Ackroyd,
Peter. Chatterton (New York: Grove Press, c1987). 234 p.
A
librarian plays a supporting role in this eccentric story.
Philip
Slack stared at the rows of dark books; then he switched on the
electric light above his head, and in the bright circle he could see
the red, brown and green cloths of the volumes, their spines dulled
and rubbed, many of their titles so faded that only certain letters
could be recognised, their edges worn at the top where other people
had taken them down to read them. And, beyond this circle of light in
which he stood, the books cast intense shadows. He was in 'the
stack', the basement of the library in which he worked, where all the
forgotten or neglected volumes were deposited. Some of these had been
piled in corners, where they leaned precariously against the damp
stone walls of the basement; but some were scattered across the
floor, and it occurred to him that they had been dragged from the
shelves by vermin before being eaten. Within this place there
lingered the musty, invasive odour of decay; but it was a smell which
soothed and pleased Philip. (p. 68)
Another
evocative scene:
Some
recently acquired volumes had been placed [on his desk] for him to
catalogue and, as he gradually became absorbed in his work, his
anxiety abated. The library was not peaceful but it was a place of
somewhat precarious refuge, and by now he was accustomed to the
footsteps, the coughing and the occasional muttered voices of those
who came to sit here in the early afternoon. And why should he, who
knew the comfort of books, deny it to others? (p. 71).
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