Readers and Writers

Do books belong to readers or their writers? It's difficult to say.

A good story, film, myth or piece of art can be interpreted in many ways, on many different levels which may or may not be in tune with the author's original intention.

Sometimes authors can get irritated if readers are seeing things in their work which was not part of their own vision. In many cases, a reader's interpretation can be completely at odds with what the author had been trying to say.

Something can resonate deeply and in a different way for the reader because of their own personal experiences and background.

Of course, the author's intention colours the work and is the dominant force in determining and influencing how readers accept their work.

But at some point, I think when any artist gives birth to a work and sends it out into the world, in a sense, the work now exists independently of the author. And how people choose to interpret the work is not a reflection of the author, but more a reflection of the reader.