2018 Winter, audiobook:

I will always, always, always have an affinity for Jhumpa Lahiri's writing, and feel a deep intimacy with her words, her spirit, her messages after spending all my Master's Thesis on her. I couldn't help but get into this work. I loved the whole meta expressive notion of talking about how books and covers ("their clothing") all interact and intersect. I got lost in this so fast and I'm slightly sad it's over so soon, too. ( )

Perfect book while you wait on friends who are always late. Also the content really made me think about the covers of books. ( )

Surprisingly facile, with an argument that is neither developed nor consistent, and which relies on an almost wilful ignorance of the history of the book, past and present. (To give one brief example: Lahiri claims that Americans’ championing of individualism blocks any attempt of homogeneity in the covers of books produced in the U.S. Yet more romance novels are sold in the U.S. every year than any other genre, and the most cursory glance at the covers of the myriad Harlequin series would neatly disprove Lahiri’s point.) ( )

Zeer korte uiteenzetting over het thema: de kaften van boeken, en wat ze betekenen voor het boek, de schrijver, de verkoper en de lezer. Dit is de weergave van een lezing die Lahiri heeft gegeven. Vandaar de zeer beperkte omvang, en het gebrek aan diepgang. Ze snijdt echter wel een paar interessante thema's aan, vond ik, als boekenliefhebber. Thema's die mij ook aan het denken zetten. ( )

The Clothing of Books was a lovely short piece about book cover design, from the writer’s perspective. It’s a really short and quick read, great for any book lover.

“We don’t live in a world in which a cover can simply reflect the sense and style of the book. Today more than ever the cover shoulders an additional weight. Its function is much more commercial than aesthetic. It succeeds or fails in the market.” ( )