By the Book: Yo-Yo Ma

By the Book: Yo-Yo Ma

 

'By The Book'은 작가나 유명 인사로부터의 '독서에 관한 질문의 대답'을

읽는 뉴욕타임즈 칼럼이다. 매주 나오는 이 칼럼 읽기를 친구에 대한 얘기

듣듯 즐긴다. 내가 좋아하면 남도 좋아할 것 같아서 또 올린다. 위 칼럼에서

세 질문의 대답만 아래에 따로 인용한다.

 

나도 좋아하는 소설가 Ann Patchett 와 나도 그의 책을 흥미롭게 읽은

물리학자 Freeman Dyson 을 Yo-Yo Ma 는 '문학 만찬'에 소크라테스와

함께 초대하고 싶단다.

 

Who are your favorite musician-writers? Your favorite memoir by a musician?

“Joys and Sorrows,” by Pablo Casals. Casals was one of the greatest cellists of the last century. He rediscovered Bach’s cello suites for generations of musicians and listeners, he stood always for liberty and against despotism, and he lived by a simple philosophy that has become my own: He thought of himself as a human being first, a musician second and, only third, a cellist. I met him when I was 7 and asked him for his autograph, and he gave me some advice: “Always make time for baseball.” It took me decades to realize he was telling me to be a human first.

 

How do you organize your books?

I don’t. I am so disorganized. Thank goodness my wife has the ability to put them in order, because then I am surprised anew by what wonderful books we have.

 

You’re organizing a literary dinner party. Which three writers, dead or alive, do you invite?

Ann Patchett: I’ve read all of her books; her humanistic imagination knows no limits.

Freeman Dyson, the theoretical physicist who died earlier this year at age 96. He never stopped learning and in one of his final essays wrote, “Cultural evolution will be the main force driving our future.”

Socrates: For once, I’d like to ask the questions.