Parisian Literary Salon

I have 25 people on the list for this event- please email me if you have not done so already to reserve a place. See the original posting about this event for further information.

At the final Tuesday Portrait Salon, we discussed (thank you Chris!) another Salon possibility: One book, one meeting. This would address those who have wanted to do a Salon and have not been able to commit to a full six week- or who would like a less…formal? intense? study- or simply more opportunities to read and discuss great works. I am thinking this through and would love any feedback (either email me or BETTER YET use the website forum so all can see the developments & ideas) and to know if this appeals to folks.

1. Beloved Monday Nights:
I think this work is so important- certainly for its subject matter, but also becasue Morrison’s style and structure teach the reader to approach a text in a fresh, innovative way- and the language is beautiful. There is a sublime element to that which is grotesque- the study of this text will develop this idea. If this is your first Salon, remember your inscription is insured with a deposit of 25 euro (send a check…). If you have previously done a Salon, your email committment is enough. I hope to send out a quick confirmation to those I have as currently registered- please watch for this.

2. Ulysses Tuesday Afternoons (at Nanette’s, near Trocadero) Chris Bart has gallantly and courageously volunteered- with the help of Jeanette- to outline all or parts of the Odyssey in preparation of our plunge- you should have recieved these notes by now- please email me if you have not.

3. Ulysses Tuesday Evenings- (at rue d’Alesia) I appreciate Jeanette’s description of starting the reading gingerly- dive in, keep going and you will find the world of Bloom and Stephen washing over you…many of the connections are made beneath the surface (of language, of consciousness…).

For all of these Salons, I am trying to find creative ways of squeezing 5 sessions out of our January time- I will send details along as soon as I have figured this out, also of course opening notes and reading schedules. When my computer is happy again. Or by bike or carrier pigeon.

TEXT AVAILABILITY: Our Salon conversations are facilitated by everyone having a common text: The Red Wheelbarrow Bookstore is the source I use- they currently have the Ulysses text on hand; Beloved to arrive early next week.
Red Wheelbarrow
22 rue Saint Paul 75004 01.48.04.75.08 Metro: St. Paul, Sully Morland, Pont Marie

…January only offers four weeks between school holidays- eek. So we need to think about how to use those weeks in a way that will promote maximum enjoyment…

Beloved by Toni Morrison
(please see website for description)
*this is one of those books I think everyone should read- but would not recommend reading alone- not so much for difficulty as for emotional content- this is a very powerful and evocative text.
Monday Evenings: 8-10 PM (on rue d’Alesia)
Text available at The Red Wheelbarrow Bookstore by Dec. 16th

Odyssey by Homer
To understand our evolution into our contemporary conception of the heroic, one must start with the original hero. As Clifton Fadiman argues:

“…But the Odyssey is not tragic. It stresses not our limitations but our possibilities. Its theme is not courage in the face of death, but intelligence in the face of hardship. It announces another of the great themes: the power of intelligence, a theme to which we moderns readily respond. Though Odysseus is brave enough, his heroism is of the mind….”

There is a wonderful new translation available by Edward McCrorie- and of course, the study of the Odyssey would help lay the groundwork for….
Schedule Choices: Tuesday Afternoons (probably near Trocadero) or Monday Afternoons (rue d’Alesia)

Ulysses by James Joyce
There is a strong argument for studying this intimidating text- and I believe the only way to study it is with a group of hungry, curious readers who all contribute to evoking meaning. Our study for this short session would encompass the first 100 pages- giving participants a taste of the work to decide if they would like to continue. After two rich Salon studies of A Portrait of the Artist… , I know that any time spent studying Joyce leaves one a better reader- a broader thinker- even if all the references, repetitions, epiphanies and allusions are not understood. Now, to the Why do it? Again, Clifton Fadiman (thanks Dave Frey!)

1. It is probably the most completely organized, thought out work of literature since The Divine Comedy.
2. It is the most influential novel (call it that for the lack of a better term) published in our century. The influence is indirect- through other writers.
3. It is one of the most original works of the imagination in the language. It broke not one trail, but hundreds.
4. There is some disagreement here, but the prevailing view is that it is not “decadent’ or “immoral” or “pessimistic”. Like the work of many of the supreme artists…it proposes a vision of life as seen by a powerful mind that rises above the partial, the sentimental, and the self-defensive.
5. Unlike its original, the Odyssey, it is not an open book. It yields its secrets only to those willing to work, just as Beethoven’s last quartets reveal new riches the longer they are studied.

I offer this Salon a bit as a test- if folks feel stirred and inspired by the work, I will certainly continue- but the Salon exists to stir joy and understanding into the act of reading and to do so in a dynamic community of other readers- if Ulysses does not do this for us, there are many other works that await….( East of Eden top of the list for March).
Schedule Choices: Tuesday Afternoons or Tuesday Evenings (rue d’Alesia)

A reminder if you have not already signed up- the reading is filling up- if you have sent me a request and have not recieved a confirmation, please re-send- I have not been keeping on top of my correspondence….

The Alesian Literary Salon has a rare opportunity: an intimate reading and conversation with this highly acclaimed author on the occasion of her publication of Tete a Tete- the literary biography of Sartre and de Beauvoir. I have just finished the book and found it a delicious read- I learned about the two great minds featured in the text as well as the experience of truly living the life of the mind. There are comments and reviews of Tete a Tete on the website- I encourage you to read it if you have a chance before Hazel’s presentation- although I think you will enjoy the event even if you have not done so- there will be books on sale there. The seating is limited to 35 people and I am advertising this event to the Salon list first- but as of December 10th I will open up the invite to a wider audience- so please reserve now. There is no cost- maybe a donation for the wine and nibbles that will be provided. You can buy a copy before the reading at The Red Wheelbarrow…

Date: Friday January 6th 2006
Time: Reading & Discussion from 7-8:15, reception afterwards
Place: Galerie Deborah Zafman, 48 rue Chapon 75003 (near the Pompidou Center)

RSVP: Use this website’s contact form

I think this poem attracted me right now because of the inherent struggle- even when one’s needs are elaborately fulfilled- the unnamed yearning for more I feel, for example, with the end of each Salon as I want to honor the gathered energy with something greater than a closed door on the final meeting. But it is that want- “She wants. Milk beyond milk. World beyond this one, she cries.” - that drives us- to continue to reach for new ideas, for what challenges us, for world beyond.

Sister Cat
by Francis Mayes

Cat stands at the fridge,
Cries loudly for milk.
But I’ve filled her bowl.
Wild cat, I say, Sister,
Look, you have milk.
I clink my fingernail
Against the rim. Milk.
With down and liver,
A word I know she hears.
Her sad miaow. She runs
To me. She dips
In her whiskers but
doesn’t drink. As sometimes
I want the light on
when it is on. Or when
I saw the woman walking
toward my house and
I thought there’s Frances.
Then looked in the car mirror
To be sure. She stalks
The room. She wants. Milk
Beyond milk. World beyond
This one, she cries.