Brad Leithauser reflects on the unread books that call out to him from across the room:
They ask you, When will you get serious? They ask, When will you grow up? These are the voices issuing from the weightiest projects in your library. Maybe the gravest reprimand comes from a broad-backed “Don Quixote,” forever to be embarked on in the summer—next summer. Or from a yellowing “War and Peace,” a gift from a college adviser who clearly placed more faith in your stamina than you’ve ever merited. Or Burton’s labyrinthine “Arabian Nights.” Or a “Riverside Chaucer,” buoyantly purchased after receiving a flat “A” in a sophomore survey course, the Genesis of English Literature.
(Photo by Flickr user trawin)
The Dish 