I do not know how you feel about it but I like to live with books. They accompany me since my childhood, surely due to my dad Pavel. There were always books in my parents’ place. My mom was sometimes upset about books being everywhere and taking place of other important things. Since the room was divided and the books made place for other nice things, there was an arrangement. Finally, there was a space for a TV set, beautiful cut glass and nice coffee cups as well as clothes.
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Walking in my memories, I am trying to find out which book has been significant in my life. I remember most the book of Zdenek Thoma “Travels in Japan” that my dad gave me. I do not know why. My dad does not like to travel and the book was about travelling. It has a beautiful colourful coverage with a photo of Japanese woman with an evil-eyed look. The second important book is without any doubt The Egyptian. This was a winner from every perspective. Combination of story, old times, language and my fantasy had an impact. In addition, there was something important, a paper and a coverage. It is nice to touch the volume of The Egyptian that we have at home. Books are inserted in a paper cardboard, as matches in the box. When you take a book in your hand and open it on any page, you would be surprised by a thin paper on which the text is printed. It was a miracle for me. I am so happy that no one has destroyed the books, even if many grandchildren passed though their flat. One day, I would like to take care of this book if dad would not mind.
There is a light at the end of the tunnel. We were travelling around the world with Peter for many years. Through different sublets, from one room to two, than three, finally, we had our own apartment and in the meantime, we lived in different countries, flats and housed, due to Peter’s work. There were always many banana boxes in our cave since the period of moving was around two years.
I am in the one place now. Peter has his place too, in another dimension. Books will be my company. They were waiting for a long time in boxes since they did not have their place. Now it is coming and there is already one bookcase in our house. Some books are still waiting for their opportunity, others I can already see. When I started to put the books in the bookcase after so many years, each of them took my attention. In addition, I was thinking how they would fit together. I do not think about size, from the smallest to the biggest. This is how Tezerka would sort them since she does not like asymmetry. I took one title after another and thought.
Where to put the “Struggle for European domination since the fall of Constantinople? Could it be on the same level as the “Garden flowers”? What would Tolstoy and his “Resurrection” think about it? I was afraid to put the “Czech cookbook without meet” next to the “Cookbook of Dobromila Retigova” full of goose, dumplings and bacon. Would this company cause a breakdown of “Vegan delicatessen”? I was not sure, if the title “Havel” will remain in a company of the “Fatal Shore” of Robert Hughes and if both of them would not be knocked down by “Ja, Jara Cimrman”. After a short break while sorting other books, I started to have doubts about Particny’s “The Wood” next to a flexible “Yoga” and “Ayurveda”. Trust me that I was sweating. Frankenstein run away to another shelf.
All is fine now. I fall asleep in a company of my paper friends and they look at me, so that my sleep is calm. I had to apologize to all textbooks of English, Polish, Russian and other languages. They have to wait with dictionaries. They are in other part of the house where there are still not renovations. Their moment will come. Maybe next year. This bookcase is completely full and nothing else will enter. Nevertheless, I look forward to buying new books, especially Ales Palan: “Like in heaven but differently” or “Who goes in the dark”. I take often his book “Getting crazy in wilderness”. Absolutely liberating. I would also like the “Inclined church” or the “Dictionary of neologisms”. I look forward to all volumes of “Cooking with herbarium”. I have the first volume and every time when I am in the Czechia, I would like to take another. I have always a full luggage, so it is not possible. It is possible to take only eight kilos to the plane and a story of “me and a car” is still waiting for its opportunity. I will not bring many books soon. Despite many of them fitting to a car trunk.
Cartigny, 10.11.2020