Guardian Links

You might be interested in these links from today’s Review section in the Guardian:

There’s a Penelope Lively interview by Susanna Rustin which you can see here.

I was also interested in this article – Do we read differently as we get older? by Julian Barnes which you can see here.

4 thoughts on “Guardian Links

  1. I know I read differently, and for different reasons, now that I’m older. In addition to life experience, which changes the way we understand or react to what we read, I know my concentration is worse. I’m glad I read a great many of the English, American, French, and Russian Classics when I was young enough to be receptive and patient. You’d think an older person would have those qualities to a greater extent than a younger one. But as life gets shorter and the world gets more depressing and senseless, I read mostly for entertainment. It’s time for others to change the world and for me to tune it all out.

    • Joan,
      I know that I’m not too keen on reading anything very heavy at the moment, considering the state of the world I’m definitely in need of comfort reads! The trouble is that people seem only to be changing things for the worse – in the UK anyway.

  2. I’m so glad you listed the link to the Julian Barnes’ essay. I have found this to be true, and often wish that I hadn’t read so many of the “so-called” classic novelists at such a young age (before 20 years, for example). I think I would get a great deal out of rereading the classics I read in my teens, as a person now who has had endured and witnessed so many life experiences.

    • Judith,
      But the trouble is – so many books to read, should we take the time to re-read books? I know that I would probably identify with completely different characters after 30 or 40 years have passed since the first read.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *