reflections on reading
For those of you who have just got your copy of Bilateral Petersham from the exhibition at artspace, perhaps you’re beginning to delve into my adventures of just over a year ago. I’d be curious to know how it reads, what the experience of reading is like for you, where you are when you read…
Do you gobble it up in one go?
Do you eke it out over a period of time, one episode per day, or just a snatch here and there waiting for the bus, or on the loo?
Did you read the blog when it was “live” (April-May 2006)? If so, how does the process of reading the bookish version compare?
I’ve been reading a book by Proust, called On Reading, lent to me by Lisa K. (I referred to it previously in this post.) I wonder if the following quote means anything to you?
In reading, friendship is suddenly returned to in its original purity. With books, there is no false amiability. If we spend the evening with these friends, it is because we truly want to. In their case at least, we often only leave them with regret. And once we have left them, none of those thoughts that mar friendship - ‘What did they think of us?’, ‘Were we not tactless?’, ‘Did they like us?’ - or the fear of being forgotten in favour of someone else. All these anxieties of friendship expire on the threshold of the pure and tranquil form of it that is reading. No deference either; we laugh at what Moliere says to the exact degree that we find him funny; when he bores us we are not afraid of looking bored, and once we have definitely had enough of being with him, we put him back in his place as abruptly as if he had neither genius nor celebrity. (pp. 45-6)
June 7th, 2007 at 11:34 am
yes, that quote by Proust makes it clear that books are like being your own bestfriend.
i have been reading your book in little snatches of time i have, mostly waiting for stuff- the bus, train, friends, and i find that if i am doing something important your book annoys me, because it has so many things in it that are only important to you. Then i wonder if what i am doing is as important as i thought, then if anything is important, and then i’m really stuck.
yes, as promised, the book is a bit like Adrian Mole. But hopefully, the sex bits will be better in your book than adrians experiences. (i refuse to skip ahead).
- Connie
July 3rd, 2007 at 4:31 pm
I stumbled onto your blog by accident while googling ‘ Petersham’. The good thing about finding it late is like waiting for your fav TV series to end up as a DVD box set so you can watch the whole thing in one marathon seating. I liked it so much I had to get my boyfriend to read it but he’s an old fashion book reader so it was quite lucky you had a second exibition at ARTSPACE (he read it all in one go on the train to work and back, btw). We’ve only moved to Petersham in the last 2 weeks so we’re really excited about our new suburb. We haven’t met our neighbours yet (bz unpacking) funny that no one has come to introduce themselves. Anyway, if you are still in the habit of meeting Petersham folk, drop by for a chat, we live in Westbourne St on the ’sham’ side.
May 12th, 2008 at 11:57 am
i only just got my copy of the book. i started reading it straight away on the way home on the train. i was hooked straight away. i like to read every word, every thank you, every fine print. this morning instead of getting ready and going to uni as soon as i woke up, i lay down on the couch and read to page 11. now it’s too late and i’m going to miss uni so i think after typing this, and reading more blog, i shall take up on the couch again and read more.