Book Attachment

Book Attachment by Ahmad Akhavan is about the love for books and lived experiences related to them. Like most of Akhavan’s works, this book is a combination of original texts and translations, all centered around the theme of love for books. The author demonstrates that books are not only tools of knowledge and information but also faithful companions in our lives. He explores nostalgic, emotional, and even philosophical themes related to books, showing that attachment to books, like any love, has its bitter and sweet aspects. Ahmad Akhavan writes: “Attachment means emotional belonging. The writer bonds with his characters and cannot separate from them, just as some of us wake up at midnight to check on our sleeping children. Books are the same; some of them find a place in our hearts, making it hard to let go.” The book has six main chapters. The first chapter, “First Words on Books,” introduces love and attachment to books. The second chapter, “Meanings and Expressions of Books,” covers topics such as book calendars, the spirit of an era, clinical books, book weight, book-based cities, the hazards of book hoarding, the immortality of books, traveling with books, and psychometrics of books. The third chapter, “Miscellaneous Books,” includes recovered Borges’s lecture on Don Quixote, love of Stendhal, Mrs. Dalloway hours, “Mary Mary Hold On Tight,” and “Celingerman.” The fourth chapter, “Attachment to Reading,” discusses the pleasures of reading, a conversation with Alberto Manguel about attachment to reading, poetic attachment, reading aloud, and the first reader. The fifth chapter focuses on “Library Attachment,” with topics like everyone’s library, the mind’s library, and the writer’s library. The final chapter, “The Dark Side of Book Attachment,” addresses desires, what happens to your library after you die, difficulties in freeing oneself from books, how to rid yourself of some books, and a world of one’s own. Ahmad Akhavan, whose books are rare in Persian literature, combines meticulous research and references with a passionate writing style about authors, books, reading experiences, and book ownership. Readers feel a close connection with him, as if they have been lifelong friends. “Book Attachment,” like many of his other books, offers fresh and original content that is highly readable, distinct, and delightful for book lovers.