Posts

Showing posts from February, 2013

Notes from a fragmented soul

"When I moved from Holland to where I live now, in Asia, I shipped a container containing all of my books. Because my books, even the ones I have already read, are a part of me. I have to have them with me wherever I go." So said a Dutch expatriate to me the other day. He added that he sometimes rereads his old books, and truly enjoys doing that. For 17 years, in New York, I had added to my steadily growing collection of books, which rose from around 40 to around 2,000 through four changes of residence, often traveling long distances to buy books at library sales, garage sales, and book sales. I hadn't read three-fourths of these books, but they were all in my “To Read or Browse Through” category. They were my companions, pieces of me, and they were spread out in the various rooms of the last proper home that I lived in. Easily accessible, half of them displayed spine-out on mostly tall bookshelves, they were constant sources of consolation, inspiration, pleasure,