Bruce Springsteen has revealed the books and authors that inspire him and it turns out he's got some pretty diverse literary tastes.
Prior to the release of his first ever children's book, 'Outlaw Pete', the song-writer turned author spoke to the New York Times to discuss a few of his own favourite writers and books.
His bookshelves are lined with books on cosmology and philosophy, hard-boiled crime and Russian classics with Springsteen confiding: "I like the Russians, the Chekhov short stories, Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky. I never read any of them until the past four years, and found them to be thoroughly psychologically modern,"
As for his current favorites, the rocker lists authors Richard Ford, Cormac McCarthy and Philip Roth, as well as a few autobiographies: "As far as memoirs, it's hard to beat Keith Richards' love of music that shines through in Life," he said. "I also found Eric Clapton's autobiography to be surprisingly revealing and very moving. Of course I loved Bob Dylan's Chronicles. It made me proud to be a musician."
Giving the heavy nature of many of these novels, it's not hard to see why the 'Hungry Heart' rocker has chosen to write a childen's story with dark subject matter. He has previously stated that: "Outlaw Pete is essentially the story of a man trying to outlive and outrun his sins". The book will also feature memorable characters from Springsteen's musical back-catalogue.
