How the smell of old books recalls memories of youth and a lesson in ageing gracefully.
“When I was home, manuscripts surrounded me. My friends told me, ‘you have gone crazy. You can’t talk about anything else.’ I said, ‘leave me alone.’ The manuscripts had a certain smell, and they said ‘you are smelling of manuscripts, Abdel Kadir.’”
—The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu: And Their Race to Save the World’s Most Precious Manuscripts by Joshua Hammer (Simon & Schuster, 2016)
Every so often, some young person discovers that the attar-makers of X place in India—sometimes Jaipur, sometimes Mumbai, sometimes Falaananagar—have invented a perfume that smells like petrichor, the earth after rain. I wonder why no one has ever thought to make an attar that smells of old books. Could it be because they are generally ahl-e kitaab, people of the book? And the beautiful smell of a book is the smell of its ageing?
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der June 2017-Ausgabe von Harper's Bazaar India.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der June 2017-Ausgabe von Harper's Bazaar India.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
Unyielding And Unmatched
In an industry where every move is scrutinised, Kareena Kapoor Khan lives passionately, loves her job, and understands that there’s more to her than just box-office numbers.
SEEN AND HEARD
Female authors explore how crucial it is that women write about their personal experiences.
INTO THE WORLD OF JUDY CHICAGO
What makes the feminist trailblazer an icon?
'THE LEGACY OF A SINGER WILL ALWAYS STAY INTACT'
AR Rahman believes AI can be used without compromising on the artistic essence.
THROUGH HER EYES
Indian supermodels remember legendary photographer Prabuddha Dasgupta ahead of his 68th birth anniversary.
THE SHAPE-SHIFTERS
From adorning your body to your mantle piece, jewellery designers are turning to homeware.
WEARABLE ART
Three limited-edition timepieces, inspired by Gaston-Louis Vuitton's love for artistry, is an ode to the Maison's legacy of craftsmanship.
AS LONG AS TIME
Bazaar India delves into the ethos of watch brands.
MILANO MAKEOVER
Sabato De Sarno's reimagination of this classic Gucci bag is is an ode to his Milanese becoming.
A LOVE LETTER TO JAIPUR
Designer Surily Goel reveals the making of her latest collection.