WRITER & PEN LOVER - ARIEL ZUNIGA
Ariel Zuniga is just wild about pens. The search for his hearts desire takes him all over the world, to pen conventions, flea markets and into the secret universe of the pen collector. Here is a snippet...
"My object of desire is a fountain pen. Yes. A fountain pen. A cylindrical object containing a reserve of ink that goes with me everywhere. I use it to make notes, to draw and sign, or just for the pleasure of it, as a fetish. Desire is “the affective movement towards something we wish for.” It is to crave or to covet.
The famous Parker 51
Fountain pen collectors talk about their “holy grail pen.” It could be easy to think that the rare pen with all the mythology behind it is the pinnacle of the desired pen, the absolute holy grail, but a desire is not formulaic. A simple and common pen, let's say a Parker 51, is, no doubt, the holy grail pen for many collectors.
It is probably the most famous pen ever. It changed the way we conceived fountain pens around 1940. And as a collector, you have to have at least one. It is simple to fill and so easy to write with. Parker 51 lovers have been wondering for years why any other pen had to be invented. But we are all different, and desire underlines our differences."