The His Dark Materials author joins fellow writer Zadie Smith in calling for the library to be kept open

Popular author Philip Pullman has joined author influential literary figures and thrown his support behind a campaign to save the Kensal Rise Library.

The His Dark Materials writer labelled council plans to close the reading rooms, located in Bathurst Gardens and opened in 1900 by the legendary author Mark Twain, ‘preposterous’.

He said: “The idea of closing down a library that Mark Twain opened is

preposterous, unthinkable, absurd.

“It’s throwing away the generosity of parents and grandparents and all the generations for a hundred years.

“It is saying to the pioneers of the public library system, those who

struggled and sacrificed to bring the great illuminating blessing of books and reading to every corner of the country, that we’d rather live in the dark.

“The struggle to keep libraries open is a simple one, in essence: it is light against dark.

“Good luck to Kensal Rise, and every other place where people love

reading and books and light. I’m completely with you.”

Last week the Times revealed that White Teeth author Zadie Smith is speaking at a fundraiser for the Save Kensal Rise library campaign.

For more information visit www.savekensalriselibrary.org