Saturday, October 28, 2006

Duende



"Angel and Muse approach from without; the Angel sheds light and the Muse gives form . . . But the Duende, on the other hand, must come to life in the nethermost recesses of the blood . . . The true struggle is with the Duende."

Lorca, from "Duende: Theory and Divertissement"

4 Comments:

Blogger Todd Colby said...

Dear Formica:

If you don't sleep, or can't sleep or won't sleep, what is the first second and third book you reach for?

Seriously,
TC

10:01 PM  
Blogger Sharon Mesmer said...

Dear Farm,

I rarely/never sleep, so of course the first book I reach for is anything by Cioran, in particular the set of four translated by Richard Howard and pub'd in p-back by Aracade: A Short History of Decay, or maybe The Trouble with Being Born, or perhaps Anathemas and Admirations, or even Drawn and Quartered (that sectioned piece on my blog "Sic Transit" is based on his work). But then I always find that I'm getting too keyed up, so I look at Lillian Vernon catalogues and imagine what that kind of a life would be like. Then I get sleepy.

U?

x, SM

p.s. One of my students just sent me a really interesting EC interview from about ten years ago.

2:44 PM  
Blogger Sharon Mesmer said...

P.S. I spelled "Arcade" wrong. It should be spelled "suthor."

x, S

2:45 PM  
Blogger Todd Colby said...

"I look at Lillian Vernon catalogues and imagine what that kind of a life would be like. Then I get sleepy."

Brilliant. I'm stealing that line. Really.

Me? I usually reach for some late Schuyler, certainly Proust (Lydia Davis' translation has been in heavy rotation), and maybe even Levinas. I know what you mean about getting too keyed up, that's when I read bicycling magazines...all the articles on races and equipment make me feel somehow safe and secure.

I should interview you for Bookslut.com sometime.

TC

4:42 PM  

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