Roger Shattuck of “The Banquet Years” fame

by Pier Marton | Sep 13, 2010 | Art, Books, Ego, France, Highlights, Humor, Ideas, Mystery

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A jewel of a book that conveys some of the energy behind Satie, Jarry, Apollinaire and Douanier Rousseau.

This is his obituary in the New York Times.

Were he not a satrap of the College of Pataphysics (“The Science of Imaginary Solution”/”The Science of Exceptions”) nor as honored as the Lutembe (en Français), he was still the only board-certified U.S. pataphysician, and the translator of one of my favorite books, the unfinished and enigmatic Mount Analogue.

News & Olds

BREAK THE SURFACE
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To ride the unbalance* between:
1. excellence and a kind, singular and porous identity that contains some of the scruples, humor, humility, musicality & the beauty of a harsh and confusing, yet benign and rich reality – away from distractions.
2. the stupidity and blindness of complacency, violence, injustice, pretense, egos, short-term… wishful… and group “thinking,” and empty talk – in all of their surprising embodiments. And the false sense of fullness all of this provides.
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An appeal for a world NOT so caught up in anthropo/ego/euro/ethno/oculo/esthetico -CENTRISM.
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1. Beware of those who claim to be strong – they are often dangerous.
2. Unmask the hoax of “centrality” – ask an “EX-centric” for assistance?
3. Perceive the arrogance of normalcy: everybody, in one way or another, is handicapped… which brings us back to 1.
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*Not unrelated to “There is beauty and there are the humiliated. Whatever difficulties the enterprise may present, I should like never to be unfaithful either to the second or the first.” — Albert Camus