Literary Personality in Pens – who next?

People in Pens

Literary heroes are a popular source of inspiration for special edition pens. From Omas we have an Alexander Pushkin pen – made from simple and yet striking enamel engraved with subtle silver, representative of the great Russian poet’s noble background, and of the style that sparkles in the details that are laced like deep veins throughout his work. The personal nature of his writing is also acknowledged: on the top of the cap, the poet himself is depicted using diamond engraving techniques.

(Alexander Pushkin inspired pen from Omas)

As well as their classically designed Wordsworth selection, Conway Stewart chose Rudyard Kipling as inspiration for a very special edition pen (below) – look closely and you can read two poems printed in minute detail on the cap and the barrel.

The solid black design is representative of the solemn ‘stiff upper lip’ and reserved approach to life endorsed in If, and in Victorian society. The new Gatsby pen from Conway Stewart, in stark contrast, is gleaming with the art deco and decadence of the 1920s.

Gatsby pen

And of course while we're on the subject of great novelists and literary inspired pens, no blog post would be complete without mentioning the Charles Dickens series of pens, designed by Onoto: Pickwick, Copperfield, Nickleby and Chuzzlewit. Each of these pens has the personality of the writer, and the time they lived in.

Copperfield

And so, with this selection already on the writing desk, what new editions can we look forward to in the future? Will we be treated to Roald Dahl editions? I think these would have to have an element of novelty, and of playfulness. Perhaps there could be a Chocolate Factory design available in both edible and non-edible versions. Or a Twits ‘upside down’ pen with a decorative nib on the cap, and a concealed nib for writing and bemusing our friends.  If previous trends of honouring the most popular writers of the time continue, we can undoubtedly look forward to a Rowling pen. I imagine that pen to be transparent, with silvery hues like a pensive, a patronus, and the milky fogs of Hogwarts. There’s already invisible ink. The Poe collection? Spindly, and crafted in black resin, with the details etched as indents... and Murakami pen would be beautiful, patterned with maki-e art - maybe pictures of tiny little birds. I just asked Pete what he’d like to see, and he said a Steinbeck pen dotted with tiny pearls.

Which of your writing heroes do you think should be transfigured into fountain pen form, and how would you go about representing them?