the delicate art of noise pollution

In the twitter-sphere, intriguing questions occasionally pop up. My brain was triggered by a tweet by @zjack. The original tweet was in Dutch but the question is more valid in English in my case, as I read only in English. The question was: “what books describe you?”

at first glance

At first glance I thought it a simple question and in my mind I started answering it. But then I realised I was listing my favourite books which is the answer to a different question. Although your favourite books probably tell you – and when made public, others – something about yourself it is not the same as listing the books that actually describe you. I stored the question for contemplation. A little hobby project for my brain to gnaw on in the background after the long tiring day it had had.

Today I thought I would have a look at what my brain has come up with. The best way to find out is to write a post on the subject.

parameters

So what books describe me? To answer this, one needs to define a few parameters. One parameter is the number of books one has read. The second is defined by one’s knowledge of self. And the third may make the whole question invalid, it has to do with why one reads. If you only read for entertainment and to give yourself a break, the books you read may not say much about you. They entertain you, do not tax your intellect too much and may be expressly chosen not to come too close to your reality. Reading after all is many things to many people. But let us, for the purposes of this exercise ignore the ‘reading for pleasure only’ category. I stress again: only for the purpose of this post, reading for pleasure only is as valid a reason for reading as any!

So three parameters are set: number of books, knowledge of self, the reason for reading validates the question i.e. the books have substance and a bearing on your life.

slow reader

As I can only answer this question for myself I will explore these parameters a little with egocentric abandon. Reading books has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. Even before I could read, books were read to me. When I learned to read myself, books became an integral part of my life. I can not remember a time when a book was not part of my daily routine. At 42 this means I read a good amount of books but not a spectacular amount by any means. I know people who are a lot younger and who have read many more books than I. You see, I am a very slow reader. I sometimes take a month to read a book. In case of really extensive works like ‘War and peace‘ or ‘Lord of the rings‘ it can even take as long as 3 or 4 months. So I am a slow reader but an attentive one.

know thyself

It is difficult to know yourself with any amount of confidence. On the other hand in answering the question ‘what books describe you?’ you at least answer the question ‘what books describe who you think you are?’. If the answer to the second question comes close to the answer to the first question, which others may be able to tell you, this exercise may even be regarded as a test of self knowledge. So a certain leeway in interpreting the original question may have to be applied here.

literature shmiterature

When I mention to people that I regard “The lord of the rings” as one of the great literary works of the 20th century they never fail to gratify my morbid tendency towards antagonism. The label ‘literature’ is held in an almost sacred trust and no fantasy novel, however well written, will ever be burdened with that label. Or so it seems. I have always been in fervent opposition to this. I hate – with bloodlust in my eyes and hands itching to draw the blue glowing sword – the term literature and what the establishment believes it stands for.

It is elitist, it is pompous and it is narrow minded. And no one has ever been able to explain to me what the word actually means. What is literature? Why is one book literature while another is not? Almost always a discussion on what is literature bogs down in subjective qualitative arguments and statements of opinion. Here is my opinion: any book that tells a story well and engages my imagination and challenges my intellect is well worth reading. And in that sense ‘Lord of the rings’ or ‘The code of the Woosters‘ are as worthy as ‘Hamlet’ or ‘The princess Casamassima‘. Even though the first two are regarded as ‘mere entertainment’ while the latter two are regarded as literature, that undefinable higher order.

So instead of letting myself be guided by this mind narrowing term ‘literature’ I have read boundless. Guided by a sense of discovery and always with a desire to learn from books, be intellectually stimulated by books (and yes, P.G. Wodehouse does stimulate the intellect) and enjoying the intricate or elegant construction of language (and yes, you most certainly have that in a P.G. Wodehouse novel).

personal parameters set

So with this I have set my personal parameters. To sum up: I will list the books I think describe me; I have read a substantial but not enormous amount; I read not just for entertainment but also to acquire knowledge, develop ideas and further my language skills.

One arbitrary parameter I need to add, just for space and time reasons: the number of books the list will be comprised of. I will set this at 5. Also note that as this is not a list of favourites, there is no particular order in the list. The fifth book does not describe me less or does not describe a lesser attribute of me than the first book. So here is the list of books I think describe me:

the list (the links below will take you to the book’s Amazon details page)

Strangers and brothers – C.P. Snow

This is the first book in an entire sequence of novels about Lewis Eliot and the entire sequence is valid here. The books have a melancholy air about them and almost always carry as one of their main themes the bearing of hurt.

The lord of the rings – J.R.R. Tolkien

It is a book about travel, searching, fighting your demons. With a thematic twist at the end that shows that after all these hardships, the victorious euphoria turns into the sudden realisation that something is irretrievably lost.

Creation – Gore Vidal

The book travels widely to find answers to eternal questions. It demands an open mind both of its characters and of its reader.

The kingdom of the wicked – Anthony Burgess

It puts deified characters back on earth, stumbling over their own two feet. Read this and the bible takes on a whole new meaning.

Hamlet – William Shakespeare

Madness, mental instability are not of a different world. I have learned that it is always lurking in one’s brain. Like a black menace threatening to take over one’s thoughts, it is part of us. I could sneak in a sixth book here: Dracula by Bram Stoker. This carries much the same theme. Hamlet also shows the folly of believing oneself better than others. Different, fine but better, never.

Of course you are very welcome to put your own list of self describing books in the comments.