The View from the Cheap Seats (2016)
時間：15時間29分
発音：イギリス英語 (作者による朗読)、ゆっくりめ
評価：4 out of 5
Coraline
特に素晴らしかったのが、作者の読書に対する考え。彼はフィクションを「読書へのGateway drugである」と語っています。物語の次の展開が知りたい！という強い気持ちが読むことの楽しさに繋がるのだと。子供たちが好ましくない本を読んでいるからといって、教養のためにと面白くない古典文学を押し付けると読書自体がつまらないものになってしまいます。自分の好きな本をどんどん読むことで読書の楽しさに目覚め、新しい語彙や考えを吸収し、さらなる読書につながる・・・。フィクションは読書へのGateway drugである、というのは上手い表現だなと思いました。中毒性もありますしね・・・。
60本程のエッセイ全てが面白かったわけではありません。中には作者の友人のために書いた本の前書きなど、自分にとって全く興味のない話もありました。ニール・ゲイマンが読書愛を語る部分や、作者としての目標の持ち方、中国で欧米のSFが解禁された話、スティーブン・キングについて、等の章が面白かったです。オーディオブックではなく本で買って、興味のない部分は飛ばす、という読み方でも良かったかな。本好きな方にはお勧めです。
The View from the Cheap Seats by Neil Gaiman
I love reading and listening to books; however, I don’t have enough words to express my love for them. That was why I picked The View from the Cheap Seats by Neil Gaiman. This book is a collection of essays on various topics: his love for reading, impressive people he has met, speeches he has given at award ceremonies.
When I read fiction books, I feel guilty for spending my time fretting over what doesn’t actually happen. Instead, I think I should probably read textbooks or academic papers to improve my working skills. In defence of the guilty pleasure of reading fiction books, Neil Gaiman explained that fiction is a gateway drug to reading. He wrote that the drive to know what happens next leads us to learn new words and thoughts. Once we learn that reading is pleasurable, we are on the road to reading everything.
I couldn’t agree more. If I had chosen only work-related books, I would never have read as many books as I have so far. Young Adult and Fantasy books were gateway drugs to reading for me; I acquired new words and expressions through these books. Eventually, reading skills helped me to understand the world more.
This book also gave me the idea that it would be nice if I could put words on paper to express myself better. I’m not a writer nor have I ever aspired to be one, but the natural way he conveyed his thoughts, life, and passions made me feel like I had interacted with him through this book. It was a great reading experience.
To be honest, not all the essays in this book were interesting. Among sixty or so pieces, there were some topics in which I had no interest, but some of the words struck my heart. I would recommend this book to my fellow book lovers; they will appreciate his love for reading too.
2012年 University of the ArtsでのCommencementスピーチもおさめられています。
The View from the Cheap Seats: Selected Nonfiction
YL: 8くらい
語数：168,640語（leadinglength.comより）
