If You Want to Become a Good Reader, Start Reading Fiction
I’ve always been a book lover, but it wasn’t until 1997 that my reading journey took a serious impetus. Johan, my landlord and English literature teacher, introduced me to the world of British and American literary fiction and genre fiction. At that time, I was in my early 20s, just settling into the vibrant city of Aalborg in Denmark, where the digital revolution was gaining momentum with the rise of the internet, email, browsing, and online libraries.
Johan, a Danish national with a deep love for all things Anglophile, took notice of my reading habits, which, although more extensive than my friends, were still somewhat primitive. I had a small library but couldn’t consider myself a reader.
Fortunately, Johan was a generous man who started lending me textbooks and an array of captivating novels. Among them were “I Am the King of the Castle” by Susan Hill, “The Pearl” by John Steinbeck, and multiple books by the celebrated Bill Bryson. He even provided me with books on tapes to help improve my listening skills.
When Johan saw me struggling with Salman Rushdie’s terrible “The Satanic Verses”, he decided to intervene. Curious about my reading journey, he asked me what I was reading and how long I had been reading.
I confessed that I am currently reading “The Satanic Verses,” but I wasn’t enjoying it. Then, embarrassingly, I revealed that I had been reading( seriously) in English for only five years or less, starting my book-length reading journey in 1992.
Johan realised that my reading skills were still developing and advised me against diving into literary works like “The Satanic Verses” and others. While I expressed my dislike for the book, I told him that I was intrigued by its controversial content and wanted to know more.
Johan returned to his library and came with smaller, more enjoyable novels. Then, with stern advice, he said, “If you want to develop a good reading habit, start with fiction.” From that moment, I was hooked and never looked back. I delved into countless novels, completing the entire collection of Dostoyevsky’s works.
But why should one start their reading journey with fiction instead of diving into non-fiction?
In my lived experience, there are two compelling reasons. First, fiction offers an abundance of captivating and uninhibited imagination. Factual limitations do not bind fiction authors; they allow their imaginations to soar sky-high. These stories spark curiosity and engage you as you begin your reading journey.
Second, the language used in fiction tends to be flowery, fun, and rich. This linguistic richness becomes a valuable resource for new readers and non-native speakers, enabling them to acquire a vast vocabulary relatively quickly. Building this vocabulary eases the path to reading more diverse literary works.
Fiction also has a unique ability to transport us to different times, places, and perspectives. Through diverse lenses, we can experience lives and emotions we may never encounter in our own realities.
Reading is the easiest and most effective way to acquire knowledge, information, and broader cultural awareness.
As the French philosopher Rene Descartes put it
‘Reading good books is like engaging in conversation with the most cultivated minds of past centuries who had composed them, or rather, taking part in a well-conducted dialogue in which such minds reveal to us only the best of their thoughts’
First, however, one must build a strong vocabulary, develop a contextual understanding of different writing styles, and nurture an uncapped imagination to read more.
Reading fiction will provide you with an ideal starting point for achieving these goals. Nevertheless, I’m not suggesting that you limit your reading solely to fiction and disregard non-fiction. On the contrary, non-fiction works are equally important, especially for your qualifications and studies. However, when starting your reading journey, it is the fiction world that you should start as they offer an excellent starting point.
