Paul Theroux’s essay “My Life as a Reader” seems like a model to me. I wish all my friends would write a version.
Theroux is mostly known as a travel writer and novelist, but he’s also a fine essayist. “My Life as a Reader” lists some of the books he loves but also includes these observations:
• We read as children because of the exotic creatures and places (lions in Africa, pirates in the Caribbean) and because the best imaginary friends are in books.
• Some people — Theroux is in this camp — read a writer, rather than books. He finds someone he likes and tracks down everything that writer has written.
• Reading doesn’t just happen. It requires things: effort, concentration, curiosity and intelligence, and “mastery of solitude.” I love that phrase. In a hectic world, many people crave solitude, and a few actually find some. If you’ve wondered why some people are readers and others aren’t, that observation might be a good place to start.
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