Reading Week starts with Gul in Turkey

 Edited BY


G P Kennedy


This week we asked our Storytellers to tell us a little about their lockdown reading habits. When lockdown started across the globe many people initially reported feeling generally demotivated. This malaise changed their reading habits. At a time when many people were at home, often with less or no work, ironically the need to read diminished or disappeared. Has this changed as we got more accustomed to the lockdown life? We will find out the answer to that question, and so much more, this week.

Gul - Istanbul, Turkey


READING 

 As I have worked as an editor in the publishing industry, my relationship with books is beyond being a good reader. I have always followed the publishing world closely and wanted to know what is being read in the industry, what titles are being sold. I have a bond on not missing anything in this world. 


 These pandemic days, which supposedly is the best time to read, the best thing is being stuck at home to cozy up with a good book. Self-isolation around the world has seen a boom in reading according to Hugo Setzer, International Publishers Association president. He says ‘books and reading are the ideal way of escaping our four walls’. Did this really happen for me?


 Well, I have found myself oddly unable to read or pretty hard to focus on most days. Before the pandemic, I would say no matter what’s going on in the world a book can provide comfort, but in the reality, I haven’t been able to get through even a few pages some days. 


 Also, I noticed the on-demand content on digital platforms have reduced the time I spend on reading. I feel the reading becomes difficult some days, but watching a film is fine. Maybe I like that kind of engagement during this stressful time. 


 When we were coming to the summerhouse in June, I chose carefully what books to bring here. I must admit I didn’t choose the right books. Most of them were very heavy titles, which are left untouched so far. I didn’t like to be challenged by what I read as life is already challenging this summer. Also, I didn’t like trying something out of my reading comfort zone and I think I like revisiting an old favorite book more than hard ones. 


CORONAVIRUS ESCAPISIM

 During the lockdown and through the summer, my husband has carried on teaching literature via Zoom. It was hard to motivate his students to read serious literary texts, looks like they prefer escapist reading these days. I don’t blame them. 


 One of my editor friends has introduced me to a new writer, an award-winning Norwegian Per Petterson. I first read his ‘Out Stealing Horses’, then It’s Fine by Me.  His writing is beautiful, very atmospheric with wonderful Norwegian countryside, snow, rivers… I highly recommend his books if you haven’t already read them. 

My books waiting in line to read:

Jose Saramago’s Seeing

Oscar Wilde, The Pictures of Dorian Gray

The Life & Letters of Tchaikovsky

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari  x 3 volumes

Black Skin, White Masks by Frantz Fanon

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