Today, I noted in The Times that John Leonard, one of our great literary critics died. For as long as I can remember, whenever I noticed a piece by him, either in The Times, Harpers, The Nation, or elsewhere, I would make it a point to stop and read it. He never failed to grab my attention. He was one of the greats of his generation.
Here's a link to his Times obit.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/07/arts/ ... ref=slogin
I was struck by how much this quote from the obit captures my feelings about books and reading:
"My whole life I have been waving the names of writers, as if we needed rescue,” Mr. Leonard said. “From these writers, for almost 50 years, I have received narrative, witness, companionship, sanctuary, shock and steely strangeness; good advice, bad news, deep chords, hurtful discrepancy and amazing grace. At an average of five books a week, not counting all those sighed at and nibbled on before they go to the Strand, I will read 13,000. Then I’m dead. Thirteen thousand in a lifetime.”