Could our growing disinterest in reading be the spark for the end of civilisation? Read on ...
, the “public perception is that he sold out his family story for financial gain, which is sort of seen to be not ideal”.financial gain, which is the plight facing most authors of literary fiction and nonfiction. They are not only earning incomes that make the minimum wage look like an unattainable dream, as reported by a recent Macquarie University study, but are facing the sudden evaporation of what they once called, in attacks of grandiosity, their “audience”.
During the past year, the new federal government has responded to a persuasive appeal from writers and readers to support literature. But, as the wise Miles Franklin-winning author Amanda Lohrey has pointed out, more good writing means little if nobody is capable of reading. Imagine the future of music if listeners were hit by an epidemic of deafness. The pressing challenge, Lohrey argues, is to restore reading, starting in schools and emanating into communities.
Taken in by the latest apocalypse, I worry most of all about me. I sometimes wonder if we have come to a book-reading precipice, if, like the Soviet Union, a permanent fact of life can disappear in weeks. The dystopian novel is hot right now . What if the end came not through a virus or an asteroid, but just through millions and millions deciding from one day to the next that they couldn’t be bothered reading anymore.
If reading just went and died, the sadness would not be for poor old me, but for everyone else and the pleasures they will have missed out on. Forget about one wasted life; what about the many lives you missed out on living? Whatever is happening to our brain, it remains hungrier than ever to imagine its way into a different life, to travel to a world beyond its own. Imagination drives all that time we spend on those infernal devices that end up withering the imagination that sent us there.
Philippines Latest News, Philippines Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Why we need new stories on climate | Rebecca SolnitThe long read: So much is happening, both wonderful and terrible – and it matters how we tell it. We can’t erase the bad news, but to ignore the good is the route to indifference or despair
Read more »
Why Anthony Albanese is on a 'charm offensive' in the PacificAnthony Albanese has taken his Pacific charm offensive to Papua New Guinea, calling for a 'family first' approach to security in a veiled reference to growing Chinese influence in Australia's neighbourhood.
Read more »
Why is the Australia-PNG relationship important?Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has stressed the importance of regional security and unity in a key speech to the leaders of Australia's closest neighbour. 9News
Read more »
Why is the Australia-PNG relationship important?Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has stressed the importance of regional security and unity in a key speech to the leaders of Australia's closest neighbour. 9News
Read more »
Why is the name of McDonald's new menu item so divisive?An age-old debate was reignited online after the fast-food giant unveiled the latest addition to its Australian menu.
Read more »
Why the public sector must take the World Wide Web seriouslyANALYSIS: Government websites have become their shopfront to the world, but are still treated as an afterthought by too many public sector leaders.
Read more »