As the travelbag becomes more efficient – tiny, decanted toiletries; a capsule change of clothes to fit into a carry-on case; the Kindle and iPad are doing their bit most prominently for commuters, slimming down a couple of inches of battered,
As the travelbag becomes more efficient – tiny, decanted toiletries; a capsule change of clothes to fit into a carry-on case; the Kindle and iPad are doing their bit most prominently for commuters, slimming down a couple of inches of battered, well-thumbed paperback into a couple of centimetres of slick, gleaming machine.
A stay at The W London, however, encourages stimulation hungry travellers– and the public – to shut down their electronic books and make reading an experience again. The (W)riters' Library is a comfortable enclave putting the sex back into scripture, curated by journalist, playwright and salonniere Damien Barr, who has invited ten reverential authors to select ten titles each, resulting in a bookcase of 100 captivating reads.
Endorsed by Bret Easton Ellis, David Nicholls, Hephzibah Anderson, Geoff Dyer, Alex Preston, Naomi Alderman, Sloane Crosley, Jake Arnott, Craig Taylor and AnOther's Ned Beauman, each book includes a (handwritten) text on why it was selected and by who – a skewed 'have you read?' recommendation from the stimulating writer friend you always wanted.
Making headlines as the world’s first ‘reader in residence’, Barr has travelled the world reading stories aloud to hotel guests in his pyjamas, a self-described 'literary call-boy'. He is also the creator and owner of the Shoreditch House Literary Salon, whose guests include Diana Athill, John Waters and James Frey. "Before The W Hotel was even finished, they showed me this amazing space, full of light and air and potential," Barr reveals of his latest project. "They explained that a two-floor tall bookshelf would be there and asked me what I'd like to do. I decided I wanted to create a new kind of library – always exciting and vital when so many are closing. But I wanted it to be a library all about the spirit behind the books. Insider recommendations!" Expect to find Charles Dickens (Great Expections); Fredrich Nietzche (The Gay Science) and F Scott Fitzgerald (The Great Gatsby) alongside Phillip Larkin, Phillip Roth and Philip Pullman – amongst other editions to surprise and inspire, from classics to graphic novels.
"It is almost inconceivable to me that an adult human could travel more than about thirty paces from home without taking something substantial to read,"says author Beauman. "But if as a result of some nightmarish logistical mishap I somehow found myself on a trip with no book, I would be grateful for absolutely anything nearby. In that situation the sight of one hundred thoughtful options might be enough to reduce me to tears." His contributions to The (W)riters' Library have an architectural leitmotif. "I first started reading [about architecture] in detail when I was researching my debut novel Boxer, Beetle," Ned explains. "I love the way that, like postmodern fiction, it straddles so many disciplines: geometry, meteorology, ethics, acoustics... Unfortunately most of the architectsI know seem to have nothing but contempt for their entire profession, but I suppose that's true in a lot of jobs."
It's unsurprising that the bookshelf should become increasingly fetishised in a political climate closing public libraries left, right and centre, curtailing knowledge for all. The W's riposte marries reading with a humidor or nightclub-like glamour, putting books, and our interaction with them, back on a pedestal. Order a scotch or a cocktail whilst devouring a Flaubert novel – you won't get thrown out for doing so.
