotel. Bourdain immersed you in the gritty culture of his surroundings, no doubt something he picked up from two of the authors listed below. while of course gonzo’s grandfather, hunter s. thompson’s classic fear and loathing in las vegas was a clear cornerstone in bourdain’s style, it’s william s. burrough’s junky, which arguably lines up more intensely.
From the classic cook, Bourdain is clear in examining his own struggles with substance abuse and how Burroughs had become an idol for him, he described Junky as “disgusting, dangerous, depraved and innovative.” and fun as hell. He’s not an ideal role model, I’ll give you that. but a writer whom he greatly admired and wanted, for better or worse, to emulate.”
Another writer who clearly took a fancy to Bourdain was Graham Greene, whose elegant style likely offered a way to slip into new worlds for the persistently traveling chef.
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about the book, the quiet american, bourdain said: “drama, romance, tragic history in se asia? I am there! I reread it frequently. particularly when visiting vietnam.” He also chose Travels With My Aunt and Greene’s Ways of Escape, the latter saying it is “a book I’ve read many times but keep coming back to.”
In addition to novels, Bourdain makes time for two other types of books. Naturally, the travel side of life is catered for (which usually includes the catering side as well), but it was his love of history and historical figures which also captures our attention. Picking George Orwell as one of those figures, she says, “the source of all wisdom. Orwell is right about almost everything.
bourdain naturally includes several cookbooks, for lack of a better word, and quoted a.j. between-meal slurs: an appetite for paris as the best of all time, saying: “’food writing’ at its finest. never surpassed. what all writing about eating should be.” If you’ve trusted Bourdain to cook you a meal or offer you a nice glass of wine, we suggest you listen to his book suggestions as well.
if you do, your mind will be fat, full and happy.
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anthony bourdain’s favorite books:
- how to live: or montaigne’s life in one question and twenty attempted answers by sarah bakewell
- crash by j.g. ballard
- naked lunch by william s. burroughs
- collected works of milton caniff
- smiley’s people by john le carré
- l.a. son of ray choi
- joan didion’s white album
- my last supper: 50 great chefs and their final meals / portraits, interviews and recipes by melanie dunea
- rice, noodles, fish: deep journeys through japanese food culture: matt goulding
- the wind in the willows: kenneth grahame
- the quiet american: graham greene
- travel with my aunt — graham greene
- escape routes — graham greene
- prune — gabrielle hamilton
- eddie coyle’s friends — george v . higgins
- ripley’s game — patricia highsmith
- eating vietnam: dispatches from a blue plastic table — graham holliday
- agents of innocence — david ignatius
- a brief history of seven murders: marlon james
- love, loss and what we ate: memories: padma lakshmi
- between meals: appetite for paris: a.j. liebling
- once in a great city: a detroit story — david maraniss
- ashenden: or the british agent — somerset maugham
- shanghai factor — charles mccarry
- you’re better than me — bonnie mcfarlane
- wd~50: the cookbook — peter meehan & wylie dufresne
- on boxing — joyce carol oates
- essays — george orwell
- politics and the english language — george orwell
- the narrative by arthur gordon pym of nantucket — edgar allan poe
- the devil all the time — donald ray pollock
- true grit — charles portis
- something to feed on : exploring creativity with innovative chefs — questlove
- goodbye, motherfucker — michael ruffino
- american dream machine — matthew spektor
- treasure island — robert louis stevenson
- fear and loathing in las vegas — hunter s. thompson
- the man who lost the war — w. t. tyler’s march
- rogue — w. t. Tyler