Infinite Books

Why read? Reading is such a personal, unique experience for humans. And we vary significantly in what we decide to read.

The new collection of essays by Will Self will undoubtedly make a reader reflect on the reading process – that is, on absorbing the text created by another human being, based on that person’s talent and point of view – into our sensitivity. Will Self doesn’t suggest any canon of books we should read to understand the world better or just feel better about ourselves. He says: “No, read what you want – but be conscious that, in this area of life as so many others, you are what you eat, and if your diet is solely pulp, you’ll likely become rather… pulpy. And if you read books that almost certainly won’t last, you’ll power on through life with a view of cultural history as radically foreshortened as the bonnet of a bubble car.”

Hence, we should challenge ourselves in selecting our books to read. “Why read” was a challenging book for me, but I’m glad I stumbled upon it in my journey as a reader. The language is beautiful, and the message is always evident, even if the words are sometimes uncommon. I liked the essays about reading the most, but I also enjoyed many others. There is an excellent essay about Kafka and another one about Sebald. With profound insight, Will Self writes about Burroughs’s heroin addiction, analyzing his “Junky”; in other writings, he talks about Chernobyl, typewriters, and bi-directional digital media. Accidently, the last subject made me realize I prefer an old-fashioned paper book if the author decides to pour his feelings over more than 500 pages; for me, reading long prose does not go well with electronic devices.

The essays display an extraordinary intellect and wit and, yet, are very down-to-earth. I’m sure that a person who decides to read them will sometimes come across statements close to our reflections. Yet, Will Self has described them so clearly that they become either a discovery or strengthen our old, but perhaps not fully expressed opinions. Additionally, some of the author’s remarks are very humorous. For example, when talking about what writers read after writing, he mentions an image of poor seals in the circus, balancing balls on their noses, and asks the question: “Well, just supposed you were a seal. (…) Surely the last thing you’d want to do after a hard day at the circus is watch another poor seal doing precisely the same thing.”

There is wisdom, knowledge, wit, and humor in Will Self’s essays. So, why read? Everybody can find their answer. But, paraphrasing the old MasterCard commercial campaign, what we get from reading is priceless.

WHY READ by Will Self, Grove Atlantic, 2023