Gulliver's Corner: Anny Ballardini's Project Takes Giant Steps


Anny Ballardini's fieralingue

The Last Novel

David Markson's newest book, *The Last Novel* is just out from Shoemaker Hoard. Except for a few hours work, and dinner, I was unable to close this book, yesterday, the same day I purchased it, until the last word. It is unquestionably one of Markson's greatest works, an incandescent, elegiac, gnomic masterpiece, satirically and hilariously critical of human stupidity and cruelty, yet passionately, reverently and knowledgeably reflective of human brilliance and accomplishment throughout history. His other works include *Wittgenstein's Mistress*, *Reader's Block* and *This is Not a Novel*.

A few tidbits:

"He who writes artistically dies without recognition or reward.
Complained Lope de Vega- in 1609"


"Our father who art in heaven/Stay there.
Requested Jacques Prevert."


"I am no Einstein.
Once said Einstein."

"It's later than you know.
Printed Baudelaire on the face of his clock- after having broken off its hands."

Are Those Rag Dolls Lying There in the Poet's Corner?

Wait a minute...they're all standing up...they've got their arms out...they're walking towards me...


Tom Beckett's Little Book of Zombie Poems designed by Mark Young

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"The academy of my dreams is opening its doors..."
(Ted Berrigan)


In my dream last night I was in the subway looking for Uijongbu. I try to call somebody from the dark platform but two tough guys start to approach me. When I woke up I remembered where the word was from and then I had a very strong, sad feeling of missing Ted.

I remembered this:

"It is 8:54 a.m. in Brooklyn it's the 28th of July and
it's probably 8:54 in Manhattan but I'm
in Brooklyn I'm eating English Muffins and drinking
pepsi and I'm thinking of how Brooklyn is New
York city too how odd I usually think of it as
something all its own like Bellows Falls like Little
Chute like Uijongbu"

-Ted Berrigan's *Sonnets* (Grove Press, 1964)

I looked up Ted Berrigan in the Wikipedia. It turns out Ted served in the army during the Korean war.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ted Berrigan (15 November 1934 - 4 July 1983) was an American poet.

Berrigan was born in Providence, Rhode Island, on November 15, 1934. After high school, he spent a year at Providence College before joining the U.S. Army in 1954 to serve in the Korean War. After three years in the Army, he finished his college studies at the University of Tulsa in Oklahoma, where he received a B.A. in English in 1959. He received his M.A. from Tulsa in 1962. Berrigan was married to Sandy Berrigan, also a poet, and they had two children, David Berrigan and Kate Berrigan. He and his second wife the poet Alice Notley were active in the poetry scene in Chicago for several years, then moved to New York City, where he edited various magazines and books.


Uijeongbu
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Uijeongbu is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Its geographical location is 37°45′N 127°3′E.
The city is located just north of Seoul with many U.S. and Korean military bases for the defense of the Korean capital. The U.S. Second Infantry Division has established its headquarters in the city with main troops deployed in Dongducheon City.
In M*A*S*H, this city (then just a village) served as the home of MASH 4077.

Contradicta



When intrusion becomes a right all other rights lack teeth.




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I don't care much for birthdays or most holidays. That every day is assigned a number, a first name and a surname, and every moment labelled with another number provides more than enough temporal bureaucracy for me.

*Folly* on the Roof

Nada Gordon's new book from Roof Books,*Folly* was celebrated yesterday at the home of the publisher, James Sherry. Terrific performances were offered by Sharon Mesmer (who "roasted" Nada with Henny Youngman type witticisms), Mitch Highfill, Marianne Shaneen, Brenda IIjima, Gary Sullivan, Katie Degentesh and Nada herself joined in to read from the book, which features a knockout cover by Gary Sullivan, with assistance from Nada herself. The room was filled with huge smiles, delighted laughter, and palpable excitement about Nada's new book, some good food and, from what I could tell, some damn fine wine as well.

At one point, James Sherry and Nada read from a funny and fascinating "process" dialogue based on emails the two wrote to each other during the editing stage of the book. Toward the end of the party, James and Deborah reminisced that this was among one of the most terrific book parties ever given in the loft. I agreed, having attended events there to celebrate Roof and Segue books since the late seventies. Other Roof book writers in attendence were Charles Bernstein, Susan Bee, Abigail Child, Kim Rosenfield and Drew Gardner. Other luminaries present included Ann Tardos, KIm Lyons, Toni Simon, Deborah Thomas, Douglas Rorhschild, Bill Marsh and Octavia Butler, Michael Scharf and no doubt many others I have yet to meet!


This was a weekend of book parties (David Shapiro, Elaine Equi [see link to photo below], Nada Gordon) I will long remember. I have a lot of poetry to read, some new, and some I have long admired, that I will without doubt hugely enjoy.

Celebrating Elaine Equi's *Ripple Effect*, New and Selected Poems
a photo by
Star Black
Charles Bernstein, Stephen-Paul Miller, Bob Perelman, Bill Zavatsky,
Meredith Walters, Francie Shaw, Toni Simon, Nick Piombino,
Susan Bee, Elaine Equi, Jerome Sala
(via Charles Bernstein's Web Log)

Contradicta




Through all of our suffering, existence itself shines above it like a star.





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What is known to every object and every living thing in the world except human beings is how to be at rest.




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