My year reading a book from every country in the world | Ann Morgan

TL;DR

In her talk, the speaker discusses her journey to read a book from every country in the world and the powerful connections and insights she gained along the way.

Transcript

It's often said that you can tell a lot about a person by looking at what's on their bookshelves. What do my bookshelves say about me? Well, when I asked myself this question a few years ago, I made an alarming discovery. I'd always thought of myself as a fairly cultured, cosmopolitan sort of person. But my bookshelves told a rather different story... Read More

Key Insights

• 📖 Reading habits reveal cultural blind spots: The speaker realized her bookshelves were filled mainly with British and North American authors, highlighting her lack of exposure to literature in translation.
• 🌍 Global reading opens doors: The speaker embarked on a mission to read a novel from every country in the world, acknowledging the multitude of amazing stories that exist outside of English-language literature.
• 📚 Limited availability of translated literature: Only around 4.5 percent of literary works published in the UK each year are translations, resulting in a lack of access to stories from many countries. The majority of translated books come from countries with strong publishing networks.
• ❓The challenge of sourcing diverse stories: The speaker initially struggled to find stories from various countries due to her lack of knowledge and resources outside of British and North American literature. She had to ask for help from others.
• 🌍 Generosity of the global community: People from all over the world offered their assistance, recommending books, conducting research, and even sending self-published or unpublished manuscripts to help the speaker accomplish her goal of reading the world.
• 🔍 Uncovering hidden literary gems: Through her year of reading the world, the speaker discovered remarkable stories that had not been picked up by English-language publishers or were no longer available, allowing her to experience unique narratives and perspectives.
• 🌏 Expanding cultural horizons: Reading literature from different countries allowed the speaker to broaden her understanding of the world, challenging her own beliefs, and expanding her worldview. Literature has the power to enlighten and clarify thinking.
• 📚 Books as a tool for connection and collaboration: The speaker highlights the power of books to connect people across boundaries and unite them in a shared experience. The internet has made it easier than ever for strangers to share stories and books with one another, fostering collaboration and understanding.
• 💡 Encouraging diverse reading: The speaker believes that if more people read widely, there would be a greater demand for translated literature, leading to a more inclusive literary landscape and a richer cultural exchange.

Questions & Answers

Q: What discovery did the speaker make when she looked at her bookshelves?

The speaker discovered that the majority of the titles on her bookshelves were by British or North American authors, with very few translations or books from writers working in languages other than English.

Q: What did the speaker decide to do after realizing her cultural blind spot in reading?

The speaker decided to undertake an intensive course of global reading, aiming to read a novel, short story collection, or memoir from every country in the world within the timeframe of the London Olympics in 2012.

Q: What was one of the practical problems the speaker faced when embarking on her reading project?

One of the practical problems the speaker faced was the difficulty of obtaining books in English from every country, as the percentage of translated literary works published each year in the UK and much of the English-speaking world is only around 4.5%.

Q: How did the speaker overcome the challenge of not knowing where to start in sourcing books from different countries?

The speaker asked for help by registering her blog and posting an appeal online, asking people to suggest books from different parts of the world. To her surprise, people from friends and colleagues to strangers reached out and went out of their way to help her by suggesting books, conducting research, and even sending books from their own countries.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The speaker discovered that their bookshelves were filled with books by British and North American authors, showing a lack of cultural diversity in their reading habits.

• They decided to embark on a project to read a novel, short story collection, or memoir from every country in the world.

• Through their project, the speaker received help from people all over the world who went out of their way to recommend and send books, highlighting the power of books to connect people across different cultures.