Michael Cieply: A Sidewalk Encounter, And Why I Admire Screenwriters
11.06.2023 - 16:07
/ deadline.com
Two years ago, during the lockdown, I wrote that I had become addicted to those little bird-box libraries that make walking here something of a literary pilgrimage.
I’m still addicted. And almost two months ago, just before the writers strike began, I made a charming discovery–that one of my neighbors is a Very Famous Writer– all thanks to his sidewalk library.
The writer will remain unnamed, because privacy is something to be respected, even by reporters. But here’s the short form:
About four o’clock one afternoon, before the dog-crowd comes out, I felt a need for one of those short, head-clearing walks. A good target, I figured, would be a spot some blocks away, where somebody or other was maintaining what I’d long thought was the best little library in town. I won’t give titles, because some of those might tip the owner’s identity. But suffice it to say the books were consistently remarkable for their breadth, depth and unexpected subject matter. Odd bits of history. Political musings. Now and again, a fiercely intelligent semi-contemporary novel, but rarely the sort of pulp you find at the airport or in a thrift store.
Any time I left a book in exchange at this stop, it had to have some weight. Once, I dropped off a hardback copy of David Halberstam’s The Powers That Be, and nobody touched it for six weeks. The history of corporate media is clearly out of fashion. Another time I went with A Biography of the English Language by Melvyn Bragg. That did better.
Anyway, on this particular day I was surprised by the owner, who had just pulled into his drive.
“There’s not much in there right now, I need to fill it up,” he said.
“Actually,” I told him, “this is the best book box in town.”
“Well, I’m a writer,” he said.