Portside

The author queries the existence of bad readers, linking causes not to illiteracy or injuries of class or the diffusion of mass culture, but to a Cold War literary trend sporting "an abundance of paraliterary works," such as memoirs, diaries, biographies, diplomatic studies, and feature reports as primers for engaging with literary texts as seemingly historically accurate yet stressing outcomes and expectations consonant with systemic social ends.

"David Bowie Is," an exhibition that started its international tour in London in 2013, garnered a lot of attention for its surprising diversity and depth. One of the exhibition's most interesting features was a selection from the musician and pop star's library. As a tribute to him, we present that book list as first published by Open Books Toronto when the exhibition reached that city.