Morrissey's Favorite book?

joe take a bow

Junior Member
I think we all know his favorite author(s) but I was wondering if anyone knew what his favorite books by Wilde or any others. Has he ever said in an interview or elsewhere what his favorite titles were.
 
Many to list. Here are a few I can recall from interviews:

A Taste of Honey by Shelagh Delaney

The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall

Born Fighter by Reggie Kray

Poems by Sir John Betjeman

Oscar Wilde by Richard Ellmann

By Grand Central Station I Sat Down And Wept by Elizabeth Smart

Far From The Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy

Poems by Stevie Smith

Brighton Rock by Graham Greene

Against Our Will: Men, Women and Rape by Susan Brownmiller

From Reverence to Rape by Molly Haskell

Men's Liberation: A New Definition of Masculinity by Jack Nichols

Murderer's Who's Who

I don't recall ever reading anything about his favorite Wilde book. I'm guessing he loves two: any one of the many "Quotations" books and De Profundis. EDIT: He once said The Decay of Lying was his favorite.
 
Last edited:
The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall, really? About when did he mention that as one of his favorite books?

This just adds fuel to the fire of my "Morrissey is a lesbian" theory.
 
In the interview at Sanremo in 1987 he actually said his his favourite book was "Oscar Wilde: Complete Works".
It was in The Smiths at Sanremo. Someone posted it in the bootleg section a couple of months ago.
Kewp will surely provide the link ;)
 
The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall...This just adds fuel to the fire of my "Morrissey is a lesbian" theory.

Against Our Will: Men, Women and Rape by Susan Brownmiller

From Reverence to Rape by Molly Haskell

So do these. All we need now is some Germaine Greer, and I reckon we have conclusive scientific evidence!

Men's Liberation: A New Definition of Masculinity by Jack Nichols

This one is beyond obscure. Sounds like one of those books you get free with Men's Health magazine. Which I don't buy by the way....

Coiff.
 
Didn't he once mention "The Little Prince"?
 
Marquis de Sade?
bwahahahahhaaaaaa
 
Not to nitpick, but I thought the Susan Brownmiller book he specifically mentioned reading & admiring in the 1980's was "Femininity". It's almost a sure thing though that he's also read "Against Our Will" as that's her more famous/well-regarded work.
 
The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall, really? About when did he mention that as one of his favorite books?

This just adds fuel to the fire of my "Morrissey is a lesbian" theory.

Ooooooh, what's your theory? Sounds interesting! Also, is that book any good, I think I've heard of it before.
 
Many to list. Here are a few I can recall from interviews:

A Taste of Honey by Shelagh Delaney

The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall

Born Fighter by Reggie Kray

Poems by Sir John Betjeman

Oscar Wilde by Richard Ellmann

By Grand Central Station I Sat Down And Wept by Elizabeth Smart

Far From The Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy

Poems by Stevie Smith

Brighton Rock by Graham Greene

Against Our Will: Men, Women and Rape by Susan Brownmiller

From Reverence to Rape by Molly Haskell

Men's Liberation: A New Definition of Masculinity by Jack Nichols

Murderer's Who's Who

I don't recall ever reading anything about his favorite Wilde book. I'm guessing he loves two: any one of the many "Quotations" books and De Profundis. EDIT: He once said The Decay of Lying was his favorite.

On a radio show he once mentioned 'Pen, Pencil, Poison" as his fave Wilde-story.

Other favourite books he once mentioned:

Rubyfruit Jungle - Rita Mae Brown
Oliver Twist - Dickens
Anything by Brontë-sisters.
 
im not sure if he's ever mentioned it, but in the suedhead video there's a quick clip of him holding 'le petite prince'
 
Sunbags, I was being silly, as is my wont - especially on a very quiet and tedious Friday afternoon :)

I haven't read it, but The Well of Loneliness was considered a touchstone in the lesbian community for many years - it may still be, I dunno.

From 500 Great Books by Women; review by Heather Downey
The Well of Loneliness is a path-breaking novel. Published by Radclyffe Hall herself in 1928, it was immediately banned in Britain due to its lesbian theme and was allowed in the United States only after a long court battle. Once it was available, The Well of Loneliness sold more than 20,000 copies its first year and paved the way for other works with lesbian themes. The novel concerns a girl born into a wealthy English family at the turn of the century and named Stephen by her father who desperately wanted a boy. Practically from birth, Stephen is described as "different," yet while Radclyffe Hall delivers the powerful message that lesbianism is natural, she also asks the reader to have pity on Stephen Gordon, for, along with the popular psychoanalysts of her day, Radclyffe Hall describes lesbianism as an "inversion." The "terrible mark of Cain" compels Stephen to forsake the woman she loves to protect her from a life of ostracism. This message, along with Radclyffe Hall's portrayal of lesbians in stereotypical "butch" and "femme" roles, caused the book to be written off by feminists in the late 1970s and early 1980s. In addition, many readers today may find the language long-winded and the characters one-dimensional, with the exception of the thinly-veiled portrait of the author as Stephen Gordon. Nonetheless, The Well of Loneliness is worth reading because it shattered the silence of oppression and conveys a message about homophobia and internalized shame relevant to lesbians even today.
 
Not to nitpick, but I thought the Susan Brownmiller book he specifically mentioned reading & admiring in the 1980's was "Femininity". It's almost a sure thing though that he's also read "Against Our Will" as that's her more famous/well-regarded work.

You're probably right.

Another title is Beyond Belief: A Chronicle of Murder and its Detection by Emlyn Williams.

I hope he enjoys The Plague by Camus.:rolleyes:

Ha!

You'd think he would love other French writers like Andre Gide, Marcel Proust and Jean Genet, but I've never seen him mention any-- aside from that theatrical stage reading of Proust, but that text may have been chosen for him.
 
Didn't he once mention "The Little Prince"?

It was James Dean's favorite book and before he died, he hoped to be in a movie adaptation of it (or something along those lines)...I think that is why Morrissey is seen reading it in Suedehead.
 
Sunbags, I was being silly, as is my wont - especially on a very quiet and tedious Friday afternoon :)

I haven't read it, but The Well of Loneliness was considered a touchstone in the lesbian community for many years - it may still be, I dunno.

From 500 Great Books by Women; review by Heather Downey
The Well of Loneliness is a path-breaking novel. Published by Radclyffe Hall herself in 1928, it was immediately banned in Britain due to its lesbian theme and was allowed in the United States only after a long court battle. Once it was available, The Well of Loneliness sold more than 20,000 copies its first year and paved the way for other works with lesbian themes. The novel concerns a girl born into a wealthy English family at the turn of the century and named Stephen by her father who desperately wanted a boy. Practically from birth, Stephen is described as "different," yet while Radclyffe Hall delivers the powerful message that lesbianism is natural, she also asks the reader to have pity on Stephen Gordon, for, along with the popular psychoanalysts of her day, Radclyffe Hall describes lesbianism as an "inversion." The "terrible mark of Cain" compels Stephen to forsake the woman she loves to protect her from a life of ostracism. This message, along with Radclyffe Hall's portrayal of lesbians in stereotypical "butch" and "femme" roles, caused the book to be written off by feminists in the late 1970s and early 1980s. In addition, many readers today may find the language long-winded and the characters one-dimensional, with the exception of the thinly-veiled portrait of the author as Stephen Gordon. Nonetheless, The Well of Loneliness is worth reading because it shattered the silence of oppression and conveys a message about homophobia and internalized shame relevant to lesbians even today.


Morrissey qouted half a page from 'the well of loneliness' in the intro of
'Morrissey shot'by Linder Sterling, which is a book with only pictures of his
Kill Uncle Tour

as Johan already written Ruby Fruit Jungle is amongst his favourites, and
I mention it again cause you write about the outing of Lesbians, well
Ruby Fruit Jungle comes as close as Lesbianism is, a must read.
 
I think Morrissey got into the whole Natalie Barney "lesbian" Paris scene circa 1900s...Gluck was a part of it, Liane de Pougy, Romaine Brooks....lots of talented women, through Oscar Wilde, later Max Jacob and Cocteau...it's a very essential influence for someone who is so fond of works and social events of that time....not neccessarily just because it's "lesbian" subject matter.....and because of their wide audience, it's not really that narrowed into "lesbian interest" section of the bookstore either..it's more broad. Like Quentin Crisp!
 
In an interview with KROQ in 1990 he mentioned that he likes Bronte's "Wuthering Heights", George Eliot (aka Mary Ann Evans) and the books by Nancy Friday.
 
im not sure if he's ever mentioned it, but in the suedhead video there's a quick clip of him holding 'le petite prince'

That book is amazing, should be loved!

Marquis de Sade?
bwahahahahhaaaaaa

:D Well, it ain't so very far between Pasolini and de Sade.

You'd think he would love other French writers like Andre Gide, Marcel Proust and Jean Genet, but I've never seen him mention any-- aside from that theatrical stage reading of Proust, but that text may have been chosen for him.

You could always dream...
 
Back
Top Bottom