A winter's night by candlelight
--:--
A challenging read that proved to be fun!
In this episode, I share with you what I discussed with a few people who joined the book club evening @Saint Germain, 44 Stanley, Johannesburg on the 9th of May, 2024. We read If on a Winter's Night a Traveler, published in 1979 by Italo Calvino. I thought it would be a challenging read, but I actually found myself having so much fun with the book. I am a fan of Roland Barthes essay 'The death of the author" and while I read this book I thought this is either a play, or a critique, or a tribute to Roland Barthes.
Via questions and a categorisation assignment we talk about this book. I guide the participants through a word play activity to find 'a' meaning, my meaning, of this book. I share a passage from the book that I believe 'proofs' this play. We kept talking about the book, even when we lost all lights and our host Nikki brought us candles, so we can continue despite a huge power outage. In the dark we talk about reading aloud to someone else. I have just read in the book Papyrus by Vallejo that when the alphabet was invented, we read aloud for many, many years before someone invented silent reading. Nowadays podcasts and audiobooks have become a normal go to for many people. I wonder, has the reader died and has the listener been reborn?
Everyone in the small group acknowledges that they rather read a book because it gives the possibility to underline sentences or passages, yet, we also wonder are we becoming lonely travellers?
I end the conversation with presenting a novel in German: Der Vorleser. This book was translated in many languages, and in English it is called The Reader. The famous movie with Kate Winslet and David Kross is well known. We talk about the difference in meaning between the reader and der Vorleser. We were with only four, yet we felt inspired and heard by each other, even in the dark.
In this episode, I share with you what I discussed with a few people who joined the book club evening @Saint Germain, 44 Stanley, Johannesburg on the 9th of May, 2024. We read If on a Winter's Night a Traveler, published in 1979 by Italo Calvino. I thought it would be a challenging read, but I actually found myself having so much fun with the book. I am a fan of Roland Barthes essay 'The death of the author" and while I read this book I thought this is either a play, or a critique, or a tribute to Roland Barthes.
Via questions and a categorisation assignment we talk about this book. I guide the participants through a word play activity to find 'a' meaning, my meaning, of this book. I share a passage from the book that I believe 'proofs' this play. We kept talking about the book, even when we lost all lights and our host Nikki brought us candles, so we can continue despite a huge power outage. In the dark we talk about reading aloud to someone else. I have just read in the book Papyrus by Vallejo that when the alphabet was invented, we read aloud for many, many years before someone invented silent reading. Nowadays podcasts and audiobooks have become a normal go to for many people. I wonder, has the reader died and has the listener been reborn?
Everyone in the small group acknowledges that they rather read a book because it gives the possibility to underline sentences or passages, yet, we also wonder are we becoming lonely travellers?
I end the conversation with presenting a novel in German: Der Vorleser. This book was translated in many languages, and in English it is called The Reader. The famous movie with Kate Winslet and David Kross is well known. We talk about the difference in meaning between the reader and der Vorleser. We were with only four, yet we felt inspired and heard by each other, even in the dark.