Other People's Diaries
I have always been interested into autobiographies (though my book-log doesn't necessarily reflect that) and over the last Summer additionally I found an interest into other people's diaries. Which considered my own journaling habit, is somehow surprising that it took me so long to figure that out.
Looking at my archived files it turns out I have "very" loosely been keeping up journal entries since 2009, but with any kind of regularity, as in more or less daily, since 2019. I tend to write merely about the events of the day, what happened or such, pointing out the highlights of that day and that kind of stuff. The usual, no soul searching here.
What I find most interesting about reading other peoples journals, is not only the consistency of their habit but also the consistency of the medium in which they write. I understand that Michael Palin uses the same notebooks for many years for example.
I on the other hand, seem to be unable to stick to any one system for any longer period than 3 months. Sure, in some cases I have been able to stick to any one system for quite some time, but eventually the feeling that "the other way of doing things" surely would be more suitable for me.
The result is somewhat of a mess. Some months/years are in some, mostly varying, notebooks and some in digital form, where I also switched formats of course. I am at the moment though of the opinion to have developed a certain routine/setup which works very well and I am currently working slowly to consolidate the entries.
The rant aside - this post is about "other peoples diaries" after all and not my failed attempts of being even remotely consistent at anything - here are some of the diaries that I have read or am reading or are in my to-read list:
- Michael Palin Diaries. His diaries cover the years 1969 to 2009! By the time of this writing I have read volume 1 and 4 (don't know why), with Vol.2 - Halfway to Hollywood already waiting for me here.
- Alan Rickman - Madly, Deeply. I am usually reading this on and off again.
- The Diaries of Samuel Pepys: I knew nothing about these, obviously famous diaries by Samuel Pepys, and learned about via the Michael Palin diaries. Instead reading the whole thing, I found a blog which posts each day the entry for the day. I understand it's the third time through now. On a side note: the way the entries are presented on the blog, gave me some good ideas how to format my own entries in my journal in Obsidian.
- Haruki Murakami - What I talk about when I talk about Running. Well, this is not a diary per se but I will include this anyway, because it is "diary-ish", full of insights, and of course, Murakami. As a bonus the audiobook is read by Ray Porter, who is one of my favourite audiobook narrators.
- Franz Kafka - Diaries (I started these a while ago already, didn't get far into them though)
Here are some other diaries that I have found/read about (most where in fact referenced in Palin's diaries) that I have on my probably-to-read list.
- Simon Gray: The Complete Smoking Diaries
- Derek Jarman: Modern Nature
- Virginia Woolf - Diaries
What I enjoy about reading diaries, similar as to reading a blog post on a personal blog, that I can just dip into it, read one entry or two, and then can continue with something else. I don't have the feeling of having to get through the book, or to finish it. In fact, diaries are like blogs.
Or the other way round.