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1. What does reading mean to you?

Reading is one of the main activities in my life. It is a relevant way to connect with the world, with others and with myself in different ways.

    2. Which book has made an impact on your life?

There are many. But there is one I remember very vividly, and that I keep coming back to. It is a graphic memoir, Maus by Art Spiegelman. It is both how it is told (comic art form) and the content of the story Spiegelman is telling: his father’s life in Nazi Germany, Auschwitz, and how he escaped to the US. It is a very powerful book that explores a traumatic past at different levels: historical, familiar and personal. 

    3. Would you recommend this book to students – and if not, would you recommend a different one?

I would recommend it to university students who would be willing to discuss it with others after reading it, since it could be distressing for some students. 

    4. Has going to university or becoming a university professor changed how you read? Is reading for pleasure the same as reading for disciplinary purposes?

Reading can refer to different activities depending on the reason why you pick one book: for personal reasons ( to pass the time, to learn something, to share an experience with a friend…) or professional reasons (you need to teach that book, you need to learn from it for your job, etc). Since my job is to teach literature and to write about it, the two reasons are not distinguishable in most cases. Sometimes I have to read texts that I do not really enjoy, but mostly I do. I am quite lucky in that sense. 

    5. Match favourite reading moments, referring to a place or a situation. 

Reading in silence anywhere on our beautiful campus (library, my office…) where I can look up from the book  and see students and professors coming and going, often with books in their hands or talking about those books.