Another hot day made me spend it in the cool library. All double-brick, high ceilings, and with heavy velvet curtains blocking out the sunlight turns it into a naturally 'air-conditioned' refuge, even though it's standing room only.
As I slowly worked my way through all those books that had piled up on the floor over the last few months, I reflected on how empty life would be if I were unable to read. And then, I don't know how, I was reminded of Evelyn Waugh's short story "The Man Who Liked Dickens", in which, deep in the Amazonian jungle, one man becomes the prisoner of another who has never learnt how to read, and must read to him the entire works of Charles Dickens in daily instalments in perpetuity.
A dramatised version of the sbort story
Evelyn Waugh later expanded this short story into his book "A Handful of Dust", changing the names of the two protagonists from Mr McMaster and Paul Henty to Mr Todd and Tony Last. The movie of the same name - click here - also includes the story towards the end, starting at 1:35:00.
Read the short story here, or do a Mr McMaster and have it read to you:
