Have a read of this article by George Orwell on the time he spent working in a bookstore. He wrote it in 1936. Compare it to what you're reading these days in book blogs and tweets.
Fascinating stuff.
Also, it's scary how good a writer he was. Even in a simple essay like this, the flow, the pace, the interest, the descriptions and observations are all spot on, and all with such simple, everyday language that it seems like anyone could do it.
1 comment:
It frightens me how accurate that essay still is. Except for the bit about independent bookshops never being squeezed out. The only bookstores near me are the big box stores like Borders and Barnes and Nobel. The small indies died out several years back.
My favorite bit is when he was lamenting over what parents give their children to read these days. Barrie's Peter Pan was my favorite book growing up and I still find time to read it every other year or so because I love it so much. It's probably the only book I shall never become tired of reading.
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