The Library of Thomas Rivka

by Martin Nakell

In this short fiction Los Angeles writer Martin Nakell explores various ideas, philosophical and practical, about an entire library of books - how to classify them, how to order them, their bindings, their markings, and what their being within the same library means, how they "communicate" with one another - all of which helps to reveal the personality and mind of their owner Thomas Rivka. Suggesting other such fictions by figures from J. K. Huysmans to Jorge Luis Borges, The Library of Thomas Rivka is an absurdly humorous work - the collector even refuses to read his books - exploring and revealing what knowledge and the containers of that knowledge mean in the human experience.

86 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1997

Reviews

[Eden · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was a fun short story just got a little hard to follow near the end. i like books about books so it had that going for it.

[olivier]

i really loved the chapter titles

[Mark Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

From Borges to Joyce. An intriguing, dense read.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I admit, I started this book skeptically. In actuality, I did enjoy it and the exploration of Thomas Rivka and his relationship to this books, and the way he interacts with his world. It was interesting and thought-provoking. A short read, it's a good read for a quiet rainy afternoon (or rainy hour, if you're a fast reader), and then that'll be it. I feel no desire to pick this book up again.