The title of a book is so important – and not many people have titles as consistently good as Gabriel Garcia Marquez (in my humble opinion) – and I suppose that is linked to the fact that not many people write as well as he does (again … in my humble opinion..)
Think of these:
Love in the time of Cholera
One Hundred Years of Solitude
Chronicle of a Death Foretold
The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World
No-one writes to the Colonel
Memories of my Melancholy Whores.
The General in his Labyrinth
Other titles I like, from other authors
Up in Honey’s Room – Elmore Leonard
The Poisonwood Bible – Barbara Kingsolver
Of Mice and Men – Steinbeck
And to think that I saw it on Mulberry Street – Dr Seuss
Death is a lonely business – Ray Bradbury
Dandelion Wine – Ray Bradbury
Things Fall Apart – Chinua Achebe
Looking for Transwonderland – Noo Saro Wiwa
OK I’ll stop now … but it is a hard thing getting a title right, and it does matter!
They say blurbs sell a story or book but I believe, with you, that titles are the most attractive baits, and in my experience, I have tendedd to follow certain writers because of their titles. Thus I have read almost all of John Steinbeck’s books, those of Barbara Kingsolver, Ammy Chan, and Dr Seuss, to name a few. In fact it follows that their characters are so believable they remain inbedded on my mind because they grow from such titles.
Vukani
Yup – I read the blurbs but only when I have been drawn to the book either because I like the author already or I have seen the title and had my interest piqued.