The Curmudgeonly Sage

A few years ago, I was flipping through the channels and came across an interview with Harold Bloom on C-SPAN's "Booknotes." He was discussing his most recent book at the time, How to Read and Why. Bloom is a literary critic and Yale professor who rails against the technological world and its repercussions on reading and reading culture. One of the most enjoyable aspects of the C-SPAN interview was Bloom describing his reading regimine . . . his chair, blanket, tea, whole afternoons given over to reading. He also expressed great dispair over the fact that life would never last long enough for him to read all he wanted to read. This desire was fueled by an imagination that was constructed over a lifetime of reading. He loathes the current technological "advancements" that find children glued to PlayStations and television screens, any hope of the inspiration that fuels imagination stripped by ever-expanding envelopes of degradation.

Kerry Fried, from amazon.com, has a review of the book that describes Bloom and his devoted passion for books and reading impeccably. Read his review and get a copy of this important and useful book here.