Follow UK Investment Immigration and UK Life: Next summer, a collection of classic masterpieces such as "The Wind in the Willows" and "1984" will appear before the UK public in a novel form. At that time, any visitor to London will have the opportunity to appreciate these works on the streets and alleys—by sitting on them.
According to the British newspaper "The Guardian," hundreds of benches resembling open books will be installed in carefully selected locations. This ingenious project is initiated by the literary charity "National Literacy Trust," and sponsored by children's book publisher Walker Books and tax consultancy firm KPMG. The first batch of "book benches" includes J.M. Barrie's "Peter Pan" and Michael Rosen's "We're Going on a Bear Hunt." The project will conclude with a successful auction of these benches, with the proceeds donated to the National Literacy Trust to ultimately improve public literacy levels.
Thanks to corporate support, this non-governmental organization has now produced 50 to 70 benches, and the first batch of "book benches" will appear in London for at least 10 weeks starting next July. A spokesperson stated that if there is sufficient sponsorship, the "The Wind in the Willows" bench will be installed not only by the River Thames but also next to the Bank of England, as the author Kenneth Grahame worked at this bank before publishing the book. As for where the "1984" bench, famous worldwide for its strong dystopian themes, will be installed, the spokesperson said there is no conclusion yet, "but we will be open to everyone's suggestions."
Michael Rosen believes that Coram's Fields would be the best location for the "Bear Hunt" bench, "It is the world's first purpose-built playground and is still in use today. In a way, it is an ideal medium to illustrate the 'importance of play'."
Rosen also said: "I like this idea. I guess you might complain that you can't get into the book this way, but you can take a nap on the 'book', or find shade under the 'book', or just sit there properly. I think when people see the book benches on the street, they might chuckle and recall wonderful reading experiences."
These benches will be produced by the art group Wild in Art, which specializes in public art sculpture and was responsible for the decoration project of the 2012 London Olympic venues. Jonathan Douglas, Chief Executive of the National Literacy Trust, said: "We are delighted to be able to install book benches across London and hope that this will fully spread our love for reading."
Meanwhile, the organization has also launched an independent project called "Books Unlocked," which aims to introduce Booker Prize-winning works to inmates in 16 prisons across the UK. This activity, in partnership with the Booker Prize Foundation, has already been launched at a prison in Wandsworth. At the launch ceremony, inmates read A.D. Miller's Moscow-set crime novel "Snowdrops" (which was shortlisted for the 2011 Booker Prize), and Miller himself participated in the on-site interaction.
