by Annu YadavCopyright © 2014 Annu Yadav Trauma is “a wound inflicted not upon the body but upon the mind” whereby “knowing and not knowing are entangled in the language of trauma” (Freud, qtd in Wolfreys’s Trauma, Testimony, and Criticism). Freud’s celebrated statement regarding trauma effectively demonstrates breathe like presenceShow More »
By Giacomo Leopardi (1798-1837)Translated from Italian by Patrick Gasperini (*) [Giacomo Leopardi was a Romantic poet marked by radical pessimism. This dialogue was written in 1832–probably in Florence–and appeared in the 1834 edition of his Operette Morali (Moral Tales).] CALENDAR-SELLER:Calendars, new calendars. New almanacs. Do you need a new calendar,Show More »
If many concepts in religion have their roots in pan-cultural symbolism, the reverse may also be true. Some religious personalities may unexpectedly acquire a symbolic value, and become literary metaphors. John the Baptist can be a very valuable metaphor, especially in times of confusion and uncertainty. John the Baptist isShow More »
Vladimir Mayakovsky took his own life on April 14, 1930, when he was only 37 years old. Here I am not going to praise his poetry, it would be so unfair in such a small and unsuitable place. This is only a short meditation on his death. As a youngShow More »
Perhaps you don’t know that in the 1940s, Salvador Dalì and Walt Disney worked together on a revolutionary animated film. Unfortunately, Dalì’s art only materialized into an extraordinary 15-second-long sample. Towards the end of 1946 Disney decided to call the project off. When I read about that strange joined ventureShow More »
My wife and I have been reading Not I, But the Wind by Frieda Lawrence. Certainly not a great work of art, but an interesting insight into D.H. Lawrence’s life and the earthly influence of genius. Very often that word is mentioned in the book. Lawrence thought he was aShow More »
I have just finished reading Melville’s short novel, Billy Budd. Its main theme is innocence. If we look back, we can easily find hosts of noble writers and poets obsessed by the clash of innocence and corruption in man. Just a couple of names: J. J. Rousseau and William Blake.Show More »
This is only a small tribute to the extraordinary genius of Stéphane Mallarmé, who died a hundred years ago, on 9 September 1898. No-one has ever written, and will ever write, such perfect masterpieces as Hérodiade and L’Après-Midi d’un Faune. Shame on poor Anatole France, who had the cheek toShow More »
Have you ever heard of Nonism? I only read about it just a couple of months ago. The Nonist Manifesto by Dr Charles Mintern is dated September 2, 1996. I take the liberty of advertising part of its message and advising young poets and writers to learn more about it.Show More »