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The
Big Read - what
they've been saying聟
Since
the project began, lots of people have been showing their support
for The 大象传媒 Big Read and nominating their favourite books聟..
Tessa
Jowell, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport:
"I've
chosen Peter Pan by JM Barrie as my favourite children's book.
"I
have read the unabridged version to both my children and - like
many parents before and since - have had the joy of seeing Barrie's
wonderful tale seduce their imaginations.
"The
adventures of the boy who doesn't want to grow up has universal
appeal. We all want to keep something of the child in us.
"Our
language and literature are without a doubt Britain's greatest contribution
to the cultural heritage of the world.
"Private
reading, the fun of book clubs, and initiatives like the 大象传媒's The
Big Read celebrate this.
"And,
as the voting has shown, it has caught the imagination of readers
and book lovers across the country.
"The
大象传媒's aim, along with schools, libraries and literacy groups, to
involve more people in reading groups is an exciting idea and one
that I hope will keep readers all over the UK exploring and sharing
the wonderful world of books."
Charles
Clarke, Secretary of State for Education and Skills:
"Few
nations match our rich resource of literature.
"So
it will be exciting to see which book, with so many from which to
choose, will be the nation's favourite.
"One
of my passions is that children enjoy their time at school - and
reading for pleasure can be an important part of that.
"But
it doesn't stop at school. We can all enjoy books throughout our
lives - as I certainly continue to do."
David
Blunkett, Home Secretary:
"The
book I've chosen is called White Fang by Jack London and it's a
children's book for children of all ages.
"It's
well written, it's expressive, it provides both emotion and a vivid
picture through animal life - through half wolf, half dog - the
kind of emotions we have as adults, as human beings and it expresses
that through the cruelty and the wonder of nature, the emotions
that the dog goes through and in the end the tremendous power of
love and affection."
Ann
Widdecombe, Shadow Home Secretary:
"The
instant you say All Quiet On The Western Front people remember that
great 20th century classic book on war, a book about a school boy
turned into a soldier overnight.
"And
it is a truly horrible recreation of the day to day living in the
trenches. And so much so that it's inspired two films. The first
old black and white is the one I always think of on Remembrance
Sunday, seeing those panning shots of the battlefield hell."
Michael
Portillo, politician:
"I
chose Emma by Jane Austen. It's a wonderfully observant book. It
tells you a lot about human nature. The conversation is brilliantly
recorded.
"Emma
is a flawed heroine. You wince at her mistakes, you rejoice at her
triumph. And in the end she does what she should have and marries
the right man."
Charles
Kennedy, Leader of the Liberal Democrats:
"'My
favourite novel is Frederick Forsythe's Day Of The Jackal, the story
about the unproven case of this apparent Englishman who was hired
to assassinate De Gaulle聟
"There's
a bit of you that almost says to yourself "He's so clever",
you almost want this to come off.
"But
obviously given the job I do these days you think "no, no,
no", you can't be in favour of the political assassination
of political leaders."
Simon
Schama, historian:
"I
first read War And Peace about 100 years after Tolstoy wrote it.
"In
1964, I had taken a student job for the summer break and was sitting
in a restaurant reading it.
"And
a very sweet rather whiskery old gent leaned forward and apologised
for disturbing me and said in a phrase that could come from Tolstoy
- "I see you're setting out on the great journey" - and
I see what he means."
David
Puttnam, producer:
"I've
chosen Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson as I think
it's a very important book because it's about drugs, because it's
about psychology and because it has insights into all of us."
Ian
Hislop, satirist:
"England
Their England by AG Macdonell which was written in the thirties
and is about a young Scotsman who's got shell shocked during the
First World War聟 I love it.
"It's
very, very comforting, it's very funny and whenever you think things
in this country are pretty bonkers then you can read this book from
the thirties and realise "Ah, they've always been fairly similar"."
Trevor
Phillips, Chair of the CRE:
"Bleak
House by Charles Dickens is my favourite book.
"It's
a huge book and it has everything in it. It's got a soap opera,
it's got a murder, it's got comedy, it's got the city of London,
huge contrast of rich and poor, and it has savage satire.
"It's
got everything there, it's a fantastic read and you can't put it
down."
Terry
Waite, writer and lecturer:
"The
book I have chosen is James Joyce's Dubliners and I've chosen it
because that was one of the books that I was given in captivity
and I was given it at a particular time of the year, round about
Christmas day when I'd been alone for two or three years and when
I was feeling pretty thin and miserable.
"In
that book there was a story of a Christmas party and I remember
reading that and marvelling at Joyce's descriptive ability and began
to enter into the whole spirit of this party and enter into the
whole experience.
"That's
what Dubliners does for you."
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