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The Curse of Reading and Forgetting

Ian Crouch

“For it is humanly certain that most of us remember very little of what we have read. To open almost any book a second time is to be reminded that we had forgotten well-nigh everything that the writer told us. Parting from the narrator and his narrative, we retain only a fading impression; and he, as it were, takes the book away from us and tucks it under his arm.”

—Siegfried Sassoon

from The Curse of Reading and Forgetting by Ian Crouch


Nice to meet you! I'm a writer, reader, and aspiring hermit. I love books and food and plants and theater and I'm fascinated by the beauty and terror of being alive on this planet.

I invented a celebratory day called Post Day that happens from time to time. Anyone can celebrate! I also write letters to books I have loved.

I have a blog and a mailing list, where I share the occasional essay or update about new things I'm making/trying. If you're interested in digital gardening, I share what I'm reading in my public Roam. I am playing around with Mastodon, I'm sort of still on Twitter, or you can email me.

In my work life, I've been a founder at various times and a CEO at various times, and I'm now co-founder and chief of staff at a security-focused web3 startup. If you like reading about thoughtful business topics, you can read my first book, Gather the People, originally released in 2015 and updated in 2020. It was the book I needed as a bootstrapping business owner with the heart of an artist, and if that's you, I hope it helps.

Last updated: March 7, 2023