Two Epigraphs
From The Confusions of Young Torless by Robert Musil
"As soon as we put something into words, we devalue it in a strange way. We think we have plunged into the depths of the abyss, and when we return to the surface the drop of water on our pale fingertips no longer resembles the sea from which it comes. We delude ourselves that we have discovered a wonderful treasure trove, and wehn we return to the light of day we find that we have brought back only false stones and shards of glass; and yet the treasure goes on glimmering in the dark, unaltered."
-Maeterlinck
This other one had me in splits for some reason. This is quoted in the beginning of Montano's Malady by Enrique Vila-Matas (in which Musil himself makes quite a few guest appearances.)
"What will we do to disappear?"
- Maurice Blanchot
I have only read a few pages so far but I think I should start with his Bartleby & Co. first which seems to its precursor, if not a prequel. A review on disquiet thoughts blog. More info here.
6 comments:
The Maeterlinck quote is great. As for Blanchot, I think he figured it out in the end.
Malcolm Bradbury's "Mensonge" is inspired by Blanchot's persona, if I remember right.
haha, what did he do? I am very eager to know...
you had mentioned Walser and Blanchot in the context of literature of negation and writing as non-writing, can't-go-on-will-go-on types.. this Vila-Matas's books are actually reference works on all such writers.
Oh, the usual reclusive author stuff, which only succeeds in making the writer a cult object (Salinger, Pynchon). Finally, of course, he did succeed in truly disappearing, but who doesn't?
I've been meaning to take a dekko at "Bartleby & Co" for quite some time...
yes people disappear. but they also leave a lot of mess behind. it is not the plain disappearance, it is the complete erasure one should look for, a complete extinction.
If only time would run backward, the erasure would be beautiful.
Maybe the urge to disappear is just a kind of nostalgia...
may be i am in a good mood these days. i find the comment section extremely funny.
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