…when the world will give you almost no reward for the enormous effort?

An attempt at an answer from the poet Dana Gioia (brother of the brilliant music critic Ted). This is the latest part in his new series of short videos. Worth checking out, if only for his incredibly soothing voice.

Dana Gioia’s new memoir, Studying with Miss Bishop, is also a moving record of his own journey in the world of words. Here’s the opening paragraph:

“Every reader has two lives—one public, the other secret. The public life is the one visible to teachers, friends, and families, though none of them ever sees it fully. It consists of homes and houses, schools and schoolmates, friends and enemies, lovers, colleagues, and competitors. This is the realm of experience universally known as real life. But every true reader has a secret life, which is equally intense, complex, and important. […] Some books guide us. Others lead us astray. A few rescue or redeem us. All of them confide something of the wonder, joy, terror, and mystery of being alive.“

Buy the book here.