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“The best moments in reading are when you come across something — a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things — that you had thought special, particular to you. And here it is, set down by someone else, a person you’ve never met, maybe even someone long dead, and it’s as if a hand has come out and taken yours.” — Alan Bennett, The History Boys.
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In a previous post, where I replied to a piece of fan mail, I tried to approach this idea in my own way — without being familiar with the scene above, written by Alan Bennett, spoken by the actor Richard Griffiths. Of course, together they articulate it perfectly, far better than my own attempt. Which is why I share it here.
Reading really is quite a miracle. It’s forever astonishing and a little heartbreaking how many people in our world willingly deny themselves this deep source of pleasure and solace.
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