“Je ne sais pas la motive” 1960 interview avec Michele Bernstein

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlIc_1cjCdg&w=540]

Michele Bernstein parle au sujet de la publication de son premier roman “Tous les chevaux du roi”.

Et puis:

[youtube=http://youtu.be/7KbAGR55lSo&w=540]

Present-indicatif, future or peut-etre pour moi, I prefer to describe her tense as the “predictive tense”.

Dithery weather. Persian Radio. La Nuit

Today, this evening to be precise, well 9pm to be even more precise, I discovered by chance Vancouver Persian Radio. It is fab! I love the music they play and there was a report on today’s election. I couldn’t understand the report because I can’t speak Farsi. But I could understand the music because, well, that’s how music is. The station only plays once a week at 9pm.

I also recently discovered the Lacha Cercel & the Roma Swing Ensemble. It also was a Saturday. I conclude musical delights reveal themselves on Saturdays.

To celebrate Bloomsday manana I watched two documentaries: one to help me muster the will to wash the dishes, on the proliferation of nuclear weapons and amateur pedlars of enriched uranium and then a piece about alien abductees in the UK. Neither have any relation to Bloomsday except I think it calls for variety. Worrying nuclear facts also have a speeding up effect on doing the washing-up.

I am reading Michele Bernstein La Nuit or The Night in a translation by Clodagh Kinsella and its sister book After The Night — a detournement set in London, which I already dug into because I couldn’t wait and am reading it concurrently rather than consecutively. I concurrently have Brigid Brophy’s Beardsley and his world on the perch and Don’t Never Forget.

The weather the past two days has been dithery. Overcast and then a bit of sun before it resorts to dithery. There was a terrific rain event on Wednesday morning past. I have titled it the Timpani and Gush event. In the afternoon a tornado hit Edmonton. I like to imagine the two events were connected. I think the science would prove otherwise. I practice interpretive weather observations rather than the solid factual pointy point type. Also, weather naysayers with their heads stuck in a bowl of lime … you can never run out of things to say about the weather. If you do, make them up. Obviously.

Binding problem: Apology to reader Krislyn

This is an apology to Malarky reader Krislyn who noted in an Amazon.ca review that she/he had received a copy of Malarky with a binding problem. I am so very sorry for this interruption to your reading. I wrote an apology to you on Amazon in a review, but it was screened out because I guess writers cannot apologize to readers through a review.

If any other reader purchases a copy of Malarky & discovers a similar binding problem please contact me by email mrsokana@gmail.com or my publisher Biblioasis directly and your copy will be immediately replaced. You may also return your copy to the shop/online retailer and the shop can give you a replacement copy.

Should you have any problem getting your copy replaced, I shall personally see that it is replaced for you.

I believe it is a very very tiny number of copies where there’s a binding problem. It does happen to books. Alas. Machines are not infallible. Thanks for understanding.

Sprouting decline

Yesterday I planted 6 brussel sprout plants & 2 tomato plants in my community garden plot. I had the sagging feeling afterwards that I may not be cut out for gardening. I harvested some geriatric celery and some senior, failure to thrive, leeks for the guinea pigs.
I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know.

In French I was born in 1949

Fantastic news, on today’s Radio-Canada segment that discussed Malarky, alongside the Art Spiegelman Exhibit at the VAG and George Fetherling’s memoir, it was stated that I was born in 1949. Zing! Just like that I was 33 years older and delighted to be so. Because this meant my left kidney was no worse than it has been to date. At first I thought I was 70, but in fact no, they’d made me a mere 64. I was a bit sad because the most useful people I know are 70+.

The host Marie-Louise confused me with George Fetherling. Then she seemed to generously remark that obviously I’d lived a rich life with lots of experiences (it was all in very rapido French, so this may not be the exact translation). I have lived a life with lots of recent attention on the weather. It’s a frisky business this weather watching! I was born in 1971, but am much happier with this reassigned birth date so it may stick.

A grand merci to Radio-Canada and to their Vancouver correspondent Monsieur Charles for talking eloquently and passionately about my book. It’s lovely to hear one’s work discussed en Francais. So mes cheries french publishers, nous vous attendons!

Click here to scroll down to the Art Spiegelman segment et bien ecouter! 

et merci encore a Charles et Marie-Louise for making my day with this great moment! I am a big Radio-Canada fan and listener (I have a slow, tortoise like approach to the beloved french language, but God loves a french speaking tortoise)

Malarky on CBC Radio’s The Next Chapter

On Monday I was interviewed on The Next Chapter about Malarky and was especially delighted to be on the same programme as Claire Messud.

You can listen to the short bit on Malarky after you’ve listened to the long and thoughtful interview with Mrs Messud and her Nora by clicking here.

Footless and sunny

We have had two consecutive days of sunshine & I’ve had two consecutive days of operating on one foot temporarily. I’m growing accustomed to both.

I failed to report the generous digging of my community garden patch by Helen & Earl. Collectively we have 182 + years between us. It took approx 117 of those years to finally remove that other pesky half of the granny geranium plant. It takes a village to dig out a stubborn geranium. Happy June to you all.

Malarky gets her first mash note

The email server bought a warm message about Malarky today.

I received my first mash note, since I didn’t know what a mash note was (*) it is designated my first mash note … it was from Mr. Lemony Snicket or the fella who holds a cup of tea and writes as him. He wrote to say he thinks Malarky is terrific, which was very kind of him. As I read the message the weather outside was bright blue. It was not raining. (important to note the weather upon receipt of first mash note)

I had to ask him what a mash note was because I thought perhaps it was something to do with the TV show MASH or potato mashers. By reply, he generously explained a mash note is an effusive fan letter.

Thank you Mr Lemony Snicket. It was like getting a message from Mr Bump. (I am a big fan of Mr Bump) and up there beside getting tweeted by my favourite weather forecaster Johanna and my favourite bird flu expert Crawford Killian.

Also, Radio-Canada came calling, there will be some talk of Malarky on one of their programmes next week by a man named Charles. Do you hear that French publishers? Do you hear that Quebec publishers? French readers want to read Malarky too. So roll up, roll up and translate her. Enough of this risk averse carry on. Nom d’un chien, zut alors, for the love of God.

I’ve decided Cesar Aira is the only man to translate the book into Spanish. So give us a ring Cesar…hopefully not at the same time as Mr Bump. Wouldn’t want to miss either of you.

It’s going to rain on Saturday, if you are wondering.

Excited

..to read this translation (by Clodagh Kinsella) of Michelle Bernstein’s The Night. Congratulations to Bookworks for doing what many have til now not managed. Now who would like me to pay to review it for their newspaper/journal ?

Also, enjoyed this interview with Cesar Aira and especially his description of what he likes about small publishers and how a reader who really wishes to find his work will find it.

Also, was keen to learn that Senor Aira translates work, perhaps he might translate Malarky to Spanish someday? I can think of no finer pairing than Aira and Our Woman.