Reading in times of disturbance – Alberto Manguel

Alberto Manguel, the Argentine-Canadian writer and thinker, one of the most prominent voices in world literature when it comes to books or reading as an existential act, not a hobby. He is known for his books that contemplate the meaning of the library, language, and the mysterious relationship between the reader and the text, such as "The History of Reading" and "The Library at Night." As for his book "Reading in Times of Turmoil" (translated by Reem Gnaim), Manguel tends to accompany the reader amidst the chaos of the world, in a time when noise is abundant and listening is scarce, to remind us that reading is not only an escape from reality but a means to understand and question it. This work belongs to the genre of reflective literary essays, containing a collection of texts written by Manguel at different times, ranging from intellectual biography to philosophical critical reading. The main idea that unites them is that reading is resistance to time; an act by which a person reclaims their inner voice when the world falls silent or suffocates with superficiality. In the essay "A Portrait of the Reader in Times of Turmoil," Manguel depicts the reader as a wandering exile, carrying their library as a lifeline. To him, the reader is not withdrawn from the world but immersed in it in their own way, reading to find solace in texts against destruction. In the essay "A Blind Consolation," his humanity is evident as he invokes the image of blindness as a symbol of inner insight, emphasizing that reading does not require eyes as much as it requires imagination. In "Isaac’s Tears" and "Waving or Drowning," he blends religious contemplation with ethical questions, tracing the thread of mercy in sacred stories, as if reading for him is a constant act of confession before great texts. Between each essay, the reader perceives Manguel’s calm yet rebellious voice: a voice that believes books do not save the world, but teach how to save oneself. At the end of the book, Manguel does not offer ready answers but leaves us with a troubling and beautiful question: In a world rushing toward noise and oblivion, do we still have the courage to sit and open a book?