Newcastle University

Why do you read – is it primarily for pleasure?

Yes, also I think increasingly for therapy, because I do find as I get older that to get away from the stress and strain – and this is to do with old age […] – as an old person I find increasingly that, as life becomes more difficult due to age and increasing handicap and fear of the future […] I can read a book and I can still find goodness. Take myself right away. […] So whether that’s reading for pleasure or not, I don’t know. I read because it’s a part of life. I would say, to me, it’s a necessity. I cannot understand friends who do not read books. Well, I can accept that everybody’s different, but for me, reading has always been essential.