Surfing in Literature: Who Wrote About It, Stories, Quotes

Surfing has been widely written about, and for good reason - just take a look at any photo search for "surfing" to see why. This sport is a perfect mix of natural beauty, dynamic movement on the waves, thrilling atmosphere, and total freedom.

The philosophical and aesthetic aspects of surfing are often represented in art. In addition to specialized literature, there are also books written for a broader audience that every surfer should read.

"Surfing attracts me. It has always been like a Zen experience for me. And the ocean itself is so awe-inspiring that the rest of the world just fades away,"
said Paul Walker emotionally and expressively about the sport. And you can believe him.

In the last 50 years, surfing has gone from being unknown to being a potential Olympic sport. Its features attract people of different countries and cultures. Its popularity is due to its simplicity and the extraordinary beauty of the activity. Don Winslow, the famous popularizer of surfing, wrote vividly about riding the waves in his equally monumental work, "The Dawn Patrol" (just listen to the title!):

"Giant waves rose, twisted into tunnels and crashed down. Such waves, like huge crushers, can easily throw you straight down into the raging elements. Only the best surfers can withstand such a test."

Gradually, the image of someone navigating the waves became a symbol of courage and strength. It reflects a life of abundance and freedom. No creative soul can resist such a sight. Just watching from the shore the rides on the waves, many artists, photographers, and journalists are inspired to create numerous images and stories.

"Surfing is included in the school curriculum in Hawaii. Apparently, they think the rest of the world is not envious enough of them."

Now try to imagine a famous writer, who constantly suffers from creative torments, who unexpectedly, upon arriving in a tropical land, comes to the shore and sees completely desperate, but infinitely happy people, striving into the water with incomprehensible boards in their hands? And this was at a time when information had very limited circulation and people had not even heard of many exotic activities?

Bernard Shaw, known for his satire and vivid works, devoted many pages to an unusual sport. In the works "Pygmalion", "The House Where Hearts Are Broken" and "Saint Joan" one can find mentions of board riding. And in March 1932, an American made a huge contribution to the promotion of surfing. In the South African Travel News newspaper, a small note was published, the main feature of which was a bright photo of a world-famous dramatist in a bathing suit and with a surfboard on his shoulders! It turned out that Shaw had mastered the whole kind of surfing - riding, lying on his back, in just one (!) day. Some may say this is a dubious accomplishment—yet, considering he was already 75 years old and it was nearly a century ago, the achievement still proves quite respectable.

But even earlier on the Hawaiian Islands (Show, by the way, was riding in the Cape Town area in South Africa), the ambitious and already talented writer was purposefully learning surfing. Jack London, in search of new exciting plots, was constantly striving to visit new places and try something completely unique. In 1907, London and his wife arrived in Hawaii and stayed at the Waikiki Hotel. Here, after meeting surfers from local residents and several Europeans, Jack London began to take lessons in wave riding. Journalist and adventurer Alexander Ford helped the writer to get acquainted with the unusual sport and became one of those people who preserved the cultural heritage of the Hawaiian Islands and turned it into one of the most popular sports.

As a result of this vacation in 1907, a new story by London entitled "
Surfing "A Royal Sport" was published. This work is especially worth reading for beginner athletes, because you will be able to see this discovery through the eyes of one of the most outstanding authors in world literature.

Around the same time, or maybe a bit later, surfing caught Mark Twain's attention. To celebrate the author's 150th anniversary, publishers released a new children's book called "Surfing". In this work, Twain tells about his personal impressions of riding a board on the waves. And all this, of course, in his characteristic ironic and meaningful manner.

In 1984, Kem Nann released a work that became a breakthrough and one of the peaks of the art of surfing and its peculiarities - the novel "Tapping the Source". Interestingly, this work is one of the favorites for both novice and experienced surfers. The reason is simple - the sport is described very vividly and realistically, because the author has been surfing the waves in Southern California since childhood.

From more modern authors and works, one cannot pass by the works of Don Winslow, who perfectly combines in one work both an exciting narrative plot and excellent pictures of surfer days. Of course, it is best to start with the already mentioned "The Dawn Patrol".

There is a whole cohort of works that do not directly talk about surfing, and their authors may not have been inspired by this sport, but by their theme and narrative features these works are simply worth reading. Too much useful and interesting "inside" these works.

One of the most memorable works is Ray Bradbury's intriguingly titled ''Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed''. In his own style, Bradbury beautifully and metaphorically described the exit from the comfort zone, the discovery of new horizons, the striving for dreams and discoveries.

Be sure to spend a wonderful evening with Ernest Hemingway's "The Old Man and the Sea". If you are lucky enough to be on the seashore with this book, you will experience incredible emotions - this has been proven by millions of readers. The lifestyle of the Nobel Prize winner is an example of an unrestrained striving for freedom that has permeated his entire life. And the crown of the writer's creative pursuits was this small but infinitely powerful work. For people who are traveling, and even more so striving. And finally, here is an excellent quote for a motto and motivation for an active vacation:
"Now try to imagine a famous writer who constantly suffers from creative torments, who unexpectedly, upon arriving in a tropical land, comes to the shore and sees completely desperate but infinitely happy people striving into the water with incomprehensible boards in their hands? And this was at a time..."o conquer the waves, "The Old Man and the Sea" will open up many new things.

You can't stop the waves but you can learn to surf.