I've always been curious. As a pupil, I believed non-fiction books to
be the ultimate vehicle for acquiring knowledge, which led to the
following exchange with a teacher:
"What is the point of fiction books?"
- "While the value of non-fiction books is obvious, one can learn
about life itself, fascinating characters and human nature by
reading great stories in fiction."
It took me a while to be convinced by that and I still mostly read
fiction for its entertainment value. Occasionally, I come across
valuable passages in books, so I leave small bookmarks in them to
remember (I dislike the idea of scribbling, highlighting, folding or
otherwise ruining their pristine appearance). To prevent them from
being easily lost, I will from now on quote the relevant bits on this
section of my gopherhole :)
TEXT Paul Auster - The New York Trilogy (1987)