英籍作家朗讀賺錢

（短文摘自加拿大麥克林雜誌 http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/03/24/british-writer-finds-there-may-be-more-money-in-reading/）

只要付得起一小時一百元（英鎊？美元？），英籍作家達明恩‧巴爾就為你朗讀任何一個你選擇的故事。

"我不裝口音，尤其是朗讀普魯斯特。多付少許費用我可以朗讀狄克‧佛朗西斯的作品。我會考慮所有的要求（丹‧布朗除外）。我不會替顧客蓋被，就算是讀《吸血鬼》也不例外。情人夫妻檔我也歡迎。"

巴爾最忙碌的地點是倫敦的旅館。當初他也是在這裡有了這個朗讀賺錢的點子。

"安達滋旅館的客人需要我的服務就像他們叫喚旅館送餐飲一樣。我穿著保羅史密思設計的條文睡衣，胸前抱著客人選的書來到他們房間。有點令人訝異的是大部分客人是35歲上下，單獨旅行的女性。可惜的是，沒有一個人在長大成人后還聽過床邊故事；有些人甚至從來沒有過這樣的經驗。更不幸地大概是從沒有人暗示過我提供額外的服務。有幾個人甚至聽到睡著了。"

在倫敦最熱門被選擇朗讀的書是《傲慢与偏見》；《好萊塢的妻子們》

British writer finds there may be more money in reading

DamianBarr will read to you in your home. For about $100 an hour he offers “astory of your choice. I don’t do accents - even and especially not forProust. A small charge may be made for Dick Francis. All requestsconsidered (except Dan Brown). I won’t tuck you in—not even forDracula. Couples welcome.” He’s even busier in the places where hefirst had the idea of a dedicated reader: London’s hotels. “At theAndaz guests ordered me like room service. I appeared at their door inmy stripy Paul Smith pyjamas clutching their chosen book. Most readeeswere, perhaps surprisingly, women around 35 travelling alone. Sadly,not one had been read to since childhood, and maybe not even then. Evenmore tragically, not one so much as suggested any sort of extra. A feweven fell asleep. London’s hit titles were Pride and Prejudice and Hollywood Wives.