On the Joy of Reading Serendiptiously

            One of life’s great pleasures is reading serendipitously.  By one dictionary’s definition, serendipity is “the faculty of making desirable discoveries unexpectedly.”  (I concur, therefore I quote it.)  This summer I read Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World and subsequently decided to read his first novel, Crome Yellow.  The paperback edition that I purchased on eBay is introduced by Michael Dirda.  Admittedly, I did not know of Michael Dirda, but because I liked the introduction, I did what most inquiring minds do in this day of instant information access through the Internet, I searched for Michael Dirda.  It was not difficult.  Dirda, as it turns out, is a remarkable literary critic for the Washington Post Book World, holds a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from Cornell, and hails from Lorain, Ohio and a working class family.  Having spent time in Lorain, Ohio years ago, I became immediately intrigued with Dirda, only to discover that the man has well written several amazing books on reading, literature, and the like.  Further, I discovered that in his earlier years as a student, Dirda struggled, until he fell in love with literature.  His memoir, An Open Book:  Chapters from a Reader’s Life, gives the details.  I have read excerpts and am ordering the book.  I did find two of Dirda’s books in the Blue Hill Public Library—a fine institution:  Book by Book:  Notes on Reading and Life (Henry Holt and Company, 2006) and Bound to Please (W.W. Norton & Company, 2004).  I have started the first this afternoon and am absolutely enthralled with its elegance and thoughtfulness.  I commend all three titles to you.

            The second joyous discovery this week has been from the New Yorker.  And I can thank my wife, Catherine, for introducing me to this one:  Jonah Lehrer, Annals of Science, “The Eureka Hunt,” The New Yorker, July 28, 2008, p. 40.  Again, I knew nothing of this writer and looked him up.  What a discovery this was for me, too!  You may read the abstract online–http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/07/28/080728fa_fact_lehrer   

            Both writers are incredible thinkers.  I will write more about them in a future blog.  I urge you to read them.  Jonah Lehrer’s website is:  www.jonahlehrer.com   A fascinating thinker and writer!