The reading list - what celebrities are reading
The magic of a good book is palpable. It frees the soul from the banalities of everyday life and allows it to travel to other worlds. Walk in other people’s shoes and feel the unimaginable. It also has lasting influences on one’s personality, determining the kind of person, friend, lover, citizen and leader you will be. According to The New York Times, Steve Jobbs had an ardent interest in the work of English poet, William Blake. The founder of Nike, Phil Knight is so protective about his library that one has to take off their shoes and bow before entering. And Winston Churchill’s devotion to the pen, earned him a Nobel prize in literature instead of peace.
Influential minds have always revered books and been shaped by them. Therefore, to gauge the literary mood in the country, we asked a few prominent minds in Pakistan about what lined their bookshelves currently and how it had influenced them.
Currently reading: Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson. A remarkable story about the creator of Apple, the brand he created and his personal journey.
A book that I have read multiple times and still find something new each time: The Tipping point and Blink by Malcolm Gladwell.
The book that changed my life: Three Cups of Tea and The Alchemist. These books teach you to follow your dreams and step out of your comfort zone for the greater good of humanity.
Current State of mind: Completely at peace with myself, thanks to yoga.
A book I do not mind reading again and again: Don’t usually read a book twice but have read some chapters again from After the Prophet.
The book that changed my life: Conversations with God by Neale Donald Walsch.
Currently feeling: Introspective. Constructive. Focused.
Currently reading:
The Art of Thinking Clearly by Rolf Dobelli.
A book that I have read multiple times and still find something new each time: Good to Great by Jim Collins.
The book that changed my life:
Shikwa/Jawab-e-Shikwa by Allama Iqbal because of its moral clarity, the genius of its poetry and the relevance of its message in our times.
Current State of mind: Absolutely amazed at our warped priorities while the masses suffer immeasurably. It’s about time we take ownership of our challenges and stop blaming others.
Currently reading: The Price of Inequality by Joseph E Stiglitz, which talks about how politics and the economy have been hijacked by a financial elite.
Also reading Kashmir: A Disputed Legacy 1846-1990 by Alastair Lamb which examines the history of the dispute from its remote origins in the early nineteenth century until the spring of 1990 when Pakistan and India were on the verge of a fourth armed conflict.
Currently reading: They Hang: Twelve Women in My Portrait Gallery by Seyda S Hameed.
Books everyone should read: Bacha Khan’s autobiography and Facts are Facts by Wali Khan should be a must-read for everyone in Pakistan and even be a part of the curriculum.
Books are: Very expensive in Pakistan and most families do not encourage reading. Many of the bookstores in Peshawar have closed down because people have stopped buying books. We need to support public libraries and bookstores and encourage our next generation to read as much as possible.
Currently reading: Very active as an actor/producer these days so reading a lot of television scripts. But I love to read all types of literature, especially fiction, romance novels and biographies. I try to read a lot of technical books on media-related subjects as well, since it helps me evolve as a professional.
One book that offers something new each time: I have read the Holy Quran in English many times over and find it fascinating. Each time, I discover new things that improve my understanding of life.
Currently feeling: Peaceful. I hope it remains like that for some time.
Currently on my reading list: Lord Jim, a novel by Joseph Conrad, originally published as a serial in Blackwood’s Magazine from October, 1899 to November, 1900.
The book that changed my life: One book does not change your life, but there are many that leave a mark in their own way. Hemmingway’s work and Catch 22 by American author Joseph Heller have influenced me in many ways.
Your reading list should be: As long and as diverse as possible.
Currently on my bedside: Essays of Sir Francis Bacon that cover topics drawn from both public and private life and in each case the essays cover their topics systematically from a number of different angles, weighing one argument against another.
Also reading: Glimpses of World History, written by Jawaharlal Nehru in 1934 which is a panoramic sweep of the history of humankind.
Recommended reading: The 48 Laws of Power, an international bestseller, which is a practical guide for anyone who wants power, observes power, or wants to arm themselves against power.
Currently on my reading list: An Uncertain Glory: India and its Contradictions by Jean Drèze and Amartya Sen. The book highlights the dichotomy in India, where the country is progressing on one hand but at the same time, there are massive inequalities too.
Books are: Not just meant to be to read and stored. They are meant to be a part of our everyday world so that they live in and among us. Freely lend and borrow books and discuss, quote and exchange the treasure of ideas they contain within them.
On my bedside right now: Parallel Stories by Peter Nadas.
The book that offers me something new each time: Remembrance of Things Past by Marcel Proust.
The book that changed my life: Dr Shariati’s writings.
Current state of mind: Relaxed as always.
Currently reading: A collection of plays by British playwright/director/poet Harold Pinter, which talk about the abuse of state power. Also reading Hai Allah, a collection of short stories by Hajra Masroor. These are very poignant writings about women and though Hajra’s approach is traditional, her sensibilities are modern and contemporary.
One book I can read over and over again: Aag ka Darya by Qurratulain Hyder, a remarkable book, both in terms of style as well as content. It is [the kind of] book in which one finds new aspects every time you read it.
The book that changed my life: The Female Eunuch by Germaine Greer. I read this book when I was 19 and it gave me a totally new perspective on women and how deeply patriarchy is ingrained in the psyche of both men and women.
Current state of mind: I vacillate between being extremely depressed about the state of affairs in our country to being hopeful. Perhaps, I could say that there are moments when I feel that the women in Pakistan will bring about a change and move towards a freer and less oppressive society. I feel this [hope] when we go into the low-income localities and perform our street plays and see how positively people react to these performances.
Currently reading: The Mughal Throne by Abraham Eraly.
A book that I do not mind reading again and again: As a child, I read A Tale of Two Cities, the old classic by Charles Dickens several times. I have also read Kulliyat-e-Ismat Chughtai Afsanay multiple times.
The book that changed my life: Diwan-i-Ghalib and Iqbal’s poetry. I [used to] like reading history a lot. [However], over time I have completely let go of this habit and I am [trying to] catch up on my old ways now.
Despite a global literacy of 84%, those familiar with the pleasure of curling up with a good read seems to be declining. Some argue that books are not losing their audience; instead they are merely changing form with the onset of modern technology. But that Bukowski’s wit and Camus’s absurdism may be lost on a generation whose attention span is limited to 140 characters is a possibility that cannot be denied any longer.
Saadia Qamar is a Life & Style reporter at The Express Tribune.
Zahid Gishkori is a National reporter at The Express Tribune. He tweets @ZahidGishkori
Published in The Express Tribune, Sunday Magazine, December 15th, 2013.