Think in Public A Public
These essays, divided in three parts, Ask in Public, Think in Public and Read in Public are published in www.publicbooks.org
This association was born years ago for discussing all together important thematic. Books are incredibly relevant, in an age of big ignorance as the one where we are living in, where news can be fake, reality distorted, and culture, real one always more unexistent. But what is culture exactly?
As also remarked by the editors of this project, a place where everyone must live and nurtur himself/herself, not a place for snobs, not an unaccessible place just for few people. Knowledge must be shared if we want to build a better world.
These essays are written clearly, because they want to reach everyone and because they want to remark the importance of being understandood, for developing, later, a dialogue with the reader; stimulate new ideas and trying to see where this society is going on is fundamental for a best future.
Universities sometimes build walls, not just outside the but also inside. It's important, as remark the editors to build bridges both within "the academy and beyond it if we want to preserve what is essential and expand our collective sense of what is possible."
Public Books open the doors not just to academics, but to creatives ones of every sorta as well because these first ones can't live anymore without the creativity breathed outside; it inspires the latest "news" from a world sometimes seen as stranger from most of them.
These writers are very young, absolutely unknown to the largest ones.
Public Books treats essays of the latest published books, but also other themes; for example Elena Ferrante's big success inspired an essay asking: who is writing these books? They are beloved in the USA as well.
People whisper of two authors, a man and a woman but who knows.
These essays take in consideration black literature, but also what global english means for world literature.
Authors will treat climate change, Silicon Valley and the world created by PCS, moral, an interview with the most beloved writer of sci-fiction Le Guin, but also Kafka and the importance of reading fairy-tales to our children, taking it seriously.
This dad, Daegan Miller read more than 30 books to his two sons in 2200 days and he did it because books at the end of a day brought tranquillity to his children, stimulating their intellect, and the one of the reader, of course; Miller affirms that at a certain point he started to take that children's books as seriously as the books "I read for my PhD advisors." Why? A children's book means always a big morale that with tranquillity can be adopted by adults.
A book highly recommended if you want to explore reality in all his meanings.
Friendly, open, written with warmth and accessible to everyone, you can also join the website, so that you will always stay informed reading the latest essays posted by the various contributors.
I thank Columbia University Press for the physical copy of this book.
Anna Maria Polidori
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