How ‘Alice in Wonderland’ Inspired John Lennon’s ‘In His Own Write’
John Lennon loved to read and write — supporting Lewis Caroll’s novels Alice in Wonderland and Alice Through the Looking Glass. Here’s what we know about In His Own Write and why the Beatles member wsa reading “everything he could lay his hands on” before.
John Lennon was a fan of ‘Alice in Wonderland’ and ‘Alice through the Looking Glass’
He’s a best-selling author and award-winning songwriter. In her memoir John, Cynthia Lennon detailed her ex-husband’s projects outside of music. He first wrote a column for a local newspaper, sparked by a “crazy” Beatles origin story feature. Then, he was presented with the idea of writing a book.
“He read everything he could lay his hands on, from newspapers and magazines to books on a huge range of subjects, including music, design, mystery, novels, biographies, and history,” Lennon wrote.
“Among his favorites were Lewis Caroll’s Alice in Wonderland and Alice Through the Looking Glass, with their weird and wonderful imagery,” she noted. “In writing his own book, John’s rich imagination was unleashed and it gave him immense pleasure to move beyond the conventional ‘love story’ limitations of the songs he and Paul had written.”
The Beatles often supported colorful (somewhat nonsensical) cartoons, creating Yellow Submarine in 1968. Described as an “animated jukebox musical fantasy comedy adventure film,” the production introduced the Blue Meanies, a group of music-hating creatures.
John Lennon is the published author behind ‘In His Own Write’
Lennon released In His Own Write in 1964 — a nonsense collection of poems and short stories. It quickly became a bestseller, with copies available for purchase at most major retailers.
This wouldn’t be Lennon’s only written work, as Skywriting by Word of Mouth, and Other Writings was published posthumously in 1986. This included a foreword from his second wife, Yoko Ono. Even during a 1965 interview, Lennon mentioned his affinity for different novels — and his thoughts on Lewis Caroll.
“I always admit to that because I love Alice In Wonderland and Alice Through The Looking Glass,” he said. “But I didn’t even know he’d written anything else. I was that ignorant. I just happened to get those for birthday presents as a child and liked them. And I usually read those two about once a year, because I still like them.”
Have the other Beatles written a book?
Lennon never wrote a memoir about his experience with the band. The other members haven’t written an autobiography, either. However, people adjacent to the Beatles shared their perspectives, including A Cellarful of Noise by manager Brian Epstein.
Of course, these artists are known for their original songs, most of which were written by the songwriting duo of Lennon and Paul McCartney. Music by the Beatles, like their songs “Yellow Submarine,” “Hey Jude,” and “Twist and Shout,” are available on most major streaming platforms.
