This Space's books of the year 2009

Why should one novel be my favourite of the year rather than any other? When I read this list in a comment on John Self's Asylum, I found an answer. If reading a book prompts only Publisherspeak – disturbing, intriguing, insightful – then it can be discounted. Each summary there is like a bullet in the neck of each book. 

I choose Jonathan Littell's The Kindly Ones as my favourite novel of the year because it was a shock to the literary system; a shock in three ways. First, the intense, almost overpowering gravitational pull of the narrative. It affects not only the reader but the novel itself. It is the furious axe for its own frozen sea. Second, the reception in the mainstream of literary USA was a shock not so much for its cluelessness – such books are necessarily misunderstood – but for the imbecilic, self-blinding character of the reviews.  Michiko Kakutani's contempt probably emerges out of America's repressed awareness of its pressing need for denazification, with Ed Champions' video offering the best argument ever made against literary blogging.

The third shock was to recognise how a contemporary work of such length and about such a subject can also be as intimate as Proust's. My habit-formed assumption that only brief novels engineered like tiny, intricate timepieces could achieve this was shattered. Still, my next two favourite novels were like that: Dag Solstad's Novel 11, Book 18 and Jean Echenoz's Ravel. Distance as intimacy.

Of course, my non-fiction choice has to be The Letters of Samuel Beckett, but I'd also like to mention Kevin Hart's The Dark Gaze: Maurice Blanchot and the Sacred. It was published five years ago but I re-read it this year and was surprised by how much we had changed. Looking forward rather than back, Hart has edited the forthcoming collection of Blanchot's Political Writings. It's scheduled for April, so take Gary Barlow's advice and have a little patience.

Hope and oblivion

Daily for these final weeks of the year, I have listened to The Morning Paper, the opening song to Smog's 1997 LP Red Apple Falls. Usually this is done as I walk twice a day to and from an office. It's a short song of only forty-one words set to piano, acoustic guitar, hurdy-gurdy drone and reticent trumpet. It sings something simple:

The morning paper is on its way
It's all bad news on every page
So roll right over
And go to sleep
The evening sun will be so sweet

I roll right over
And I have this thing

Red apple falls





(These are the words as I hear them. The CD sleeve adds one or two that Bill Callahan's vocal elide.) The song isn't outstanding in the manner of those that follow – Blood Red Bird, Red Apples and To Be of Use – so why do I return to it with such apparent need? Clearly there's the lyrical turning away from the routine toward dream – emphasised by both the uplift of the music as it breaks out of stuck-needle repetition, and by the uncharacteristic tenor of Bill's vocals. It is also a prelude to a sequence of songs in which dream and sleeplessness play across one another. For this reason I'm sure it provides succour. However, this isn't because the song issues an explicit recommendation of withdrawal. Rather, there's something about the two final lines and how they stir me. And I have this thing / Red apples falls. It's difficult to put into words because I am stirred by what is probably wordless. So I suppose it's a sense of exposure to something buried, something otherwise passed over.

So what is this thing, red apple falls? For Bill Callahan I assume it is the inspiration and creation of this sequence of songs; their emergence from somewhere other than himself yet also inseparable. In this way The Morning Paper plays the same role in the LP as Earthy Anecdote by Wallace Stevens does at the beginning of his first collection Harmonium and at the beginning of the Collected Poems, and the role of Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius, Borges' story which he placed at the beginning of Ficciones. Both poem and story preface collections that maintain themselves in the pressured air between reality and imagination – the world and the book – and each introduction is a microcosm of the book to come. Yet each is also more than a microcosm because each is also part of a collection, both separate and inseparable. Stevens' poem ends when the firecat sleeps and allows the bucks freedom of movement, which would be the writer writing without threat from the bristling real. Without a threat, the poem can go on forever or stop right there – choices which are essentially the same – whereas, when the firecat wakes, the bucks have to swerve to the left and to the right in swift, circular lines to create the poem we're reading and, by extension, the rest of the book. In Borges' story, the narrator resists the usurpation of the world by the idealism of Tlön merely by writing a history of the change, making connections and thereby introducing causation into a world where causality had otherwise been eliminated. We wouldn't be reading this story or that poem but for the exposure of sovereignty to what threatens it. It's no coincidence that the second song of Red Apple Falls begins with a waking to the cry of a blood red bird. Red Apple Falls then is itself an exposure; this thing cannot be contained; it is just the beginning.

*

I cited him after Smog but I began to think about my response to The Morning Paper while listening to a discussion about Borges on the Entitled Opinions podcast feed between Robert Harrison and Hans Ulrich Gumbrecht. The first half-hour of the show concentrates on Borges' poems and Gumbrecht's wish to renew focus on the specificity of Borges' writing – its attention to detail local to streets in Buenos Aires – against the "philosophical reading" of Borges as a writer of "the plurality of worlds", a reading, according to Gumbrecht, that originated in Foucault. Gumbrecht says this reading overlooks the short narratives and poetry which are instead "epiphanic".  Harrison joins in, finding the poetry to be "confessional" and "individuated in place and time". The other, well-known reading he brushes aside as "brainy". However, prompted by a listener, he challenges the happy agreement by quoting from The False Problem of Ugolino, the second of Borges' nine Dantesque essays  in which Borges adjudicates over the debate about whether Ugolino in Dante's Inferno cannibalised his children or not. As Harrison admits, it ends with a paragraph that belies the epiphanic interpretation:

In real time, in history, whenever a man is confronted with several alternatives, he chooses one and eliminates and loses the others. Such is not the case in the ambiguous time of art, which is similar to that of hope and oblivion. In that time, Hamlet is sane and is mad. In the darkness of his Tower of Hunger, Ugolino devours and does not devour the beloved corpes, and this undulating imprecision, this uncertainty, is the strange matter of which he is made. Thus, with two possible deaths, did Dante dream him, and thus will the generations dream him.

Gumbrecht's reaction is uncharacteristically impatient. He says this is literature trying to do philosophy's job with a general definitions of literature and, as we have philosophy already, literature should stick to what it does best. Literature, he explains, "is much more concrete than other texts" and this concreteness should take precedence in our reading. Again Harrison agrees and calls "banal" the  "deconstructionist notion of the essential undecidibility of literary texts". Gumbrecht goes as far to say that Borges "isn't doing himself any favours" in writing this essay and, in particular, choosing Dante as an example: "Dante is not someone who leaves things in suspension"; he too is a poet of epiphany.  Presumably still avoiding general definitions, Gumbrecht insists that "each time you read [a book], you read it in one way". This is the strength of literature so, if you "suspend" Ugolino between verdicts, you drain literature of its strength. He concedes the reader is always aware of the possibility of the multiplicity of meanings but "the strength is not to stay there but to go back and say 'No! This is what Achilles was like' – this what he was like in the very moment you read him, and this is what I call epiphanic". Note that he doesn't say what Ugolino is like in the very moment of reading.

Before the discussion moves on, Gumbrecht once again contrasts the epiphanic to what he calls "excessively cerebral" readings. But let's look back at what Borges says. Maybe this will show what's so cerebral about it: Thus, with two possible deaths, did Dante dream him, and thus will the generations dream him. Dante's writing and our reading then is characterised as dreaming. Dreams are entirely cerebral in that they are products of the sleeping brain, except our experience of dreaming is not brainy; it is real and uncanny. Events in dreams are experienced as stories; singularly real in the time of sleep, yet also charged with enough mystery to make one return to the details, to read it again, forever unsatisfied. This is why it can never be epiphanic in the sense Gumbrecht argues for: strength in going back. The reading one goes back to is never a single moment of certainty but, as Borges says, "similar to that of hope and oblivion". When I listen to The Morning Paper, hope and oblivion are both promised. The promise is enough for each to be delivered and withdrawn in a moment and for the moment itself to be promised and withdrawn. Such is the epiphanic in art.

FIRINDA KABAK TATLISI

MALZEMELER
3 kilo kabak
1,5 kilo  şeker
YAPILIŞI
Kabaklar ayıklanıp yıkanır , dilimlenir tencereye bir kat kabak bir kat şeker olmak üzere yerleştirilir, tencerenin kapağı kapatılıp kısık ateşte hiç su konmadan pişirilmeye bırakılır .
Pişmesine yakın fırın tepsisine dökülüp 200 derecede ısıtılmış fırında 10-15 dakika kadar suyunu çekip şerbeti ağdalanana kadar fırında pişirilir .
NOT:Tencerede suyunu çekip kaynamaya başlayınca taşmaması için kapağı hafif aralanması gerekebilir .Önceden şekere yatırınca çok su salıyor o yüzden ben hiç bekletmiyorum .
su koymayada gerek yok kabaklar zaten su salıyor, kısık ateşte pişirilince sonuç çok güzel oluyor . AFİYET OLSUN

MISIR GEVREKLİ METROLU KURABİYE

MALZEMELER
250 gram mısır gevreği
3 adet metro
125 gram tereyağ veya margarin
150 gram iri çekilml fındık
2 yemek kaşığı bal
Üzerine dökmek için çikolata sos veya benmari şeklinde eritilmiş çikolata
YAPILIŞI
Tereyağ veya margarin tencereye konulur, üzerine küçük parçalara böldüğümüz metrolar ilave edilerek ateşte yağ ve mertolalar eriyene kadar pişrilecek ,( sulu bir kıvama gelecek )içine mısır gevrekleri , iri çekilmiş fındıklar ve bal ilave edilerek , kısık ateşte beş dakika kadar daha pişirilip, ateşten alınacak ılınması beklenecek fincanlara konulup kaşığın tersiyle bastırılıp ters çevrilerek fincandan çıkartılıp üzerlerine isteğe göre çikolata sos veya benmari şeklinde erittiğimiz çikolata dökülecek .
NOT : Gelinim Elifin yaptığı kurabiyeler. Çocukların çok seveceği çıtır çıtır kurabiyeler tavsiye ederim mutlaka deneyin .

Farkındalık

Anlaşılabilir mi acaba,

Yağmur ağladığı zaman...

Spontane Tercüman

Kapıdan çıkmak zor geliyor bazen
Pencereden atlıyorum bende...

(burda gülmekten kendimden geçtim efenim kusura bakmayın nasıl bir şiir girişidir bu, spontane yazdığımdan olsa gerek çok sacmalıyorum bazen)

...

(yok burdan sonra nasıl toparlanır ki bir şiir)
(hala gülüyorum kendime)

çok yüksekmiş...

(böyle mi biter len şiir?)

My Little Golden Book About the Sky (1956)

A quick one for today:

Wyler, Rose. Illustrated by Gergely, Tibor. My Little Golden Book about the Sky. New York: Simon and Schuster. (22 p.) 21 cm.

A very basic book about the sky, Moon, planets, and stars. Illustrations of the Earth from space, surface of the Moon, a rocket on the Moon, the solar systems. Very nice paintings and a striking cover.

Exploring Space (1964)

Highlights Magazine was a children's magazine like Jack and Jill. It seemed to be subscribed to by doctor's offices and public libraries but it was OK to read when you had nothing else. They collected interesting articles occasionally into Highlights Handbooks.

Dietz, David and others. Exploring Space (2nd ed.) Columbus, OH : Highlights for Children Inc. (33 p.) 28 cm.

This was an anthology of non-fiction articles and illustrations from 1947-1961 about space from "Highlights Magazine". Topics covered included astronomy, construction of a space stations, and manned flights to the Moon and Mars. Illustrations of rockets, space suits, space stations and a Moon landing. "Highlights Handbook" series. See 1960 1st edition.

Operation Moon: Facts We’ll Need to Know When We Travel to Other Worlds (1955)

Another old space book from the classroom. SRA books (Science Research Associates) were short "interesting" reading books for the classroom. In the mid-50s they had two spaceflight books, this one and "Rockets into Space" (1955). Both were part of their "Modern World of Science" series.

Burnett, R. Operation Moon : Facts We’ll Need to Know When We Travel to Other Worlds. Chicago : Science Research Associates. (48 p.) 22 cm.

This pamphlet presents the case for how we will go into space. Text discusses conditions found in space, construction of a space station, and manned exploration of the Moon and the solar system. Includes illustrations of rockets and space suits.

Woolworth's Jolly Christmas Book (1951)

Wishing you all a Happy Holidays and of course:





A CHRISTMAS EVE IN SPACE!!!

Rüya ve ...

Bir rüya görürsünüz herhangi bir gecenin sonunda. Yorgun bir şekilde uyanırsınız ve hatırlamaya çalışırsınız. Aslında hatırlarsınız genel temasını ama sadece unutmak istedikleriniz karşınıza çıktığında takındığınız bir inkardır yapabildiğiniz. Onu görmüş olmak aptallaştırır sizi. Ve hatırlamaya çalışmak yüzünü... ahh çok zor...
Nerden çıktı dersiniz, beynimin hangi kıvrımları bunu bana getirdi. Fazla yormamak lazım bünyeyi öte yandan kapılmamak Onun rehavetine.

Bir rüyadan uyanırsınız ter içinde. Eliniz saçlarınıza girer ve tavana bakarsınız. Uğraşırsınız ama hatırlamak zor gelir. Aslında zor olan hatırladıktan sonra yaşamaktır...

The Two Lönnrots: new Josipovici story online

Litro, the free monthly literary magazine distributed in London, has published The Two Lönnrots, a new story by Gabriel Josipovici.

As Borges lay dying his mind filled with images of lakes, of vast forests of spruce and pine, an enormous sky. He knew this was Finland, a country he had never visited, but which in these last years had been closer to his heart even than the streets of Buenos Aires in which he had grown up and about which he had written so much and so well.

The story is an excerpt from Heart's Wings a selection of stories to be published by Carcanet next year. In addition to stories from Mobius the Stripper (1974) and In the Fertile Land (1987), the volume will include previously uncollected stories such as the one above.

PS: ReadySteadyBook also has his essay Borges and the Plain Sense of Things.

Daily Mirror Book of Space (1970)

The Daily Mirror is a British newspaper founded in 1903. As part of the public facination with the moonlanding they issued this book.

Allward, Maurice F. Illustrated by Davies, Gordon. ‘Daily Mirror’ Book of Space. Feltham, England : Daily Mirror Books. (95 p.) 31 cm.

A loose encyclopedia of 27 articles on space topics varying 2-10 pgs in length. Covers space history, the planets, landing on the Moon, the V-2, the Saturn 5, space stations, and a moon base. Has very nice paintings of rockets, satellites, space stations, and astronauts.

Space, Time and Rockets (1952)

A play activity book about space flight.

Randolf, Rheta and Barry, Catherine. Illustrated by Stain, Jacque. Space, Time and Rockets. New York: Paxton-Slade Publishing Co. (64 p.) 28 cm. Softcover.

The book discusses the history of rockets, travel in space, planetary astronomy, and major constellations. Also reprinted at a 20 cm. size. See also: Barry. "A Trip through Space" (1954) from the same series.

Blazing New Trails (1961)

I am a sucker for a good rocket picture. Blazing New Trails has nothing to do with spaceflight except it was a way to make a school reading text more exciting! There was a chapter in here on reading a story about spaceflight and then answering some questions. But no real reason for a rocket on the cover.

The joy of eBay is that sometimes the picture of something is enough to make you shell out a few bucks just to have a cool picture. Happy landings!

Our Wonderful Earth (1951)

Our Wonderful Earth is actually a geology title from 1951. However at the time space-type stuff was in fashion so they mixed in a space theme and these neat colored illustrations.

Townsend, Herbert. Our Wonderful Earth :The story of how it became the great round earth it is today. Boston : Allyn and Bacon. 152 p. 27 cm.

Disko Disko Dens Dens

Geçtiğimiz pazar taksimde bir mekana götürüldüm arkadaşlar tarafından. Dikkat ederseniz benim hiç bir b.k bildiğim yok bu mekan yerleri konusunda, zaten kısmi alzheimer olduğumdan dolayı yolda nereye çekseniz o tarafa gidecek bir yapım var. Zaten yorgun bir bünyeyle amaçsızca birileri tarafından sürüklenirken daha sonradan ismini hala hatırlayamadığım çatı katındaki bi yere girdik. Kapalı olmasına rağmen sigara içilebiliyordu açıkcası o konudan feci sevindim. Neyse ben ilerleyen dakikalarda alkolün etkisiyle kafamı sağa sola sallaya sallaya insan kalabalığına doğru açılmaya başladım. Bir kaç hatun kişi önümden sırayla dans ettikten sonra (ki bende onlarla dans ediyorum tabi ki, çok yardımseverim bu konuda) çok eşli dansı sevmeyen biri olarak biriyle dans etmeye başladım. Birden bizim grupta bulunan hatunkişilerden biri dansettiğimle arama girip onun erkek arkadaşı vaaaar diyerekten kulağıma fısıldadı. İçkinin etkisiyle höleegghöleee dedim dansetmeye devam ettim sonra başka bir kız geldi sonra erkek arkadaşı olan kız geldi ki hakkatten arkama baktım kel bir adam bizi dansederken izliyor. İnceden bir kıllanmadım değil sonra dansa devam ettim tabi ama o sırada kanımdaki alkol düzeyi artmış olacak ki kelle bile dansetmiş olabilirim o derece şuursuzdum. Sonra masaya döndüm ilişkiler üzerine arkadaşlara bir kritik yapıp cin tonikten son yudumu aldım ve dışarı çıktım. Kaafanız güzelken soğuk hava daha bir çekici geliyor insana onu farkettim..

A Look at the Moon (1962)

Sorry for the holiday gap. Lots more to share this month so let's start with John Polgreen. John Polgreen illustrated stories in many magazines and books including the Saturday Evening Post. He also illustrated The Golden Book of Astronomy (1955).

Polgreen, John and Polgreen, Cathy. Illustrated by Polgreen, John and Polgreen, Cathy. A Look at the Moon. Garden City, NY: Doubleday and Co Inc. (24 p.) 27 cm.

This book gives simple facts about the Moon and its surface. A few nice illustrations of the Moon's surface as well as spaceships and astronauts. Has a detailed appendix for the teacher or parent giving more facts about the Moon.

I love how simple and charming his illustrations are in this. What child wouldn't want to be skipping across the moon someday?