Saturday, July 15, 2006

Travel reading

David Gilmour in "My Life with Tolstoy" (July/August 2006, The Walrus):
There's a way you read when you travel; it is, in itself, a kind of transport, the purity with which you pay attention. You never read like that at home. In fact, as the years have gone by and with them a dozen other trips, it has occurred to me that reading, all on its own, may well be the best reason to travel.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

yeah okay

Arethusa said...

That's funny. For me it's the exact opposite: I'm usually too distracted by the passing scenery, cars, everything to pay the book the attention it deserves. I concentrate better at home (or at the cafe hehe).

Isabella K said...

Actually, he means reading on vacation, as opposed to during the in-transit portion. I read in transit, but once there I find too many distractions (excepting cottage-type trips or family visits). I do read, but I find the experience imbued with things that aren't in the book (I take care to match my reading material to my destination). But I prefer reading at home too.