Going through my late father’s library, I picked out two books to read: Umberto Eco’s In the name of Rose and Ferdinand Oyono’s Old Man and a Medal.
I used to be an avid reader when I was a kid. I guess I must have inherited it from my late father. Long before the digital age and satellite TVs, he would always go to bed with a book. In fact, I don’t think I ever saw him going to sleep without a book. You can imagine that our apartment was full of books: travel books, history books, crime stories, classics, books on medicine( my father was a dentist), art collection reviews, autobiographies, biographies, novels, poetry, DIY, books on planting, gardening, how to build a cottage and many many more. Hundreds and maybe even thousands of books. The bookshelves would be bending under the weight of the books crammed into each shelf, often placed in two rows. I would never feel I have nothing to read. Whenever I was done with a book, I would go to my father and ask for a new one. It was almost like a ritual, and he would choose something for me, topics I cared about and was eager to explore. It was almost like a secret language we had.
It was only in my teenage when I started developing particular tastes of my own, I also began borrowing books from the local library. Some of my friends would say that our apartment was like a museum, art on displays with endless number of books.
My father passed away some 23 years ago and apart from leaving a huge emotional and unfixable hole, beautiful cherished memories, and unforgettable stories that would be passed down the generations; it was also all his books that remained after him.
At that time, I was living abroad and I was reading a lot on Middle East geopolitics, and history but also psychology, self-help, and philosophy with an occasional novel or a collection of poems.
Upon resettling back home a few years ago, I slowly started rediscovering my father’s library. I slowly started reading or even re-reading some of the classics such as John Steinbeck’s Tortilla Flat or of Mice and Men, Daphne Du Maurier’s Jamaica Inn, Umberto Eco’s In the Name of Rose, Edna o Brien’s Girl with Green Eyes, Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughter-House Five, or the Children’s Crusade just a few to mention.
So, what is it about all these old books? Why haven’t we ditched them long ago? After all, even if they are considered classics, they are old editions, old translations, pages turned yellow and they are collecting dust and taking up space.
The value of books is not only in their content and how they stand the test of time. Their work is also measured in their sentimental value and contrary to any antiques dealer’s advice, not all old books belong to the graveyard of books. In a better case, they can be donated to a library, in a worse case recycling bin.
Sometimes, what we need is an old and rusty book because it carries lots of memories, and reminds us of our loved ones, times spent with them and preserves unforgettable moments like when time stood still.
Because sometimes, a book can be the most treasured memory, because it may be the only physical object reminding us of that moment with that beloved person. Perhaps, the book was a gift and the story in it is less interesting than the story of you receiving this gift.
Not all the books, though, need to be stored for sentimental value. We can put the “books to the test “ whether they stand the test of time.
I did go through my father’s library of I am guessing over 1000 books during the pandemic lull and selected about 50 books that did not stand the test of time and were no longer relevant today. I donated them to the collective libraries where people can access them freely and without pay.
Similarly, whilst many trends will tell you to get rid of all your clothes you have not worn in the past 2-3 years. I must say that sometimes rediscovering quality clothing items after they had been hiding away on my shelf for a few years, is a gift. After all, the fashion keeps on repeating itself.
I am of course not suggesting to keep on storing useless junk that clutters your mind and house. I am a firm believer that less is more. But, before you throw away an old book or your old skirt because it’s not fashionable, see if you can repurpose, regift, donate, or reuse it with a concrete idea and a plan. A sentimental plan can work too.
Keep on reading those good old books !
Leave a Reply