you know the tragedy the great tragedy
of our times in our societies are people
who can’t read people have minimal
reading ability because they’re shut out
there’s no doubt as to the importance of
reading to society hi I’m Rebecca
Brayton and welcome to watchmojo.com and
today we’re speaking with prize-winning
author Yann Martel about the connection
between politics and reading we live in
a literate society we live in a
complicated society and we need tools to
understand that and to me one of the key
tools and understanding life is a book
and it’s specifically not any book a
literary book in other words a work of
fiction whether it’s a novel or a play
or a poem and I cannot see how you can
be a thinking person who is head of a
government without having access what
fiction can can give you it makes you be
someone else somewhere else during the
duration of a book and that’s very very
useful it’s a way of getting beyond your
own the confines of your own narrow life
how would you think this would affect
the running of a country the overall
effect over time tends to bring down
blinkers tends to increase your
tolerance so for example you read a book
on the Holocaust you read primo Levy’s
if this is a man it tends to increase
your sympathy to the plight of Jews
under the noun sees you read a book on
slavery it tends to increase your
sympathy for the you know the historical
injustice done to african-americans well
if you keep on reading year after year
you become more tolerant you become more
open you become more sympathetic anyone
who choose to do that I think that will
generally be the effect but of course it
all depends on the personal will of the
reader George Bush for example had this
competition for a while with Karl Rove
about reading so he definitely reads but
I think he read with a certain band to
confirm his vision tell us about the the
premise of what is Stephen Harper
reading we have a prime minister here in
Canada who seemingly does not read books
now that’s a
and I’m making based on his actions on
his persona on his policies and so I for
the last two and a half years have been
sending him a book every two weeks with
a lecture talking about that book
talking about the author the book and
thoughts that that book led me to think
hopefully try to establish a dialogue or
at least make a point people have
dismisses as you know what does it
matter what he reads it’s a personal
matter sort of like his religion is
personal matter or sexuality something
personal it’s not quite true that and
everyone recognize that if you met a
politician who said to you my favorite
book is mine come you know the hair on
your head would curl you know I or
someone said you know my favorite is Das
Kapital that would tell you sort of
where that person would come from
economically books do sort of determine
the kind of mind someone has not
necessarily but they do give you a hint
what a recommended reading list be
different for a liberal prime minister
versus a conservative it’s not a
question just sending books that you I
like nor is it a question for readers of
reading only books that they’re
comfortable with the good thing about
about you know going to school for
example universe to your high school is
you tend to read books that you wouldn’t
have read on your own you wouldn’t
picked up to me the key ages for books
is when we’re young high school
university that’s when we’re open and we
tend these are last one book really form
us and then when we retired the people
that we miss especially with men is the
middle-aged men and the problem is
middle-aged men rule the world boys
don’t read they become men who don’t
read and they’re the ones we don’t know
where they get their ideas reading a
book is a way of dreaming if you don’t
have dreams how do you maneuver reality
where’d you get the ideas to change
reality if not from dreams thank you
very much my pleasure
Oh
of our times in our societies are people
who can’t read people have minimal
reading ability because they’re shut out
there’s no doubt as to the importance of
reading to society hi I’m Rebecca
Brayton and welcome to watchmojo.com and
today we’re speaking with prize-winning
author Yann Martel about the connection
between politics and reading we live in
a literate society we live in a
complicated society and we need tools to
understand that and to me one of the key
tools and understanding life is a book
and it’s specifically not any book a
literary book in other words a work of
fiction whether it’s a novel or a play
or a poem and I cannot see how you can
be a thinking person who is head of a
government without having access what
fiction can can give you it makes you be
someone else somewhere else during the
duration of a book and that’s very very
useful it’s a way of getting beyond your
own the confines of your own narrow life
how would you think this would affect
the running of a country the overall
effect over time tends to bring down
blinkers tends to increase your
tolerance so for example you read a book
on the Holocaust you read primo Levy’s
if this is a man it tends to increase
your sympathy to the plight of Jews
under the noun sees you read a book on
slavery it tends to increase your
sympathy for the you know the historical
injustice done to african-americans well
if you keep on reading year after year
you become more tolerant you become more
open you become more sympathetic anyone
who choose to do that I think that will
generally be the effect but of course it
all depends on the personal will of the
reader George Bush for example had this
competition for a while with Karl Rove
about reading so he definitely reads but
I think he read with a certain band to
confirm his vision tell us about the the
premise of what is Stephen Harper
reading we have a prime minister here in
Canada who seemingly does not read books
now that’s a
and I’m making based on his actions on
his persona on his policies and so I for
the last two and a half years have been
sending him a book every two weeks with
a lecture talking about that book
talking about the author the book and
thoughts that that book led me to think
hopefully try to establish a dialogue or
at least make a point people have
dismisses as you know what does it
matter what he reads it’s a personal
matter sort of like his religion is
personal matter or sexuality something
personal it’s not quite true that and
everyone recognize that if you met a
politician who said to you my favorite
book is mine come you know the hair on
your head would curl you know I or
someone said you know my favorite is Das
Kapital that would tell you sort of
where that person would come from
economically books do sort of determine
the kind of mind someone has not
necessarily but they do give you a hint
what a recommended reading list be
different for a liberal prime minister
versus a conservative it’s not a
question just sending books that you I
like nor is it a question for readers of
reading only books that they’re
comfortable with the good thing about
about you know going to school for
example universe to your high school is
you tend to read books that you wouldn’t
have read on your own you wouldn’t
picked up to me the key ages for books
is when we’re young high school
university that’s when we’re open and we
tend these are last one book really form
us and then when we retired the people
that we miss especially with men is the
middle-aged men and the problem is
middle-aged men rule the world boys
don’t read they become men who don’t
read and they’re the ones we don’t know
where they get their ideas reading a
book is a way of dreaming if you don’t
have dreams how do you maneuver reality
where’d you get the ideas to change
reality if not from dreams thank you
very much my pleasure
Oh
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