November Reading List -2020
There was a service in the Soviet Union called 'Podpisnie Izdaniya'. You could choose topics you were interested in and then every three months you received latest books on the subjects you had chosen. My grandfather, as well as my mom and dad, were subscribers of this service, which translates from Russian as 'Subscription editions'.
There was a sort of freedom in a service like this, since subscribers didn't know what titles to expect in the next parcel. They received books by authors they never heard of or books on sub-topics they would have never otherwise read. This randomness created diverse types of readers. Readers who were versed in variety of subjects.
I believe we can experience similar randomness when we visit bookshops or libraries today. I never visit bookshops or libraries to get a specific book. I visit them to find out about books which are not yet on my reading list. In contrast to online stores, bookstores don't try to hide from my eyesight titles which, in algorithm's opinion, I might not be interested in.
I discovered all of this month's reads accidentally. Like my parents who opened their latest parcel from Podpisnie Izdaniya, I opened the first pages of the books below and discovered topics I had never heard about before.
I. The Art of Memory by Frances Yates.
Wellcome Collection's reading room is one of the cosiest places for readers in London. It is not only a quiet spot with comfy chairs and a nice coffee but also a place with very well-curated library dedicated to science. It was in this library that I discovered this great book with a misleading title. 'A History of Memory' could have been a more appropriate title for it.
From Cicero to Giordano Bruno - all great individuals used different techniques to remember and to recall what they learnt. Some of them could remember entire books by heart, and recite them word for word.
II. The Secret Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben
I have never thought that I could read a 250 page-long book about trees. Here's another proof that no subject in the world is ever boring if it's written well. Trees communicate, support and even teach each other. There is something almost human about trees. I have bought this book in January from Kew Gardens bookshop. Another accidental discovery that expanded my worldview. A walk in a park, let alone in a forest, will never be the same after reading Wohlleben's work.
III. Destined for War by Graham Allison.
Is war between the United States and China inevitable? Historical data says - yes. New Empires try to depose and replace the old ones. This book is a warning by the Harvard professor what may yet to come. I used to read his academic papers back at the university. In contrast to other academics Allison writes well. You will look at history and Empires through a different lense after reading this book.
IV. Library: An Unquiet History by Matthew Battles
Do we need libraries at all? What's the point of keeping a library when everything can be found online for free or bought cheaply off Amazon? Those questions are 'stupid questions'. Libraries served as a source of knowledge for the poor only for a brief period during romanticism. Libraries were not about 'accessibility' but about preservation of knowledge and organisation of knowledge. Even the 'curators' of famous Library of Alexandria understood that the human knowledge is vast, while human life is limited. This is not a simple history of libraries, this is a history of what knowledge we thought as important and worth of preservation throughout our history.
V. On Grief and Reason by Joseph Brodsky
It is not easy to write about Brodsky. It is not easy to write about individuals in general. Individuals are difficult, complicated, different. Their personalities are to wide and deep to be summarised. I've written about this collection of essays before. But I come back to it every now and then, because each essay sounds more beautiful each time I read them; each essay triggers new thoughts and inspirations; and each time I pick up this book feels like meeting and old wise friend who tells the same insightful stories.
My Writing:
I. My analysis of Theodore Géricault's painting 'The Raft of Medusa' turned out to be popular on Medium.
II. If you liked Paolo Sorrentino's show 'The Young Pope' - I looked at how Sorrentino uses art in his intro to the show.
Some links:
New Yorker's 2020 Reading list.
🏞 Photo above was taken in Rome by Artyom Arutyunov.
