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Pierre Bayard

How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read Hardcover – November 4, 2007

by Pierre Bayard (Author)

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If civilized people are expected to have read all important works of literature, and thousands more books are published every year, what are we supposed to do in those awkward social situations in which we're forced to talk about books we haven't read? In this delightfully witty, provocative book, a huge hit in France that has drawn huge attention from critics around the world, literature professor and psychoanalyst Bayard argues that it's actually more important to know a book's role in our collective library than its details. Using examples from such writers as Graham Greene, Oscar Wilde, Montaigne, and Umberto Eco, and even the movie Groundhog Day, he describes the many varieties of "non-reading" and the horribly sticky social situations that might confront us, and then offers his advice on what to do. Practical, funny, and thought-provoking, How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read is in the end a love letter to books, offering a whole new perspective on how we read and absorb them. It's the book that readers everywhere will be talking about-and despite themselves, reading-this holiday season.

Check out these articles about the French edition of How to Talk about Books you Haven't Read:

New York Times - 'Read It? No, but You Can Skim a Few Pages and Fake It' by Alan Riding
(also published in the International Herald Tribune)

Chronicle of Higher Education - 'Huckleberry Who? by Lennard J. Davis

Times Online (UK edition) - 'Viewpoint' by Sarah Vine

The Harvard Crimson - 'You've Read 'Gravity's Rainbow'? Bullshit'm by Madeline K. B. Ross

Broad Street Review - 'The only book you'll ever need' by Leonard Boasberg

Print length

208 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Bloomsbury USA
Publication date

November 4, 2007
Dimensions

5.67 x 0.84 x 7.8 inches
ISBN-10

1596914696
ISBN-13

978-1596914698
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“I probably shouldn't bring any of this up, but Mr. Bayard holds that one of the best reasons for reading a book is that it allows you to talk about yourself. How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read is an amusing disquisition on what is required to establish cultural literacy in a comfortable way. Lightly laced with irony, the book nonetheless raises such serious questions as: What are our true motives for reading? Is there an objective way to read a book? What do we retain from the books we've read?” ―Joseph Epstein, Wall Street Journal

“Witty and charming and often fun.” ―Sam Anderson, New York Magazine

“I read and adored Pierre Bayard's book. It's funny, smart, and so true--a wonderful combination of slick French philosophizing and tongue-in-cheek wit, and an honest appraisal of what it means, or doesn't mean, to read.” ―Clare Messud, author of The Emperor's Children

“It may well be that too many books are published, but by good fortune, not all must be read…A survivor's guide to life in the chattering classes…evidently much in need.” ―New York Times

“In this work of inspired nonsense -- which nevertheless evokes our very real sense of insecurity about the gaps in our cultural knowledge -- reading is not only superfluous, it is meaningless. Our need to appear well-read is all.” ―Sarah Gold, Chicago Tribune

“In this hilarious and elaborate spoof, Bayard proves once again that being almost ridiculously erudite and screamingly funny are by no means mutually exclusive.” ―Booklist

“Brilliant…A witty and useful piece of literary sociology, designed to bring lasting peace of mind to the scrupulous souls who grow anxious whenever the book-talk around them becomes too specific.” ―London Review of Books

“With rare humor, Bayard liberally rethinks the social use [of literature] and the position of the reader…Read or skim How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read. Or simply listen to what people say about it so that you can talk about it with ease. In either case, you may not be able to forget it.” ―Les Inrockuptibles

About the Author

Pierre Bayard is a professor of French literature at the University of Paris VIII and a psychoanalyst. He is the author of Who Killed Roger Ackroyd?, and many other books.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bloomsbury USA; First edition (November 4, 2007)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 208 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1596914696
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1596914698
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 11.4 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.67 x 0.84 x 7.8 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #332,206 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #442 in General Books & Reading
- #2,051 in Literary Criticism & Theory
- #2,519 in Literary Movements & Periods

Customer Reviews:
102 ratings

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5 star		53%
4 star		17%
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2 star		4%
1 star		12%

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David Evans

Pierre, almost thou persuadest me to be a non-reader! [1]

Reviewed in the United States on August 3, 2010

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Bayard's book is both witty and insightful. Here are the two messages I take away from it:

2. Being willing to fearlessly engage about books we have not read cover-to-cover (or at all) opens the door to greater creativity within us, as we are less likely to get entirely wrapped up in the ideas of others, but rather we can use whatever elements we have encountered as a springboard for our own creativity.

In each chapter, Bayard explores some element of "non-reading," using a different book as a text. For example, he draws on Graham Greene's The Third Man [2] as an example of how to speak in society about books we haven't read (as the protagonist is forced to do at one point) and on Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose [3] to demonstrate decoding what a book is about only from what you've heard about it (as the protagonist of that book must do). One chapter even uses a film as its text, none other than the brilliant Groundhog Day (on how to seduce someone by talking about books you haven't read). Ironically, I will surely go on to read several of the books he described (but don't worry, Pierre, I'm sure I will forget them soon after.) One of the funniest innovations is Bayard's system of footnoting, which consists of the following abbreviations:

Note there is no marking for "Book I've read," as part of the premise is that there is no book we have simply read. Even those books we have read cover-to-cover are books we have already begun to forget or to remember incorrectly.

Another fun element is a game called Humiliation, introduced in the chapter on "Not Being Ashamed," in which players name a book they have not read but then gain a point for each person in the group who has read it, i.e., winning only by demonstrating oneself as less well-read. We played that game at a recent family event and had loads of fun humbling ourselves. (It also works with films.)

There is even a surprising revelation in the penultimate chapter "Inventing Books," which is a significant accomplishment for a book of this genre. (It's like The Sixth Sense [4] of literary criticism. Or The Village [5]. Or Invincible [6].)

Just as Anne Fadiman's essay "Never Do That To A Book" in Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader [7], Bayard may actually have changed my relationship to books, giving me license and a rationale to appreciate, interpret, and - most importantly - talk about books that I have experienced more casually than others.

* A friend asked me how forgetting a book can lead to a meaningful interaction: Bayard's premise, with which I concur, is that as we forget books, what we actual remember reflects less the book and more ourselves, which is a valuable starting place for a meaningful interaction.

[1] Adapted from Acts 26:28, The Bible, BS++
[2] BH++
[3] BF+
[4] MF++
[5] MF-
[6] MF+
[7] BF++

6 people found this helpful

Helpful

Camber

Brilliant and Liberating: A Must-Read for Readers (and Non-Readers)!

Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2009

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This is among the very best books I've ever read, and is so packed with profound insight that I'm not sure how to review it, even after having read the print version a few months ago and having just finished listening to the unabridged audiobook. But one would hope that two passes through the book are sufficient, and I've recently gotten into the practice of reviewing every book I read (or listen to), so I guess it's time to try.

I think that the main thing this book accomplishes is to "invert" our relationship to books. Most of us are conditioned to treat books as though they're fixed objects with fixed contents, and so our job is to struggle to attain an "accurate" and "complete" understanding of each book, much as a scientist might aim to understand an atom, rock, or starfish. Therefore, if we're unable to properly understand a book in the first place, or if we come to misunderstand or forget a book over time, the fault and failure are ours.

Instead of falling prey to this sad state of affairs, Bayard teaches us that we should view books as being there to serve us, not the other way around (hence the inversion), and so we should freely take (or not take) what we need and want from books. And the "us" I refer to is each of us as an individual, as well as all of us collectively, interacting both with each other and with the (essentially infinite) universe of books.

When we adopt this perspective, we realize that there's no sin in skimming books, forgetting books, abandoning books, learning about books through the comments of others, interpreting books in an idiosyncratic way, disagreeing with books, judging that books are poorly written, or even deliberately not reading particular books at all. Sometimes it might even be permissible to talk about books you haven't read.

Bayard convincingly leads us to this perspective in a systematic and sophisticated way, using well-chosen case studies and very witty and entertaining prose (translated flawlessly from the original French). Sometimes Bayard engages in what seems like provocative hyperbole, but I don't think that this book is quite a work of satire, since all of the ideas fit together too coherently. Rather, I think that even Bayard's hyperbole always contains a kernel of truth, and often much more than a kernel, so part of the reader's challenge and fun is to figure out how seriously to take him.

Again, this is one the very best books I've ever read, so of course I highly recommend it, especially for people who read with any regularity. Indeed, for that audience this book is a must read, even though the book makes the case that non-reading is also sometimes appropriate. This book has the potential to radically transform your relationship to books in a way that's liberating and even empowering.

Ultimately, Bayard doesn't argue for not reading, or reading in a lazy or sloppy way. He argues for reading actively and wisely, with a conscious awareness of what one hopes to gain from reading.

24 people found this helpful

Helpful

Füzûlî

Not what it sounds like: it is NOT about NOT READING

Reviewed in the United States on July 15, 2013

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I am hoping to read this in its original French (for any nuances that may come from the "original"); but, it is a masterful work in English, and hope much more will be done on this topic and much more discussion in an academic level. This is not a dismissal of reading, and not a treatise on NOT READING, but rather on feeling comfortable about the fact that one, in one's life-time, will never, ever read all that one wishes to read. One can come close to it, but one will never get there. It is the universal "pursuit of perfection"; some will read more, and retain much, and some will read less, but retain much! Also, as one has to admit, even in the academic fields, there is always "one more" thing to read... one more unexplored field, or title, or place... the pursuit is what is fun, and valuable. THAT too is the reason why being in a library building filled with actual "books" (the physical copies of materials) is so important. The virtual reading of materials that are intangible, are not the same as browsing and "stumbling" upon another find, during the search. The journey is the discovery, not just the one item that is intended, or in hand. Likewise, even though I have never ever read the entire works of Shakespeare, I am aware of its immensity and importance. A poem, reveals its surface meaning to the casual reader, and it may be fun, it may be enlightening, and much more; but, to the one who delves further inside the inner levels and layers, there is much more to be found. One also has the right to sea, read, taste, and discard a piece, to his or her own taste. I will be re-reading THIS gem, in English; but hope to do so, also, in French, for the above-mentioned reasons. For all or most of us: happy trails !

5 people found this helpful

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Marin P

Written with understated humour by a literate, demonstrates that ...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 14, 2015

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Written with understated humour by a literate, demonstrates that talking about a book is a more complex and relative process than we use to think it is.
I read it earlier this summer. I forgot everything about it.

2 people found this helpful

Annabel Gaskell

A curate's oeuf of a book!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 22, 2008

Verified Purchase

A strange book - my verdict using the author's own rating system would be SB+ (Book I have skimmed, and have a positive opinion of). Bits of it were witty and fascinating - others less so.
Not amazingly the chapters I enjoyed most were those using books I have actually read to illustrate a particular facet of non-reading - ie: Eco's The name of the Rose; Greene's The Third Man, and David Lodge's Small World & Changing Places; and Hamlet. Each of those chapters made me want to go and re-read the source. However, I have no desire to visit any of the other major books used, mostly obscure (to me) French texts, and thus previously unknown to me (UB-) but are now heard of (HB--) and will remain so! - these were the bits I skimmed.
Interestingly the author declines to specifically say whether he has actually fully 'read' any of the books mentioned or analysed. I also found a witty degree of self-parody, as we learn very little about the author's personal reading habits. This is extended to the fact that he uses many examples of fictional non-reading that authors have created in their books to illustrate his thesis!
I admit, I'm think I'm quite a dab hand at talking about books I haven't yet read, as my own to be read pile is about 1000 books - and I do read the blurbs and reviews before filing them, and I adore looking at books on a shelf. This skill also enables me to say "Oh I've got that, but not read it yet" with monotonous regularity when helping to choose a book at our Book Group.

7 people found this helpful

Daniela La Penna

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 21, 2015

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very funny and extremely smart!

Jonathan Miller

Absolutely splendid

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 2, 2007

Verified Purchase

More than a practical guide, this is a meditation on reading impeccably translated by Jeffrey Mehlman. Drawing on sources from Gustave Flaubert and Oscar Wilde to Umberto Eco and David Lodge, the book is insightful, scholarly, shocking and profoundly convincing. This is a must for any bibliophile's holiday stocking and a source of great comfort for those of us who have never got through Proust. A magnificent tour de force.

11 people found this helpful

Robert A. Campbell

Hilarious and thought-provoking

Reviewed in Canada on December 13, 2017

Verified Purchase

A profound meditation on the printed word. One of the best books I've read in a long time.

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