"One can readily understand my uneasiness at remaining in the dramatic field and the anxiety which ensued every time I presented a new piece to a theatre. The fact that the two greatest actors of Germany had died while rehearsing my verses made me (I am not ashamed to confess it) superstitious. " Stefan Zweig World of Yesterday
On Tues. (6/27) night I attended a book reading at the esteemed bookstore in North Beach, City Lights. I had earlier planned to go to a reading which took place on the same evening, in a bookstore in the Haight. The book is titled, Doing Nothing: A History of Loafers, Loungers, Slackers, and Bums in America by Tom Lutz; but in order to get to the Haight, I would have had to taken BART and a bus, and I just felt too slack- so I went to North Beach instead, and saw Lewis Buzbee present his The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop, which was easier to get to.
A few strange things about this reading (well, actually I wouldn't call it a reading, rather it was an author appearance- which seems to be the trend nowadays- fine by me, I am capable of reading the book myself), 1.C-span wasfilming, 2. there was quite a scene of book dealer, writers etc. 3. they all seem to breed girls- meaning there were a dozen or so little girls between the ages of 6-9, they sat in little chairs right under the podium and wiggled around, listening sometimes and sneaking away.
Buzbee mostly talked about the important of the bookstore's physicality and how that "sensual" (yes, he used that word several times) quality could never be replicated online. He waxed sentimental about his first City Lights visit and his bookselling days and a book's feel. Sprinkled within were little stories and memories; he even got emotional at one point and dabbed his eyes with a handkerchief. I imagined this little segment airing between C-span's wholesome, tug-on-your-heart, plucky heroines from the Oprah Winfrey book of the month club, and the bestselling, must-read-of-the-summer, future blockbuster thriller. Yes, from San Francisco's over-cultured anti-war, pro-drug, post-beatnik subculture bookstore, reads bowling-shirt wearing Nerd Dad and his love of bookstores. But overall- it was a goodtime.
I will post pictures tomorrow- I forgot my camera….and later some more about Author appearances…and how they are fun, much more fun than t.v.
