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Happy Birthday, Pessoa
Happy birthday to Fernando Pessoa, the man of a thousand heteronyms!
Sundiver
I just finished reading David Brin’s Sundiver, a bit of a rarity in that it is a space opera that is also very much in the realm of ‘hard science fiction.’
As a rule, hard sci fi tends to be more near future, allowing the writer to be more careful about their science and go out on less of a limb. But not Brin, who placed his story in a fairly advanced and well detailed future, with a complicated galactic cultural system.
That cultural system is the centerpiece of his Uplift universe.
Basically, status in the universe is achieved by ‘uplifting’ other species. Guiding their evolution and introducing them to technology like space flight and the like. These species become ‘client’ races to their ‘patrons,’ which roles come with certain responsibilities from each. Eventually, a ‘client’ becomes independent.
Humans are unusual in not having been uplifted and achieving space flight on their own, which slightly upsets that galactic apple cart and also leaves human uncomfortably outside the galactic social strata (though we try to move up anyway by uplifting chimpanzees and dolphins).
The plot involves the discovery of life in the sun – life that some folks theorize could be our ancient ‘patrons.’ After that, there’s lot of politics, some action sequences, some murders, etc.
It’s good stuff. And it also has an obscure reference to the character of Tom Bombadil from Tolkien’s Middle Earth: “Imperturbable as Bombadil…”
I’m looking forward to reading the sequel, Startide Rising.
Midweek Staff Meeting – Don’t Fear The Reaper
Nimrod
Not as in an insult, but rather the unusually (unfortunately?) named lit mag of the University of Tulsa.
From my point of view, it’s a good bit of work. Heavy on the poetry, which is always my priority (to the extent that I tend to read not to read lit mags that have anything but poetry, excepting those focused on sci fi, Asimov’s or Analog).
Overall, it’s good, rather great. Some well known poets published in this issue (Grace Cavalieri, for example), but the overall sense is of safety in the editors’ choices. Not a place one would go to see who is pushing the envelope nor what the coming trends will be.
I did actually read some of the fiction and read into it a certain aesthetic. Oklahoma is, geographically, a big place, but not densely populated and still with a lot of farm land. There was a recurring theme of isolation in the fiction that I related to Oklahoma’s flat and lonely geography. But maybe that’s just me or even if it wasn’t, maybe it was just a one off. Nonetheless… and the issue’s theme was ‘the view from here.’ From where? Just saying – a theme like that could make editors unconsciously think of their state’s many mostly empty spaces.
Tuesday Morning Staff Meeting – Where The Books Are
2012 Bloomsday Events: Washington, DC & Tampa Bay
Washington DC
What: 43 readers in all, diverse levels of knowledge/skill – group includes some top people.
When: BloomsdayDC is the 5th Annual Program of its kind sponsored by the Harvard Club of Washington, DC
10:00 AM – 11:30 AM: Reading from Part I of Ulysses at Politics & Prose (5015 Connecticut Avenue NW), Free-of-charge
2:00 PM – 6:00 PM: Reading from Part II of Ulysses at James Hobin’s Irish Restaurant (1 Dupont Circle), Free-of-charge
8:00 PM – 10:00 PM: Reading from Part III of Ulysses at Cosmos Club (2727 Mass Ave. NW) Attendance by advance reservation only, cost $35 per person (includes light food and drink), reservations at http://www.harvard-dc.org, not limited to members of Harvard Club
Where:
10:00 – 11:30 AM at Politics & Prose Bookstore – 5015 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington DC
2:00 – 6:00 PM at James Hobin’s Irish Restaurant – 1 Dupont Circle, Washington DC
8:00 – 10:00 PM at Cosmos Club – 2727 Mass Ave. NW, Washington, DC
Bethesda
What: Motley mix of seasoned Joyce readers, residents of the greater Washington DC metropolitan area. Organised by brother and sister Deborah Sherer and Dr. David Sherer.
Where:
The Irish Inn at Glen Echo
6119 Tulane Avenue
Bethesda, Maryland 20812
When:
Bloomsday Reading
June 16, 2012
11:00 a.m. until 3:00
Reservations only: 301-229-6600
Tampa Bay
What: Bloomsday Tampa Bay is sponsored by the Tampa Bay Arts and Education Network, a non-profit organization that provides educational and cultural programming and events to enrich the lives of Tampa Bay residents.
Where: O’Brien’s Irish Pub & Family Restaurant
701 West Lumsden Road
Brandon
When: June 16th: 6-10pm
Monday Morning Staff Meeting – Poets Speak Up On America’s Future
Danger On Peaks
Danger on Peaks is Gary Snyder’s most recent book of poetry. Recent being 2004.
It is also the book I purchased when Snyder read at the Folger Shakespeare Library as the final reader in 2011-2012 poetry season.
What do I think?
Danger on Peaks is good but not great. Not his best work. Not up to earlier works like Turtle Island (the first of his collections that I ever encountered).
His conversational, semi-narrative tone is still strong, but sometimes it can come close to touching on parody – the wilderness activist, living life (somewhat) off the grid – but fortunately does not actually cross over.
But there’s no question that too many lines (though fortunately, not many complete poems) miss their mark.
He’s at his best when he experiments with form, especially playing with Asian influenced forms and styles. When he does that, he gets furthest away from those aspects of his work that get too close to the ‘Gary Snyder, wilderness man nature poet, myth.’
When he indulges in the nature-loving equivalent to macho male posturing, he can write lines like this:\
I just finished a five page letter to the County Supervisors
dealing with a former supervisor,
now a paid lobbyist,
who has twisted the facts and gets paid for his lies. Do I
have to deal with this creep? I do.
I’m frankly over knee jerk criticisms of politicians. Even if you don’t share my belief that most are actually decent people, trying to do something useful (particularly at the local level), surely we can agree that just dropping a criticism of politicians and lobbyists “paid for [their] lies” is crude, knee jerk hackneyism.
But then, in another poem, he plays with something deeper about nature (and, as it typical of the better poems in this collection, also plays with form).
Saying, “this was me”
scat sign of time and mood and placelanguage us breath, claw, or tongue
Also, in that particular excerpt, kudos to Snyder for using the oxford comma!
Good stuff, that one.
Before I go, check out this article/interview with Snyder.
The Hidden Meaning Behind Ayn Rand’s Novels
the coffee philosopher 