“Sketches for a Story” is one of the most significant works of the famous English humorous writer Jerome K. Jerome.
“One day, rummaging in an old desk drawer that hadn’t been opened in ages, I came across a thick notebook, thoroughly soaked with dust, with large lettering on a torn brown cover: ‘SKETCHES FOR A STORY.’
The handwriting was mine, but the words seemed entirely unfamiliar to me—so, rereading them, I asked myself in bewilderment: could I really have thought that then? Could I have had such hopes and such plans? Did I really want to be like that? Does life look exactly that way to young people? Could all of this have interested us? And I didn’t know whether to laugh at this notebook or cry.
At any rate, the material turned out to be rich—fruit of many reflections and a collection of many facts. And I, choosing what was most interesting, polished it, smoothed it over, cut some parts, added a few, and put everything in order, built from it the chapters that follow.”
“Sketches for a Story,” J.K. Jerome