“I read the newspaper, had lunch, played golf, tried to catch up on some reading with one of those Dickens videos.”
- Julian Barnes, A History of the World in 10 ½ Chapters
An audiobook is a recording of an oral reading of a book. It is usually abridged, although titles are recorded in their full-length form for audiobook aficionados who call themselves ‘tapeworms’ as opposed to ‘bookworms’. In America and England, the audiobook market is on the upswing. The Audio Publishers Association was created in 1986 to gather statistics pertaining to this industry. It informs us that as of December 2004, the industry was worth $800 million.
The habit of “listening” to books is yet to gain traction in India. However, many South Asian writers, including Salman Rushdie, Jhumpa Lahiri, and V.S. Naipaul, have audio renditions of their books out in the market. Many audiobooks feature celebrities as narrators in order to aggrandize the product.
Audiobook technology has advanced very rapidly. Tapes are still used, but CDs, MP3s, and the iPod are waiting to take over completely. Many countries have audiobook libraries. The APA states that people above 45 years of age constitute the key market, but clearly, other cohorts are moving into the picture.
At this juncture, we need to pose an audacious question, but one that needs to be asked, given the fact that the reading habit could be affected by this ineluctable trend. Why would anyone want to listen to books? Aren’t books meant to be read? Fans of the audiobook argue that one of the best uses of an audiobook is the ability to listen to it when we are commuting, washing the dishes, or walking in the park. People do not have time to read books otherwise and in this way, they seem to complete more books in a shorter span of time.
It is important to remember that the number of books consumed in a week is unimportant when compared to the quality of the experience that a book affords us, when we are free to mull over passages that need to be returned to and reread. Reading is more complex, personal, and enjoyable than just appreciating the element of storytelling inherent in the writing. It is an experience that needs to be sought and cherished. Roundabout ways, hardly measuring up to the original, cannot be sought in order cram books into tightly-packed days.
Added to this, many books have pictures, symbols, or puzzles that the reader can pause to think over, or turn back to the earlier parts of the book for clues. Details can enrich writing, and audiobooks do not do justice to our ability to savour certain authors’ assiduous research and craft.
On reading a book, we have so many visceral impressions about a particular character, the narrative, or the very tone and 'voice' of the writing, as it were. These elements constitute the written work’s (not the writer’s) personality, and in an audiobook, these elements simply cannot come through.
Publishers of audiobooks have declared that listening to audiobooks has improved general literacy, but written composition and spelling are aspects that are sadly overlooked, not to mention the fact that writing incites a natural flair for writing in many students.
There is no doubt that for the visually impaired, an audiobook is extremely useful, and for this purpose, their production should be encouraged. However, they are not to be favoured over books.
On the other hand, the audiobook can be mined for different other benefits, the foremost being the idea of “written for audio” books or dramatizations. Sixty-two years ago, George Orwell wrote about the need to use the radio to popularize poetry. Today, audio dramatizations (also available in audiobook format) use multiple performers, little or no narration, music, and sound effects. The BBC also has a long history of radio dramas and its 13-hour adaptation of ‘The Lord of the Rings’ features a formidable cast, a beautiful score, and well-produced sound effects.
As children, our parents would have undoubtedly read books to us. This is often seen as a glorious way to share a book together, but nothing can come close to living vicariously, to the feeling of being in control of one’s own book and to having it tailor-made to suit one’s fancy. Individual impressions are like palimpsests and they are individual treasures. Let’s face it: “listening” to ‘The Hobbit’ when camping out in the woods doesn’t quite hack it.
First published in Deccan Herald, April 29th, 2007.
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