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From Stephen Elliott
The moment when a new book is begun it is a moment that vibrates, as potential energy (a writer’s wisdom distilled into a completed work, printed, bound, placed in your hands), converted slowly into kinetic energy (second by second, minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day) with each turn of the page.
Jorge Luis Borges’ writing is scattered among the annals of the University of Texas’ Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, among rare, historically-significant literary gems like hand-corrected proofs of Ulysses and a Gutenberg Bible.
The Borges papers, which are made up of unpublished letters and handwritten essays, have been uncatalogued.
...moreIt’s the 107th anniversary of everybody’s favorite James Joycian holiday!
That’s right—Bloomsday, the 24 hr period in which Leopold Bloom makes his way through Dublin in Ulysses. One way to appreciate those 265,000 words is through twitter or there’s always the NPR profile, and if that’s not enough—an ipad app!
...moreThe deadline for entry into the Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg poetry prizes is nearing. These are some of the most generous poetry prizes available, and they give a large number of them every year. The Rumpus interviewed Mary Rosenberg last March to discuss the prizes and how she approaches poetry in general.
...more“Sit back. I’m going to tell you a story,” Frank said in his brogue, looking into the distance like a Homerian epic-teller. “Don’t you ever dare steal it.”
...moreToday is the 105th anniversary of Leopold Bloom’s one-day passage through the ordinary streets of Dublin in James Joyce’s Ulysses. Dubliners and Joyce-lovers around the world are celebrating the author as well as the book, with readings, races, reenactments, and even Twitter (don’t worry, they only adapted the tenth chapter).
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