My Dad always told me to keep reading, no matter what or else I would my vocabulary would dwindle before my very eyes. He did specify that reading trashy celebrity magazines didn’t count and he’s right. That’s obvious. But the same could be said for most Metro newspapers around the globe. Not particularly well written, often filled with errors and typos and a certain légèreté that weakens its credibility. The French are also guilty of reading the Metro, 20 Minutes among other free daily publications but overall, they are seen reading much more thought provoking material.

I am always amazed by how many readers I see on any given metro trip. Some read mainstream fiction/thrillers (the French love Patricia Cornell and Mary Higgins Clark), some are into the mega popular Twilight and Harry Potter series, and others stick to traditional French literature and philosophy. There is no shortage of people reading the newspaper but compared to the average trip on Septa’s commuter rail (Philadelphia’s public transportation), where the only reading that is done is on a blackberry, the French look like bookworms! Is there fact behind my hypothesis that the French may be…. more cultured?

According to an Associated Press-Ipsos poll, 1 in 4 Americans read a book in 2007. I’m sure those figures have worsened since. With the growing ease of accessing TV on a number of different media, Americans are increasingly spending their time doing so. Despite the former popularity large, mega-in-your-face booksellers in the U.S., the consensus over the last 10 years is that fewer and fewer Americans are reading for a myriad of reasons, including the go-to excuse “I’m too busy” or “I work all day and after I don’t want to think”. Shame.

The French get it, though. They understand the importance of reading to proper mental development, in the broadening of imagination and spirit, and to the maintenance of intellect.

Every year, Paris hosts a Book Fair (Salon du livre) which encourages the public to rediscover the pleasure of reading through a series of events. For kids, teens and adults, thousands flock to the fair every year to see the newest and most promising writers share their talent.

One of my professor’s who has lived in Paris for over 20 years told me that he has seen the quality and intellectualism of what the French are reading suffer over the years. “They used to read Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir…” Well, some still are. The point is they read and it is refreshing to see that, even in a cramped metro car where sweaty bodies are pressed up against each other, passengers will stand smushed with a book in their hand immersed in a story. There’s nothing I love more than getting into a character or a message and forgetting where I am and where I’m going. The trick is not to find yourself in the 93, otherwise it’s a great escape.

So are they more cultured? Well we are in a city where there are constantly new art expos, gallery openings, theater productions, ballets, operas, concerts, and free museum days so I would say they’re a pretty cultivated bunch. It probably depends on the city in the US, but I do think Parisians are more culturally aware. What do you think?

My favorite French read of the year (I’ve started the sequel which is also excellent): Les Yeux Jaunes des Crocodiles. What’s yours?