Books that helped Kent Haruf become more fully human

In a recent issue of the Century, I interview Kent Haruf, whose novel Benediction has garnered a nomination for the newly minted Folio Prize in the United Kingdom and recent reviews in The Guardian (by Ursula Le Guin) and the Telegraph. Haruf has made a life out of fine and careful reading, as well as writing. I asked him for recommendations on five books that have helped him become more fully human. Here is his list:

• Man's Search for Meaning, Viktor Frankl

• “The Bear,” William Faulkner

• Stories by Chekhov, including “Peasants,” “Anyuta,” “The Hunter,” “The Student,” “The Lady with the Pet Dog,” “About Love”

• Let Us Now Praise Famous Men, James Agee

• Winter in the Blood, James Welch