The Man Who Reads to People

Not only children but also many adults like being read to. There is something so basic, so almost primeval, and so enchanting, about being told or read a story. Even -- or perhaps especially -- for those of us who love to read, there are the gifts of the added dimension of sound, of the rhythm of the language, when hearing a story read aloud (as I have written about here, several times in different contexts). In the 6/26/11 issue of The San Francisco Chronicle there is a story, titled “Words on Wheels: British Expat’s Elegant Elocution Charms Book-Loving Clients,” by and about Alex Collins, who has a business reading to customers. He wears a tuxedo jacket and bow tie, goes to the client’s chosen location -- home, office, park, etc. -- and reads the literary selections the client requests. Collins reports that “British classics -- Austen and Bronte -- are popular, but all requests are entertained.” Other literature he has been asked to read includes poems by Rilke, passages from Paulo Coelho’s “The Alchemist,” and selections from D. H. Lawrence’s work. Apparently Collins’ British accent and “dulcet tones” are big assets in his business. (As readers of this blog know, I am one of those easily impressed by a British accent...what can I say?). He concludes by saying that he considers his readings to clients “a kind of bibliotherapy for us both.”