Why do publishers always announce their novels as a commentary on the present? About a development that boosts sales, but harms literature.
If you enter the apartments of strangers for the first time, the path usually leads quickly to the bookshelves (if there are still any). At least it leads me quickly to the bookshelves. Talking about literature that one has read or that one pretends to have read is considered in some social circles to be an effective means of cultural communication to get to know a person. We find out what drives him, what fascinates him and what annoys him. Show me your books and I’ll tell you who you are.