“I would like my personal reading map to resemble a map of the British Empire circa 1900.”
In this quote, Nick Hornby humorously expresses his desire for his personal reading map to resemble the vast and expansive map of the British Empire in 1900. By comparing his reading preferences to a map of colonial dominance, Hornby implies that he wants his literary journey to be varied, far-reaching, and all-encompassing. This quote highlights a desire for exploration and diversity in reading choices.
In his quote, Nick Hornby expresses a desire for his personal reading map to mirror the vast and diverse territories of the British Empire at the turn of the 20th century. This sentiment highlights the importance of embracing a wide range of perspectives and experiences through literature. Today, this concept remains relevant as readers continue to seek out diverse voices and narratives to broaden their understanding of the world.
“I would like my personal reading map to resemble a map of the British Empire circa 1900.” - Nick Hornby
As we think about Nick Hornby's statement about wanting his personal reading map to resemble a map of the British Empire circa 1900, it prompts us to consider the diversity and expansiveness of our reading habits. Here are some reflection questions to ponder:
“I read the fuck out of every book I can get my hands on.”
“But sometimes, very occasionally, songs and books and films and pictures express who you are perfectly. And they don’t do this in words or images, necessarily; the connection is a lot less direct and more complicated than that. When I was first beginning to write seriously, I read Anne Tyler’s Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant, and suddenly knew what I was, and what I wanted to be, for better or worse. It’s a process something like falling in love. You don’t necessarily choose the best person, or the wisest, or the most beautiful; there’s something else going on. There was a part of me that would rather have fallen for Updike or Kerouac, or DeLillo – for someone masculine, or at least, maybe somebody a little more opaque, and certainly someone who uses more swearwords- and, though I have admired those writers, at various stages in my life, admiration is a very different thing from the kind of transference I’m talking about. I’m talking about understanding – or at least feeling like I understand- every artistic decision, every impulse, the soul of both the work and its creator. “This is me,” I wanted to say when I read Tyler’s rich, sad, lovely novel. “I’m not a character, I’m nothing like the author, I haven’t had the experiences she writes about. But even so, this is what I feel like, inside. This is what I would sound like, if I ever I were to find a voice.” And I did find a voice, eventually, and it was mine, not hers; but nevertheless, so powerful was the process of identification that I still don’t feel as though I’ve expressed myself as well, as completely, as Tyler did on my behalf.”
“Why does reading freak people out so much? Sure, I could be pretty anti-social when we were on the road, but if I was playing a Gameboy hour after hour, no one would be on my case. In my social circle, blowing up space monsters is socially acceptable in a way that American Pastoral isn't.”
“The annoying thing about reading is that you can never get the job done. The other day I was in a bookstore flicking through a book called something like 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (and, without naming names, you should be aware that the task set by the title is by definition impossible, because at least four hundred of the books suggested would kill you anyway), but reading begets reading--that's sort of the point of it, surely?--and anybody who never deviates from a set list of books is intellectually dead anyway.”
“And what would happen if we never read the classics? There comes a point in life, it seems to me, where you have to decide whether you're a Person of Letters or merely someone who loves books, and I'm beginning to see that the book lovers have more fun. ”
“I don't want anyone writing in to point out that I spend too much money on books, many of which I will never read. I know that already. I certainly intend to read all of them, more or less. My intentions are good. Anyway, it's my money. And I'll bet you do it too.”