Today I was thinking of how Georges Bataille might reinvent the book review or longer critical essay, integrating new technologies, were he still about and spent some time hunting an edition of Documents from 1929, available entirely on this wonderful National Library of France site.

 

I drew a blank on my first question, but certainly enjoyed the reading and that interface. (Configure it to full screen scrolling and read it like an ipad book lifting the corner of each page as you wish and zooming in on the particulars).

I also finally after a concerted battle, hitherto recorded on this blog, nabbed the polygamous slug sect leader who has been populating my small community garden plot with the 250 baby slugs I’ve removed by hand. As you can see he/she’s also gourged  on my entire planting of beans. Look at the audacious lounge of him …. I was unable to establish whether Apophallation had taken place because I was beset with imminent salty euphoria.

When George Bataille lost his funding for Documents, (just after Breton launched his attacks) he embarked on a number of projects including that he wanted to publish a weekly magazine on universal history. I read this in Stuart Kendall’s red book about Bataille that I must buy. I borrowed it from the library who demanded its return. It is the red book that has raised me up the most in all the red books I recall reading.

I surrendered it without noting the exact quote.

I love that Bataille tasked himself, in the midst of a depressing and difficult time for him, with .. er.. universal history.