Sunday, June 25, 2006

Latest read is Kevin Phillips American Theocracy.
I just returned from a great trip to Dublin for Bloomsday. I went with family, which worked out great, esp. as a close friend of the family has ties (family and friends) in Ireland that opened many doors. E.g. he arranged a dinner at the University Kildare club (where he also arranged for us to stay) with Senator David Norris, who is an expert on Joyce. (Wrote introduction to Joyce). I asked him how many people in the world have read the Wake with full understanding, and he said, "none...Joyce himself probably forgot all that he put in there."

We visited Sandy Cove (the "omphalos" -- i.e. circular castle that appears in opening scenes of Ulysses, peering over the "snotgreen sea"), the James Joyce museum, and Howth Castle, among other places. Also got a tour of the Dail ("doyle") -- the equiv. to our House of Representatives.

Also saw a good recitation/explanation of Flann O'Brien's famous work, At Swim--Two Birds.
And visited most of the major bookstores in Dublin proper.

Also read ReJoyce by Anthony Burgess, one of the best explorations of the man and his work that you can find.

After I got home I started reading Finnegan's Wake. It occurs to me that I could begin adding to my Joycean poem, "The Ill Id" (El Noise) -- using his technique (w/o as much brilliant layering and use of polyglottamy -- of dreamlanguage. Which is where the poem left off. With me asleep in a hammock slung under the el. Pot to Potawattomee? Yes, I say Yes.