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02/10/2007: "The Face of the Future"

Well, I'm here on a Saturday packing books in my now defunct bookshop. I've got another two weeks until I have to be out of this commercial space, and so I'm racing against time. Ending one era and beginning another is hard, but in the end I think I'll be a stronger person for it.

The hardest part is that I am by nature a person who takes a long view on things. As such, my vision tells me that America is beginning to suffer a schism; there are those who read, and those who don't. But what's worse is that the splinter fractures further amongst those who do read will only read the most current titles; and then a tiny fraction of thos who will read older materials; and then only a tiny percentage of THAT group who will fully appreciate it. Thus, the true literati will be make up a very tiny minority in this country!

Americans as a rule are working harder and harder for the same amount of money; leisure time is shortening, which in turn limits the amount of browsing that a bookbuyer can do. As such, small bookstores lose out because the old customers are reduced to buying books on other shopping trips, and naturally snatch up what they can in supermarkets, Wal-Marts, etc. Thus, small bookshops like my own lose out; the victims of forces beyond our control.

I have heard the booksellers have a much higher standing in Europe and Asia, and of course the lifestyle there is quite different. Perhaps people there have more time to read.

As a rule, literature reflects history, which in turn reflects the current face of society. As bookcases in superstores and supermarkets are increasingly filled with thrillers of serial killers and espionage and romance novels, I begin to wonder if American literature doesn't reflect a hidden desire to find meaning in our frenetic lives. If so, then it will likely be an unrequited need, for there is little time left in our daily lives to fulfill it.