There are a number of authors who I feel very affected by, and influenced by, and who are very important to my work and to my world view. The one that rose to the top of my list is Paul Auster...

Ask Robert Spano about his reading life and the floodgates open. The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra's music director talked recently with AJC staffer Tom Sabulis about what, when and how he reads. Here is the kinetic Spano, 47, in his own words on various literary subjects...