I own quite a few books and magazines. I'm a bit of a hoarder. I keep my worst excesses hidden away in the loft or in cupboards. I've been clearing the flat of someone who liked books too, and had no loft. Here's the main room after a few hours of tidying up
When we emptied cupboards (sometimes with a crowbar), bags of books fell on us. When there was no space in the room for the thousands of books, the kitchen started filling up with tottering piles.
And the bathroom was also used for storage. We found a toilet seat still in the packaging, and toilet rolls. Alas there was no water or electricity.
There were files and files of magazine, letter and newspaper cuttings, sorted into topics (one of the topics being "Tim Love"). Also in amongst the books were £30 of old pound coins. There was no single place for batteries, but at least they were labelled - e.g. "Used. Maybe a little life left?"
Books were of many types and languages. I think this is a bible in Cornish. Books have gone to local charity shops and to rural Africa in a container.
And there were exercise books filled with pages like this, written in a private code. Distances walked? Money spent? Time spent reading?
My story collection "By All Means" (ISBN 978-0-9570984-9-7), published by Nine Arches Press, is on sale from 
My poetry pamphlet "Moving Parts" (ISBN 978-1-905939-59-6) is out now, on sale at the 
As someone who loves books but hates mess I find the images here quite extraordinary, almost disturbing. Hoarding at this level is beyond my comprehension - not conceptually, or intellectually - but in terms of a true empathetic understanding would be. Why? What for? What on earth where they thinking..? These are the questions - unfairly judgmental I know - that go through my mind when I see these pictures. I'm almost writing this as a catharsis - for I truly don't understand what could drive this behaviour, and yet wish I did , at least a little.
ReplyDeleteI have never understood people who live like this. I, too, hate throwing stuff out but, luckily for me, I've moved home numerous times in my life and always managed to release a few things. Two years ago when Carrie and I decided on one (final?) move we filled an entire room with stuff to go to charity. That was quite satisfying I have to say. I parted with one book.
ReplyDeleteSomeone said that he sounds like a character from one of my stories. I think if I lived in a bedsit for years, I might also get edged out by my own bric-a-brac. The place was initially much darker and more crammed than it is in the photos - a maze of tottering towers. He's not the only person I've met who lived like that - the blurb for "Simon: The Genius in my Basement" says "Between teetering towers of outdated maps and slagheaps of plastic bags, Simon eats endless meals of tinned kippers".
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