A welcome reissue of this wonderful and refreshing manifesto on reading which everyone, readers and non-readers alike will enjoy hugely. Pennac’s thesis is that readers should feel free to read anything, anytime, anywhere – so long as they are enjoying themselves. But, they must also have the right to skip, the right not to finish a book and, even, the right not to read if they don’t want to. It is a liberating look at what is so special about reading and what gets in the way of making it so for everyone.
"The Rights of the Reader", which has sold over a million copies in France, grew from celebrated French writer Daniel Pennac's experiences of teaching in "challenging" schools. Central to the book is his belief that readers have rights: to read what, how, where and when they want, and - if they choose - the right NOT to read. This fresh, new translation combines the talents of award-winning translator Sarah Adams and renowned artist Quentin Blake, who illustrates and introduces the work.
