Miss Kolka

producing her own life

<< More pictures | Bookworm | Coming to an end >>

Bookworm | 18 décembre 2008

Something I thought I would never miss in the countdown to christmas was book advertising. Now I just can't help but wonder why so few books are on commercials here in France just before christmas. I never see one on tv or hear special adverts on the radio. Sure there are radio shows with book critics all over (no radio talk show can exist without their literary commentator it seems) but somehow this does not seem satisfying to me. Often the choices these critics make can seem obscure or a bit above my comphrehension and yet I love to read. Isn't it a bit unusual for a country that praises itself for literature that it seems to hide these particular assets during the biggest shopping fest of the year?

Pan pointed out to me that perhaps it is because it's "cheap to have to sell your book", its beneath the author's dignity to advertise, people should just know what to buy. And Im sure 2 or even 3 % of France's population knows exactly what book to buy when and where and is very aware of the choices they have. The problem is that the rest (perhaps 97%) are totally lost when they enter a bookshop. Shouldn't book editors try to reach them as well - instead of counting only on the small intelligentsia? Books should be for the masses. There is nothing more enjoyable than reading a good book, and it can certainly compensate for all the bad tv programs like the reality shows about France's poor that live on the streets, Star academy with their awful singers or all the replays of old and corny christmas movies shown on tv every single year (WHo want's to see "Le pére Noel est une ordure" yet again?? Its from 1982 for crying out loud!)

But I guess its all down to traditions. In Iceland, its common to get at least 2-3 books under the tree, so a few weeks before christmas, tv stations are drowning in book commercials - advertising gets twice as much time than usual in this golden period - and you hear about most of the books at some point - so before you go to the bookstore, you actually already have an idea of what to buy. I have gotten many of the most interesting books I've read this way. From Santa. But then again, at this time of year, In Iceland, its dark and people love to stay in their warm homes with cookies and a good book. Christmas in Paris is more like, "lets stuff the goose and eat it - then we'll drink some champagne to celebrate". Here books are just for the metro - and now the ipods have taken over. So its cultural I guess.

Publié par Kolka à 11:01:03 dans Miss Kolka | Commentaires (0) | Permaliens