my apologies for the late response, anon. there aren't many authors from whom i've read multiple works, embarrassingly enough. i know he's out of vogue and has faced rightful criticism, but i still respect the merits of haruki murakami's work, and his writing had a large influence on my own. nabokov is peerless imo; his command of language is the stuff of my envy and set a standard for how i evaluate my own work. i wasn't a huge fan of the great gatsby, but tender is the night is so beautifully written that i also have a great admiration for f. scott fitzgerald's ability.