tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2609668304633418767.post4343385692286826707..comments2023-12-24T17:41:42.989-08:00Comments on seraillon: In Praise of Folly: J. Rodolfo Wilcock's The Temple of Iconoclastsseraillonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17654593356535433945noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2609668304633418767.post-64949633512267616192015-10-18T07:24:48.461-07:002015-10-18T07:24:48.461-07:00This has been on the radar for a long time now. Lo...This has been on the radar for a long time now. Loved the spirit behind this book. To sustain the idea and humor for many pages is a feat indeed.Risehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17446964640160585194noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2609668304633418767.post-63369065648103130202015-10-15T21:21:00.375-07:002015-10-15T21:21:00.375-07:00I imagine it would be an absolute hoot in Italian,...I imagine it would be an absolute hoot in Italian, if one knew Italian [*sigh*]seraillonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17654593356535433945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2609668304633418767.post-89680704505886691222015-10-15T19:11:04.530-07:002015-10-15T19:11:04.530-07:00Richard - Thanks so much for referring me to your ...Richard - Thanks so much for referring me to your post. I saw that you'd written a bit about Wilcock in another post, but somehow missed this one, which has more of the enthusiasm I'd expected and is indeed a terrific story of life imitating art imitating life. I can add a further twist: there was really was a Llorenç Riber, an early-mid 20th century poet from Mallorca, though I've no idea why Wilcock may have chosen his name for his maestro of lapine theater. In any case, I could not agree more that this particular piece in Wilcock's collection (especially the four critical reviews) is incredibly funny - really one of the funniest things I can remember reading in a very long time. A line from it has been popping into my head all week and making me cackle, even in the most inappropriate settings. seraillonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17654593356535433945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2609668304633418767.post-64024141001295357182015-10-15T13:34:49.028-07:002015-10-15T13:34:49.028-07:00Belated thanks for a great post on a fun book that...Belated thanks for a great post on a fun book that has yet to be given its due in the English-speaking world. Wilcock is often hilarious as you so rightly say here, Scott, but please check out this post on "Llorenç Riber" here to see one of the funnier Argentinean/Italian examples of art imitating life or vice versa: http://caravanaderecuerdos.blogspot.com/2011/09/llorenc-riber.html (sorry to shill for my own writing on Wilcock, but that anecdote about him I came across still cracks me up years later). P.S. You and Tom have made this a splendid week for the Argentinean Literature of Doom!Richardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01746599416342846897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2609668304633418767.post-7383917605116265492015-10-14T03:31:49.100-07:002015-10-14T03:31:49.100-07:00Delightful! I can see what you mean about the cumu...Delightful! I can see what you mean about the cumulative effect. The reference to baba au rhum caught my eye - that's a blast from the past. <br />JacquiWinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16220597283351925721noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2609668304633418767.post-69664544331345614522015-10-13T04:18:59.429-07:002015-10-13T04:18:59.429-07:00This sounds like a good book to read in Italian fo...This sounds like a good book to read in Italian for a bit of practice.LMRhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08538873868140070018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2609668304633418767.post-67985704634200625512015-10-12T10:20:54.050-07:002015-10-12T10:20:54.050-07:00I'm much looking forward to your observations ...I'm much looking forward to your observations on Lugones. One does wonder where that mad scientist germ originated in Argentina, and if Aira is any indication, it's still spreading.seraillonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17654593356535433945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2609668304633418767.post-76954859134212573452015-10-12T10:18:50.579-07:002015-10-12T10:18:50.579-07:00Nabokov and Beckett are two that immediately come ...Nabokov and Beckett are two that immediately come to mind, but I imagine that such bi-lingual writing is relatively rare.seraillonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17654593356535433945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2609668304633418767.post-58122682816526683492015-10-12T10:15:40.155-07:002015-10-12T10:15:40.155-07:00Some of the cumulative effect of the whole passage...Some of the cumulative effect of the whole passage is missing here, but here's an excerpt:<br /><br /><b>enfouir:</b> TO BURY; TO STASH. When Géraldine opened her eyes again, she protested, not without irony: “But where have you <i>enfoui</i> it?”<br /><b>enfoucher:</b> TO STICK WITH A PITCHFORK; TO PIERCE. “You should rather say <i>enfourchi</i>,” explained the subprefect’s secretary between mouthfuls of baba au rhum.<br /><b>enfouchure:</b> CROTCH. “Alastair, grab him by the <i>enfourchure</i> and try to pull him back,” implored Fauban.<br /><b>enfourner:</b> TO PUT IN THE OVEN; TO SET ABOUT. “Not for nothing do they call him the <i>enfourner</i>,” added the phony nun with an air of authority.<br /><b>enfreindre:</b> TO SHATTER; TO VIOLATE. “Do you like Benjamin Brittan? Asked Ben Saïd, suddenly <i>enfreignant</i> the respectful silence.<br /><b>enfroquer:</b> TO PUT ON A MONK’S COWL; TO MASQUERADE AS A MONK. Beyond the door a chilling voice could be heard shouting “<i>Enfroquez</i> him!”<br /><b>enfuir (s’):</b> TO FLEE; TO ESCAPE; TO LEAK OUT. Géraldine parted her knees and let him <i>s’enfuir</i>.<br />seraillonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17654593356535433945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2609668304633418767.post-79614532172543241052015-10-12T06:57:22.630-07:002015-10-12T06:57:22.630-07:00If I forget to mention this post when I writer abo...If I forget to mention this post when I writer about Lugones later this week, please remind me. What other literary tradition has so many mad scientists? Amateur Reader (Tom)https://www.blogger.com/profile/13675275555757408496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2609668304633418767.post-57201709101475208642015-10-12T06:03:49.556-07:002015-10-12T06:03:49.556-07:00Wilcock sounds like a writer who I would really li...Wilcock sounds like a writer who I would really like. His works as you describe them sound marvelously creative.<br /><br />Off the top of my head I cannot think of other writers who wrote works of merit in more then one language.Brian Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2609668304633418767.post-51642004852503575892015-10-11T00:30:02.586-07:002015-10-11T00:30:02.586-07:00Fascinating stuff, Scott. I love the sound of Flam...Fascinating stuff, Scott. I love the sound of Flamart's dictionary-novel! Could you quote one or two examples from that section, just to give a feel for it? I agree, there could be a whole book in that idea alone. JacquiWinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16220597283351925721noreply@blogger.com