David Jones, artist and poet (1895-1974) begins his PREFACE TO THE ANATHEMATA :
'I have made a heap of all that I could find.' (1) So wrote Nennius, or whoever composed the introductory matter to Historia Brittonum. He speaks of an 'inward wound' which was caused by the fear that certain things dear to him 'should be like smoke dissipated'. Further, he says, 'not trusting my own learning, which is none at all, but partly from writings and monuments of the ancient inhabitants of Britain, partly from the annals of the Romans and the chronicles of the sacred fathers, Isidore, Hieronymous, Prosper, Eusebius and from the histories of the Scots and Saxons although our enemies . . . I have lispingly put together this . . . about past transactions, that [this material] might not be trodden under foot'. (2)
(1) The actual words are coacervavi omne quod inveni, and occur in Prologue 2 to the Historia.
(2) Quoted from the translation of Prologue 1. See The Works of Gildas and Nennius, J.A.Giles, London 1841.
Searching online for the initial reviews of Gerald Murnane's new book, A Million Windows, we were greatly surprised to dis-cover two versions of the cover for this book.
One, yes, but two might just as well be a million.
Or none at all. Given the matrix mind of the Murnane narrator, hyper-aware of each and every detail, in their flux and possibilities of combination, this seems both wonderful and shocking.
Has the play already begun? Even before we imagine this book starts now? A perverse, original singularity snare set for those educated to never judge a book by its cover|s? Even before the book is opened, the fall, again?
detail
A Person Looks At A Work Of Art/
someone looks at something ...
LOGOS/HA HA
