Friday, February 04, 2005

El libro infierno

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"I felt no surprise whatsoever when I realized Hell is a Library. Permitting one access to words, but not their meaning, is surely the finest version of Tantalus' punishment."

About ten days ago a book found its way into my shopping basket at Ex Libris: Carlo Frabetti's El libro infierno (translated into Greek by Achilleas Kyriakidis). I admit buying it for its title echoeing Borges and Eco. It's a thin book, less than 100 pages of story-text, but surely a rewarding one. While the theme apparent is Literature and the 'plot' is firmly based on Dante's Divine Comedy, the literary questions implied demand mathematical answers (or is it vice versa). It would be extremely premature of me to attempt any sort of critical introduction: besides re-reading it a good many more times, this would require venturing into Wittgenstein (whom I can glimpse at between the lines). The book forces one to ponder on Religion, Language and Ethics as synecdoche's of one another. So, I am merely presenting it here so that I may get an offer to write a paid review or perhaps even get a job as a translator.


Alas, I am not the only one to present Frabetti in unpaid, amateurishly translated English in our
blogosfera. This very morning I discovered another Greek blogger, Anatomy of Melancholy, has been preoccupied with Frabetti's Los jardines cifrados. Since this (Italian-born but Spanish-writing) author is now doubly blessed with blogofame, I should hope a proper English translation of his books is to be expected soon.

2 Comments:

Blogger DanaiShips said...

Ohhh, thank you so much for adding me to it's all greek to you list! By the by, why don't you try to read some serious book (like Harry Potter for instance)instead of feeling your head with useless information like Hell, religion and Ethics? After all, τα περίπτερα πουλάνε ροζ πράγματα, how about the "pink woman" magazine? Oh, and I really think that you should change your profile. Boris Vian may be your favorite author but remember the title of his book "και να καθαρίσουμε τους κακομούτσουνους"? But perhaps this is very greek to you...
P.S. I don't like Stamata, I'm a vegeterian. How about a date in Beijing (ραντεβού στο Πεκίνο)?

10:51 am EET  
Blogger dystropoppygus said...

Beijing? Sounds fine (but I don't know this restaurant). Δυστυχώς μια φίλη μου αποφάσισε ξάφνου να γίνει πρώην φίλη μου και διέγραψε με επιμέλεια τα σχόλια της για Κινέζικο φαγητό, οπότε δεν μπορώ να αντιπροτείνω κάτι εγγυημένο. On est toujours trop bon avec les femmes...

Μη περιμένεις το Φθινόπωρο, έτσι;

1:17 pm EET  

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