I’ve been fascinated by ‘implications’. They’re all verbal. Everything that we experience is described verbally in my head. Extra meanings can be layered by the multiple implications that I convey or that others perceive in my syntax–my word ordering. In fact, most of my life has been ‘by implication’, I suppose.

It’s the great game of literature.

How I got to the end of 1990 I shall fill in later. Right now,[1998] I was teaching for the University of Wales Extra mural Department . Its ‘Outreach’  program  was offered in Cardigan.  I enjoyed teaching ‘The American Western’ films. I used the information I had gleaned from the BFI when we lived in London.  Some evenings I exposed people to ‘Art Appreciation’ which was based upon my years in University. The important course was An Appreciation of Literature at 7:30m on Tuesdays. A mixed group in all ways, but mostly mature individuals. The University  summoned me in 1998 to say that I had to get essays and to give exams to my students.

‘They don’t want degrees; the want just to read and to understand [the implications] books.’

I had come from America with an acquaintance with The Great Books Foundation at The University of Chicago. While I was earning a Masters in The Humanities there,  I decided to adopt its aims: to share each person’s thoughts about the texts.  I set up a free-lance organization which I called ‘Reading for Pleasure’. My main working principle was to read The Classics in English literature ; to encourage everyone to share their own          thoughts about the texts and to lead the group with provocative as well as ‘devilish’ questions. In a few years I increased to 5 groups with a dream at my age of 56 to make this a world-wide or at least a UK organization. I have always been a good starter with more ideas than I could possibly develop–I wanted to open up a chain of donut  coffee bars. These I wanted to call ‘The Holy Donut’ shops–well my dad was a punster and sometimes I feel it was genetic. I had remembered a visit with my dad in New York City to a place called ‘The Hamburger Heaven’ which was decorated like heaven with angels and all.

• I have been often asked ‘How do you chose the books to read?’. We were setting up at the early beginnings of the book club movement in the UK and the rulebook had not been published for everyone to conform to. The most democratic system seemed to  be for me:  1. to compile a list of authors and titles from the Penguin and Oxford Classic catalogues; 2. to send the list to each member and ask for their seven choices [we only had time to read seven books each year]. They were to put their choices in a preference order one to seven.  3. These were returned for me to collate and  the novels with the most ‘hits’ were read by everybody in order of popularity. This system worked for many years. Mind you,  many times I was accused of adding my own favourites as replacements. ‘You didn’t include any of my choices again, Allen.’

The next idea made us different from most book clubs–we meet once a week for two and one half hours of BOOK TALK! Sometimes enthusiasm wins the day and the discussions run overtime. We decided to read 100 pages each week and have a detailed discussion of those pages only. It took two, three, sometimes four weeks to complete a book.  People declared:

‘A great book. I understand it better now. It’s a book I never would have picked up off of a shelf to read’–and more.

As I told everyone, ‘I want to hear YOUR interpretation, YOUR own questions which we all can share and try to answer. I tried to balance the inputs  so that no one dominated the discussions. I started the meetings with a ‘devil’s advocate’ question and then watched the ideas flow. A few well phrased questions from the leader kept the discussion on track.

Another problem was the texts. People often wanted to read  from a page to support their findings. If  they all had different publishers it would be time-consuming and awkward. So, I bought all of the books and sold them to the  readers at the cover price. Now, individuals purchase their own books on the internet from Abe, Waterstones or Amazon.

Many years and many satisfied people have played the  game of literary implications and I dare say will continue ad infinitum.

Two issues were not covered initially–modern novels [since 1900] were not being read. Also people who were working during the week could not come. So, we organized ‘Broniwan Literary Saturdays’ at  our home on our farm.. This group has been meeting once a month in the Winter. We’re limited to 8 or 9 people.  A morning discussion punctuated by coffee and around noon –cherry. An organic lunch with wine is provided. Socializing is extensive and if the weather is fine a stroll around the farm ins included before more afternoon discussions.

These groups have given endless opportunities to examine our ‘implications’. Our greatest Reading for pleasure year was tough. We read : The Epic of Gilgamesh which is a Mesopotamian poem about a King who journeys the world looking for immortality. It pre-dates Homer by 1500 years; Beowulf in translation by Seamus Heaney; Plato’s Symposium; Gearld of Wales Journey and finally J. Joyce’s Ulysses. A high-powered achievement for all of the readers.

One more benefit for the members of R for P for the past 13 years has been ‘the ARTS excursion company’. Two or thee excursions each year–usually to Cardiff– Wales millennium Centre to watch the performances by The Welsh National Opera. Then, in mid summer, an excursion to Stratford-upon-Avon to see two plays. This excursion includes a visit to a National Trust House & Garden. One year we organized an Art excursion to Liverpool to see 5 museums.