Crick, Mark 1962(?)-

PERSONAL:

Born c. 1962. Education: Attended college. Hobbies and other interests: Cooking.

ADDRESSES:

Home—London, England.

CAREER:

Photographer, writer, and illustrator.

WRITINGS:

(And illustrator) Kafka's Soup: A Complete History of World Literature in 14 Recipes, Harcourt (Orlando, FL), 2006.

SIDELIGHTS:

In his first book, Kafka's Soup: A Complete History of World Literature in 14 Recipes, Mark Crick presents an illustrated book of recipes written to reflect the literary styles of various famous authors. For example, Crick's recipe for mushroom risotto is written in the style of John Steinbeck, while a description of cooking lamb is done à la Raymond Chandler. Crick also illustrated the book in various styles, lampooning such artists as Andy Warhol, Vincent Van Gogh, and William Hogarth. Although many of the recipes are ones Clark has prepared for years, he told Joanna Rabinger in a Publishers Weekly interview that he did ask friends for some of the recipes. He noted that he wanted recipes that would fit particular "writers' voices," adding: "So instead of saying, ‘Have you got something nice I can cook for a friend who's a vegetarian?’ it was, ‘Have you got something nice I could cook and use violent, sadistic language in?’" In an article for the London Telegraph, Catherine Milne reported: "Homer gives a stunning oration about making rabbit stew and Geoffrey Chaucer rattles off a medieval recipe for a sweet onion tart." A Publishers Weekly contributor wrote that the author "ranges easily throughout world literature, perfectly capturing the voice of each writer." The reviewer concluded: "This is a delight for literary foodies."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Bookseller, September 9, 2005, Alison Bone, review of Kafka's Soup: A Complete History of World Literature in 14 Recipes, p. 10.

Publishers Weekly, September 11, 2006, Joanna Rabiger, " PW Talks with Mark Crick: In the Kitchen with Kafka," p. 44; September 11, 2006, review of Kafka's Soup, p. 46.

ONLINE

London Telegraph Online,http://www.telegraph.co.uk/ (December 12, 2005), Catherine Milne, "If Franz Kafka Made Dinner."