Wednesday, 25 January 2012
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Literary tattoos
Okay. I admit it. I don't get the popularity of tattoos. I mean, go ahead and get your tats if you want to, it's no skin off my ass, so to speak. But a tattoo is not the best look for a balding, slightly overweight middle-aged man. And yet, this morning I read an article about a growing tattoo subculture. Literary tattoos.
Here's a line from the Little Prince, by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. The tattoo belongs to Maria Carlos and was posted on Contrariwise.
And here's the complete poem I Go Back to May 1937, by Sharon Olds. The tattoo belongs to Molly and was also posted on Contrariwise.
And this last one is the cover image from To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. It was posted on The World Made Flesh.
A recent story by Publishers Weekly ranked the books that inspire the most tattoos.
5. Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk
4. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
3. Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
2. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
1. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt VonnegutWould you get a literary tattoo? What book?
As a writer, I understand that words have power. That words are power. So words inked permanently on your skin are pretty powerful words indeed. And I have to admit, I wouldn't do it myself, but if you'd like to ink an excerpt from one of my books on your body, I think I'd like that.
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Comments (12)
If and/ or when I get a tattoo, it will be literary.
Something manly like Winnie the Pooh.
I'd do a quote from my fav book...To Kill a MockingBird...
But, something from you would be a close second, J.!
HUGS!
The To Kill a Mockingbird cover is actually kind of creepy looking as a tattoo. Just think how scary it will look when that lady is 80 years old, shrunken and wrinkled. I have no plans to ever get a tattoo, but I'm sure I could find a quote from your books that would look nice embroidered on a throw pillow or something.
I thought that top pic was the arm of a huge guy named Maria. Anyway, a page from the Book of Kells might look good on my back. That or something from Dr. Seuss or Richard Scarry. Having the words of a classic text would be kinda cool, but I wouldn't want to stand around all day while someone read "On the Road" or whatever... So, are you willing to sponsor Cassie O'Malley quotes?
That's neat. If I ever got a tattoo, it would probably be a literary one. Not sure what book though.
One of your books? And I had my heart set on "You put the lime IN the coconut." :P
Literary tattoos? As an artist and scribe of symbolic language, I prefer using iconography in place of words –that is on my body. However, the examples that you have shown are beautiful. If you are really interested in having one of your books represented on someone’s flesh. I just heard of a woman, I believe in Australia, who was auctioning off a “Space on her Butt”. The winner gets to choose the image and or words to place there and they receive a photo of the finished work. Just in case you are interested…lol. http://widk.com/2012/01/13/23-year-old-woman-auctions-off-space-on-her-butt-for-tattoo-advertisement/
Maybe Paddington Bear on my right cheek. Then again, I'm 60, so probably not.
I love this idea. I don't know that I could ever get a tattoo. My first thought, of course, is how it stretches as you get older. (Example: I know a woman who has a little heart on her chest that just got longer and longer over the years . . . .) But . . . Words . . . That's cool. Still don't know that I would do it. But if I did, it would likely be a poem, probably even more likely Shakespeare.
My daughter wants to get "Stay golden" tattooed on her arm from "The Outsiders".
"She walks in beauty like the night, of cloudless climes and starry skies. And all that's best of dark and bright, meet in her aspect and her eyes." I know just the area that's large enough to hold that quote, but not sure I want a tat there :)