A book about shared and new experiences
I recently visited a friends used book store. I purchased a book about Alex Katz mostly because another artist I know, Henry Long, autographed it. I like Alex Katz’s work, but I am more amused by Henry’s signing a book that he did not contribute to producing.
The bookshop owner noted that most people hate other people writing in books. We both felt differently. There is a personal history to the hurried comments left in margins, inscriptions, etc. I often find these elements more intriguing than the book itself.
My friend told me of a book she had purchased. It contained a womans intimate details about her feelings during a divorce as it related to the content of the book.
There are often stories in other stories, and there are even stories about those stories. This idea, which I offer to you, is to go buy a used book with notes or comments in it. Get into the former readers head and develop a new body of work based on your reading, experience, and imagination. May you take with you a piece of someone else’s personal history and create a new piece of your own.
Tags: literature, personal history
May 13th, 2008 at 8:53 am
i love this idea and may use it in a mail art project i have in mind. thanks!
May 13th, 2008 at 11:00 pm
Si….ya he tenido esta experiencia anteriormente. Siempre me ha gustado leer las historias entrelazadas entre notas de clases de algun estudiante. Donde te encuentras que en vez de atender a clase dibujan o escriben su hitoria. Como tambien he tenido la misma experiencia con mis propias libretas, que luego de varios anos voy y veo mi antigua historia desde otro punto de vista. Este tema es muy interesante y atractivo. Yo estoy de acuerdo con eso que dices que puedes crear tu pedacito de experiencia a traves de el cuento dentro del cuento.
May 18th, 2008 at 11:05 pm
Glad you like the idea Amanda. If you do use it, I would love to see the results. You’re quite welcome!
May 19th, 2008 at 5:42 am
As I was writing in the margins of a book I love yesterday, I thought about what a great assignment it would be in a literature or creative writing class. “Go find a book you love, read it, mark it up with your thoughts.”
Later, students would trade books. The marking would continue at another level - you’ve been given a book that’s marked - you read the actual text of the book and the notes and respond to both.
May 19th, 2008 at 8:10 am
That is a very clever variation Jen. I would love to see that happen. I hope you have the chance to do that some day!
It’s interesting in that you get the book, the previous readers experience, and you actually experience the previous reader in person. That takes it to a much more meaningful level.