Parisian Literary Salon

The Ulysses Salon
Parisian Literary Salon News January 12, 2010—London-based Salons

The big news is the start of our six-month study of Ulysses- see below for how, what and why. For those not interested in diving into Joyce madness(or Joyceans who are reading machines), I would like to offer some one-day intensives and possibly a few short Salons. I need some input for these; I have already had a request for Brothers Karamazov which would require two one-day Salon intensives- perhaps a month apart—and a request for a one-day A Portrait of a Lady by Henry James. I would also like to offer a Beloved if there is interest in February; but would like input from those who would be interested in doing this as a one day or a five week study. Please send me your requests and schedule preferences (afternoon vs. evening studies).
I hope everyone had a lovely New Year and is enjoying lots of reading in this time of hibernation…
See you in the pages-
Toby

Ulysses Salon STARTING THE WEEK OF JAUNUARY 26TH

WHERE/WHEN: Meetings mostly in Kentish Town. Once a week from 26 January to the end of June (excluding school breaks), choose either Monday 1.30?3.30pm, Monday 8-10pm or Tuesday 8-10pm
COST £75 for each 5-week session- there will be four total 5 week series.
Email me (via the ‘contact me’ form on the website) to reserve your place and name your preferred meeting time.
Special offer: try the first meeting for free (space-dependant)
RECOMMENDED ANNOTATED EDITION Ulysses (£17.99, Penguin Classics student annotated edition)

A few thoughts about reading the big book..
“You should approach Joyce’s Ulysses as the illiterate Baptist preacher approaches the Old Testament: with faith.” William Faulkner

The good news: reading Ulysses is fun. And I don’t mean in a frustrating, overly-analytical see-how much you know way- the language is amazing- even when I don’t understand it- perhaps especially when I don’t understand it- because meaning sneaks in through more than my critical faculty- meaning slides in through sound, through the lushness of the language- through the filmy and substantial images- and suddenly I find myself transported from a walk on a beach to a contemplation of the origins of man- thanks, James Joyce.

For more information, check out the Ulysses description under “What might we read”.

What better time to visit the Mediterranean- world of wine-dark sea, olives, gods & goddesses and the wily Odysseus?

Meet for four Wednesdays: 9 & 16 December, plus 6 & 13 January in Kentish Town.
Afternoon study: 1.30–?3.30pm. Evening study: 8–?10pm
COST £60 Special offer: try the first meeting for free (space dependent)
RECOMMENDED EDITION: The Odyssey (Robert Fagles translation; Penguin Classic- available at Owl Bookshop in Kentish Town)
Though it may be a bit of madness to start a Salon series in the holiday season, the study might offer a respite from the buzz of these busy days- and a means to dance into the New Year in lyric language. For those looking ahead to Ulysses starting in mid-January, a study of The Odyssey builds a strong ship for that journey. Here there be monsters, nymphs, love stories, betrayals, drinking, giants- climb aboard!
Here is a taste:
Sing to me of the man, O Muse, the man of twists and turns
Driven time and again off course, once he had plundered
the hallowed heights of Troy
Many cities of men he saw and learned their minds,
Many pains he suffered, heartsick on the open sea,
fighting to save his life and bring his comrades home.
But he could not save them from disaster, hard as he strove—
The recklessness of their own ways destroyed them all,
The blind fools, they devoured the Cattle of the Sun
And the Sungod wiped from sight the day of their return.
Launch out on his story, Muse, daughter of Zeus,
Start from where you will—sing for our time too.
*See you in the wine dark seas-

November 29th- The Awakening by Kate Chopin ( see ‘What Might we read’ section for description) 3- 8 PM –One space remaining
• December 12th The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James 5-10 PM — One space remaining
• December 13th Absalom, Absalom by W. Faulkner –Six spaces remaining

Sign up now by using the ‘Contact me’ form on the website…next Paris Salon series will be offered at the end of January.

Below you will find highlights from the Salon newsletter- if you would like to subscribe (free) or you would like to see the complete newsletter, use the ‘contact me’ form…

“Art is a lie that makes us realize the truth.”
–Pablo Picasso

1. News & Next Salons announced
2. Thoughts and Nudges for reading Joyce
3. A Poem : “Water Table” by Billy Collins
I can hardly believe we are finishing up the work of Hamlet this week. Our exploration of the nature of revenge, the agony of losing trust in those you love, the grappling for meaning in a life lived amongst the corrupt and the sheer beauty of the language requires even more attention than we have given the work- but we have looked hard and deeply into the interior world of Hamlet. This study brings me back to the real joy of the Salon: together we pace each other to read slowly, to bring what we do not understand individually to the conversation and gather responses of others, and hear someone else respond to a phrase or idea or connection that we might have missed. This all adds up to a most memorable reading experience- enlightening for the first-time reader of the work, and still startling and rewarding for those on their 12th read. Many thanks to all who taught and learned together this fall. Now, onto….
1. News & Next Salons announced
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce Oct 21st- 25th November
The Odyssey by Homer December 2nd- 16th with one longer meeting TBA
DETAILS: A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
Wednesday, 21st October 1st meeting (2nd meeting on Wednesday 4th November) continuing each Wednesday for five meetings. Evening study meets from 8-10 PM, mostly in Kentish Town, afternoon study meets between 1-3 PM, between Hampstead and Kentish Town. Cost is 75 £.
PLEASE let me know by Monday October 12th if you are planning on participating in this Salon. I will send you opening notes, details for registering and edition recommendations.

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce
A Portrait … attempts to enter in to the consciousness of a boy growing to young adulthood with an acute sense of the world around him. In the narrative, the writer attempts to collapse the boundary between reader and character consciousness: there is no authorial presence or exterior perspective and each section is written as though it springs directly from the thoughts of the boy at the time. This is why the opening feels like nursery rhyme then broken thought- but each image has weight and purpose. In fact, some have argued that the opening page contains the entire meaning of the rest of the book. But you have to read the whole thing for the layers to come through.

October Parisian Salon in Paris Update
Parisian Literary Salon Study October 17th & 18th The Awakening (primary text) with The Yellow Wallpaper
PLEASE sign up by October 4th for either of these two offerings. The Saturday study is almost full- I will announce the location to those who have confirmed participation along with the opening notes and reading questions. Below you will find more reflections on Awakening along with some comments form contemporary reviews.
Upcoming Salons Sign up now- and vote your choices where there are decisions to be made….as soon as I have six votes for one work, I will announce that work as decided.

• October 17th- The Awakening by Kate Chopin ( to include consideration of The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman) 5-10 PM
• October 18th – The Awakening by Kate Chopin ( to include consideration of The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman) 3-8 PM

• November 28th- Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf or The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James or Waterland by Graham Swift (current vote is leaning towards Portrait)

• December 12th The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James 5-10 PM
• December 13th Beloved by Toni Morrison or Absalom, Absalom by W. Faulkner
One day Salon COST: 45 euro includes copies and opening notes
Descriptions for some of these works can be found here on the website under ‘What might we read’. To sign up for a Salon, simply email me with the dates and books choice. If this is your first Salon, a deposit of 25 euro is required to secure your place- I will send you details regarding that in response to your email request.

The Awakening Opening thoughts
Part of the strength of this beautiful little book is that we are asked to consider Edna Pontellier’s ultimate choice not as a question of absolutes but as a consideration of human desires in conflict with the world it inhabits. The world of Pontellier is not absolutely oppressive, Pontellier is not without freedom, her treatment of her children (and the impact of her choice on them) can cast her in a nasty light. Chopin offers a feminist consideration that honors the idea of feminism as a complex assessment of the interaction between an individual and their particular society. The Creole world that Pontellier lives in is dynamic and sensual; Edna has the sympathy of at least two of the characters close to her. So we must move beyond the simple equation of a woman who has no choices, who lives in an oppressive world, taking her life in response. The Awakening offers a more complicated and therefore more authentic portrayal.
The writing is exquisite; Chopin manages to create the tension of seduction and the aesthetic world of Creole life in her words. This is not an overwhelming read (like some of our recent studies); therefore those that participate in this Salon may take the time to savor the work. The other reading, The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, is written right around the same time with some similar explorations- but offers a very different consideration of a woman in struggle with her world. Some have studied this previously; I think you will find as I have that there is never the same response to a strong work . Though our focus will be on The Awakening, Yellow Wallpaper will creep in.
Some quotes from Contemporary reviews of The Awakening:
“One cannot refrain from regret that so beautiful a style and so much refinement of taste has been spent by Miss Chopin on an essentially vulgar story…” –From ” Fiction” Literature, IV June 1899.
“Not because it is not bright with her (Kate Chopin) own peculiar charm of style, not because there is missing any touch of effect or lacking any beauty of description—but—well, it is one of those books of which we feel “cui bono?” (What’s the use?) It absorbs and interests, then makes one wonder, for the moment, with a little sick feeling, if all women are like the one, and that ins’t a pleasant reflection after you have thoroughly taken in this character study whose “awakening” gives title to Mrs. Chopin’s novel.
One would fain beg the gods, in pure cowardicefor sleep unending rather than to know what an ugly, cruel, loathsome monster Passion can be when, like a tiger, it slowly stretches to its graceful length and yawns and finally awakens…” –From The Mirror, IX May 1899.
“The purport of the story can hardly be described in language fit for publication…” –From the Providence Sunday Journal June 1899.
“There may be many opinions touching other aspects of Mrs. Chopin’s novel “The Awakening,” but all must concede its flawless art. …”The Awakening” is not for the young person…It is for seasoned souls, for those who have lived, who have ripened under the gracious or ungracious sun of experience and learned that realities do not show themselves on the outside of things…but treasured within the heart, hidden away, never to be known perhaps save when exposed by temptation or called out by occasions of great pith and moment. … –From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch May 20, 1899 pg. 4.

LONDON:
Hamlet Salon-
Wednesday afternoon: 1-3 PM spaces remaining: four
Wednesday evening: 7:45-9:45 PM spaces remaining: one
First meeting is Wednesday, September 9th; this Salon meets for five weeks. Scroll down for text details.

PARIS:
Friday September 11th: Mrs. Dalloway 6:30-11 PM
Saturday September 12th: Absalom, Absalom! by W. Faulkner 5-10:00 PM spaces remaining: FULL
Sunday September 13th: As I Lay Dying 3-8PM spaces remaining: four

READING THE BODY Weekend intensive 25th-27th September - open for registration.

Parisian Literary Salon Fall 2009 Salons in London
First a poem:
You Finish It: I Can’t

The world is somewhere, visibly round,
perfectly lighted, firm, free in space,

but why men die like kings or
sick animals, why tears stand
in living faces, why one forgets

the color of the eyes of the dead–

by Daniel Berrigan

I hear in this short poem the naked howl of loss- and the reminder that one’s greatness in death doesn’t matter…I think this might help us understand Hamlet’s mind set at the start of the play. Prepare for a murder, incest, a naked grab for power, madness, deceit, manipulation and the angst of an adolescent…or maybe a 30 year old. Are you ready for Hamlet???

Hamlet Salon- Details
London, September 2009
Wednesday afternoon Salon: 1-3 PM
Wednesday evening Salon: 7:45-9:45 PM
First meeting is Wednesday, September 9th. Salons will continue for six weeks, price is 75 pounds including copy costs. To register send me an email for registration details using the ‘Contact me’ section on the website. Registration is open until there are 9 participants. I will send out an update on availability at the end of July. As soon as I have received your registration, I will send out opening notes, readings and some funny pieces playing with the words of the play. Then the fun begins…

Hamlet Salon Opening thoughts

How does one introduce a play that is already drunk on its own superlatives? For this Salon, I propose we come to study Hamlet afresh, not worrying about whether we see it as Shakespeare’s greatest play ever or whether we stand breathless at the language…but finding within the play that that has so riveted audiences and readers for centuries. I welcome to this Salon those who have never read or seen the play along with those who have memorized entire soliloquies- we will need both perspectives to carefully negotiate our way through the ‘constantly shifting register not only of action but of language’ (Frank Kermode, Shakespeare’s Language, 2000).
What is Hamlet about? Themes include the most precise questions of loyalty, revenge and allegiance, what it means to be human, the role of fate and self-will, the truth of madness- the essences of human experience. The language must stand up to the weight of these themes- we will closely examine the words and structures to decide if it does and if so, how. As I seek to describe the text, I am aware that the terms approximate that of a wisdom tradition. Harold Bloom, one of the twentieth centuries’ most highly regarded and prolific literary critics, puts Shakespeare even more emphatically in the role of deity:
“Shakespeare is my model and my mortal god…Hamlet is part of Shakespeare’s revenge upon revenge tragedy, and is of no genre. Of all poems, it is the most unlimited. As a meditation upon human fragility in confrontation with death, it competes only with the world’s scriptures.” (Harold Bloom, Hamlet, Poem Unlimited, 2003)
As with any other Salon dealing with a dramatic work, we will perform large parts of the text and view various filmed adaptations to compare our own vision of the play with that of Olivier, Brannaugh, Zeffirelli…

Beloved Salon Proposal
The other Salon option for this series is Toni Morrison’s Beloved. This book started the Salon, and when I have not dipped back in for awhile I get to missing the book- the lyricism, the haunting- the power of it. Please read the description on the website and let me know if you are interested- there are several options for meeting times.

The Short Story series has been really pleasurable- demanding less of us in terms of time to prepare, but offering ideas around blues and be-bop, madness and women, perception, subjectivity, cultural imperialism, perception of the other and the illumination of life from death. The first Pub Poetry study happened at the Torriano Pub on June 28th: a game and eclectic group plunged in to weigh the meaning of the ‘Love Song of Alfred Prufrock’. Most had never heard of the Salon before they wandered downstairs to join in the fun. Many thanks to all who gamely offered their insights and energy. There will be more!

See you in the pages…
Toby

Parisian Literary Salon Newsletter- 4 June 09
1. Upcoming Events
2. Salon descriptions
3. Salon in the news, other events & Fall Salons
4. Musings- Bread and Home

1. Upcoming Events
LONDON:
June 7th- Housekeeping Salon Intensive 5-10 PM
June 9th- Last night of Midnight’s Children study- celebratory Indian food dinner & discussion
June 16th- First Short Story Salon- “Sonny’s Blues” by James Baldwin (see Salon description below)
7:45-9:45 Kentish Town
June 23rd- Second Short Story Salon- “Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins GiIlman
7:45-9:45 Kentish Town
June 26th Poetry Study at the Dragonfly Organic Café in Highgate 7-8:30 PM
June 28th- Poetry Study at the Torriano Pub in Kentish Town 7-8:30 PM
June 30th- Third S.S. Salon- “A Distant Episode” by Paul Bowles with “The Liar” by Tobias Wolff
7:45-9:45 Kentish Town
July 7th- Fourth S.S. Salon- “The Dead” by James Joyce with “Cathedral” by Raymond Carver
7:45-9:45 Kentish Town
July 10th- August 26th Salon closed for summer…reading.

PARIS:
Friday September 11th: Mrs. Dalloway 6:30-11 PM
Saturday September 12th: Absalom, Absalom! by W. Faulkner or The Awakening by Kate Chopin 5-10:00 PM

Sunday September 13th: As I Lay Dying 3-8PM

READING THE BODY Weekend intensive 25th-27th September 220 euro
After a highly successful first Reading the Body weekend, Ann and I are offering a second study. I found the work of this weekend continues to strengthen me as I reach for a closer connection between the work of my mind and the body’s experience. Please scroll down through the Salon website for the weekend description. The cost includes all food, housing and supplementary materials.

To register or ask questions, use the Contact Me form on the website*

2. Salon descriptions
Short Story Salons
Overview: This Salon will provide ideas about how to enter the short story, and find your footing, how to use the tools provided by the writer to immerse yourself in this precise and complete world. We will look carefully at the creation of voice, tone, perspective and setting in the micro world of short fiction.
DETAILS: 45£ for the series, 15£ for drop-in per session. This series has a drop-in option- although your understanding of the form will develop solidly through the four sessions, you can drop-in for a few if your summer schedule is already galloping forward. Please do email me as soon as possible with your registration (at least a week in advance)- these Salons are limited to eight participants. You should be able to find these short stories in a few anthologies- but if you are having difficulties, I will make copies & mail them for 4-6£ depending on the length. The third & fourth S.S. Salon have two titles: the first one is the primary work, the second is optional. We may visit both as reflecting stylistic or thematic qualities, we may find ourselves so involved with the first that we can’t do justice to the second, we may study the first for an hour and then move, without connection into the second. Depends on time, energy and the needs of the group. If we don’t get to the second title, be assured another Salon lurks in the future…
TITLES: I had a terrible time choosing- can I really leave out Flannery O’Conner, Alice Munro, Hemingway? But choices must be made. You will find brief descriptions of the works under What Might We Read on this website…

Poetry Salons
For the poetry Salon, we start with a close consideration of the words and how they are used. This may lead us to the larger question of what the poem does: does a poem, as some have suggested, work to capture human experience at so sharp and close an exposure that in reading a good poem we learn a bit more about the process of being human? Do these poems act in this way? How does this differ from other media forms we encounter? Why should we do the work poetry requires?
Both of these studies take place at venues that I feel will stimulate and expand our study by adding their own character and clientele to the dynamic character of the Salon. Please register directly with me by email reply- maximum 10 participants.
• June 26th Poetry Study at the Dragonfly Organic Café in Highgate Details: 5£ for the study, 15£ study+healthy drink+ evening salad meal…..About and finding the Dragonfly http://www.villagewholefoods.co.uk/about.html
Works proposed for study: -William Butler Yeats’ The Second Coming, Emily Dickinson’s I Started early, took my Dog… and Phil Levine’s They feed They Lion.
That’s right- apocalypse in a variety of forms and images- alongside Dickinson’s intimate theology.

• June 28th- Poetry Study at the Torriano Pub in Kentish Town 5£ for the study, and the cost of the libation of your choice. The Torriano is located 71-73 Torriano Ave. www.torriano-bar.com Last poetry study of the season so let’s end on a high note: Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock by T.S. Eliot

3. Salon in the news, other events & Fall Salons
Many thanks to Leah Jewett whose thoughtful article on the Salon appeared in last week’s Camden New Journal- check it out if you haven’t seen it:
http://www.thecnj.co.uk/review/2009/052809/books052809_02.html
FALL SALONS: Now, now is the moment to send I requests…yes I have a list and ideas (Hamlet, God of Small Things, Portrait of the Artist, Beloved, Family Matters, To the Lighthouse…) but would love to hear yours…a Doodle poll (how I love those) to follow.
I have been soaking in the stimulating cultural world of London- getting to plays about Afghanistan, a discomforting and powerful play by Wallace Shawn (Aunt Dan and Lemon)- how does one ever get time to read here? Poetry readings may have a tarnished reputation- but a reading can also expose you to the world of craft and ideas offered by our living writers. Peirene Press is hosting its first event this weekend- I am not sure there is space left, but check out the site and look for future events for mind-charging.
http://www.peirenepress.com/
4. Musings- Bread and Home
Bread and home have been on my mind recently. Home as an idea that we carry with us that may not ever resolve itself into actuality but drives us with its prick of longing and hope- and bread- well, I just love bread. When I travel and am feeling the jittery grating that comes with too little sleep, too many dreams and unsure footing, it is bread that puts me upright. I am always questing for the perfect bread- is it the Pain Gauloius (I know- but it has nothing to do with cigarettes) that I can get in Bourgogne but only if I get to the bakery on time: crusty, seed-filled dark brown bread with yeast flavor unapologetic- or is it the ancient Celtic sourdough- also packed with nuts and mystery seeds? Or the naan I found here in London- fresh from the Indian take-out- warm, oily and ready to support whatever spice comes its way…ahh, bread. I once spent a weekend in the Northeast kingdom of Vermont at the Bread and Puppet Theatre where all weekend we were sustained by red wine, deep brown-black bread- the consistency of bricks- and fantastical puppetry weaving through the woods. Fabulous. I learn from others about eating bread- morning tartine served with overwhelming possibilities of confiture and miel…my dear friend who taught me the wonder of bread with butter and salt shaken on to it…the indulgence (I picked this one up camping in a valley in Turkey, living with a family that didn’t speak English but o, the food!) of fresh goat cheese, local honey and homemade flat bread. Sometimes I think the reason for coffee is to know when to stop eating bread.
Each time I return to Paris or to Bourgogne or to the US, I am torn with missing the lives I have left, and full with the relationships that still hum and grow. Next time the sadness overwhelms, I am going to eat some more bread.
Send me your thoughts, queries, questions and bread stories…see you in the pages-
Toby

The Parisian Literary Salon
presents a one-day intensive study on
Housekeeping
By Marilynne Robinson
On June 7 I will be offering an evening Salon study of Marilynne Robinson’s haunting first work. Each line is so carefully crafted and ice-sharp. Through Ruth’s narration we learn more about the impermanence of things – people, places, home – and watch her struggle to adulthood with the awareness that nothing stays in place. Ruth’s Aunt Sylvie tries to guide her, but Sylvie cannot break the habits of transience: crackers in her pocket, coat always on. Ultimately the home they share welcomes the outdoors - leaves rattle in the corners, birds nest in the cupboards. There is
a freedom found here - and this book reveals profound possibilities in a spare world.
The one-day Salon goes for 5 hours, with a break for a pot-luck meal in the middle – it is a wonderful marathon for the mind. If you have not done a Salon but have been interested, this would be an exhilarating foray. The study is structured around a close reading of the book supplemented by auxiliary materials and fuelled by participants’ questions, observations and reactions. You will want to complete Housekeeping before the meeting.
Date & time Sunday June 7, 5.00-10pm. Registration is happening now – space is limited to 9 participants (currently 3 spaces available)
Location North London
Cost £40, including supplementary materials
A playful and in-depth seminar, the Parisian Literary Salon gathers an intellectually curious and diverse group to study a work of literature. We use the experience and questions of each participant to broaden our understanding of the book… and of ourselves. Discussions are led by a dynamic literature instructor with years of experience leading Salons in Paris and London in classical and world literature, poetry and creative writing. Come deepen your understanding of the beauty and art of literature and connect with other lively thinkers.
Feedback from previous Housekeeping Salon participants: “I have been meditating for years on how to loosen those boundaries we mentioned between real and imagined, and this was the first time all of it seemed to come up in a book. I so appreciated the flow and the resonance of our discussion last night, that we all knew what we were talking about and had yet another point of view on the same scene.” // “What a rollercoaster ride! Sometimes I felt as if Robinson took us so far under (or upside down) that we wouldn’t be able to come up for air. But Toby was there with her rubber ducks and rescue buoys.”

The Owl Bookstore in Kentish Town has copies of the Picador text at a discount- tell them you are buying for Toby’s Salon…
see you in the pages!

Last evening it was my pleasure to watch a large group of students present poetry they had chosen and learned. The performances were vivid; many had found how to embody the words that they spoke. I have lots of poetry energy after these remarkable presentations: the relish for language the students communicated was palpable. I am thinking hard about the question someone asked after the performances: “How do we read poetry (as adults)? No one does- we read novels, histories, autobiographies, but poetry? ” I got to thinking how rich poetry is as a shared experience- a recitation, performance, words put into the public space and chewed…how that is the way to read poetry. Some of the students (including my own) lamented that we can’t do a poetry evening more regularly…but luckily for Londoners, there is an opportunity to eat poetry this Monday:
The Parisian Literary Salon Presents
An Evening of Poetry Exploration
At the Dragonfly Organic Café in Highgate
Interested in discussing pathless woods…mythology… hope… sin… poetic form…tenuous, dark earth… narrative perspective…birch-swinging boys…talking stoves…crying teakettles… adolescence … abandonment… shattering glass…boundaries between the living & the dead?
All may surface at the Parisian Literary Salon where we use the experience and questions of each participant to broaden our understanding of literature and of ourselves. Whether you are a lifelong student of poetry or someone who is interested in talking about ideas but not sure how to read a poem - you will find this evening illuminating and pleasurable. Come spend one evening deepening your understanding of the beauty and art of poetry- feeding your mind while connecting with other lively thinkers.
Poems to be discussed (available on the this website): E. Bishop’s Sestina, L. O’Sullivan’s The Cord & R. Frost’s Birches
Date: Monday May 11th from 7 to 8:30 PM
Location: Dragonfly Organic Café
24 Highgate High Street
Details and registration: http://www.villagewholefoods.co.uk/about.html

If you could copy me on your registration through Dragonfly- and I can send you some thoughts and musings in preparation and notes afterwards. I just read this in the paper this morning- and got a jolt of recognition. From Alan Bennett’s play The History Boys:
“The best moments in reading are when you come across something – a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things—which you thought special and particular to you. Now here it is, set down by someone else, a person you have never met, someone even who is long dead. And it is as if a hand has come out and taken yours.”

See you in the pages…
Toby