LITERATURE

Today, we came home from our wanderings in New York with three books, so maybe the title of this blog should be 'ACQUIRING literature,' because some of the world's best book stores and best libraries are here. Truth be told, however, the first book I read in NY, during the doldrums of my recuperation last weekend, I borrowed from the pile of books on various cases in the basement laundry room! ALWAYS a good place to find great literature, eh? Thank you Minette Waters for time well wasted.

About six months ago I was taken by a review, in the New York Times Sunday Book Review section, of a Chilean author's novel and the unique manner in which the narrative unfolds, so I had been looking for "The Savage Detectives" by Roberto Bolano. Every library I checked, however (Vancouver, Tallahassee, and NYC), had a waiting list of over a hundred (how can a single book be popular among such disparate populations!?!), helped undoubtedly by the Times listing it among its 'Top 5 Novels for 2007.' I found an online seller who had the cheapest price for a new copy (used were nowhere to be found) and bought it, but while the company took my money and swore they'd sent it, the book never arrived (lowlife scumbags!).

So, we went to the Strand (photos), south of us on Broadway. What a place! Floors and floors of books (but still no used copy of the one I wanted). So, I sprung for a reduced-price new hardcover copy (the paperback will be out in May).

Barb was looking to check out 'A Thousand Splendid Suns' from the library (our first book club read upon our return to Vancouver) and our local branch had the usual waiting list. Since we were downtown anyway, we went to the main library on 5th Ave and 42nd Street. Actually, you have to go across the street for the lending part of this library, while special collections, research, and exhibits are in the main building (behind the lions!). This is one beautiful place. Photography was not allowed in some areas and flash photography wasn't allowed anywhere inside, so these shots (taken, again, with my little point-and-shoot) are a bit grainy.

Around the turn of the century Andrew Carnegie, who eventually gave away 90% of his fortune, wrote a letter to the head of the library system offering a gift of $5,200,000 (worth over two hundred million in today's dollars) to construct 65 branch library buildings if the city would put up the land. He had faith that New York could be one of the great cities of the world, but wanted the population to have access to books. To quote from the Carnegie Corporation's website (http://www.carnegie.org/sub/about/pessay/pessay98.html):

"Carnegie, more than most, understood the value of libraries as the primary institution for the cultivation of the mind. To Carnegie the library symbolized the unity and summit of all knowledge, the bones, the binding sinews, the flesh and heart of any society that could call itself strong. No city could sustain progress without a great public library — and not just as a font of knowledge for scholars, but as a creation for and of the people, free and accessible to all. To him it was no exaggeration to say that the public library 'outranks any other one thing that a community can do to help its people.'"

So thank you, Andy!

One of the exhibits this month was on Jack Kerouac, and contained copies of his journals, photographs, art works--even CDs of him singing! What was most impressive to me, however, was a copy of the scroll on which he wrote 'On the Road.' I have since come across videos of him reading excerpts from various works on YouTube if you're a fan as well (e.g. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jej5d2kYjuQ&feature=related, and look down the right-hand side for more).

Enough writing for now--my book awaits!

Dan

PS I'm new at this blog thing, but I don't believe it's possible to go back and correct yourself when you make an error. So for the record in my January 19th 'TEACHERS' blog I said that Claude Pissarro was the only Jewish Impressionist painter. Nope! Claude (also a painter BTW) is the grandson of CAMILLE Pissarro, who was the Impressionist painter.

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