Billings' list

 " Exacting as Lentz’s literalism can be, it is also fresh and suggestive. After all, there are plenty of novels that embrace writerly self-consciousness—there are even several that do so by showing a prisoner trying to talk his way out of a prison (Claudio Magris’s 2006 novel Blindly and Elias Khoury’s Yalo, from 2004, are two recent examples that feel like spiritual cousins to Schattenfroh). In each of these books, the unreliability of the narrator’s monologizing can feel unsettling, but it ultimately serves to reinforce a larger settledness about the world outside the book. It suggests that there is a difference between such hyper-articulate (and, in Magris and Khoury’s cases, traumatized) narrators and us, the readers, who have somehow, despite being creatures of language ourselves, managed to hover above its dangers like Romans in a gladiatorial arena. They, the characters, are trapped by language. We, on the other hand, know where the world ends and writing begins—which means that, at the end of the day, we are safe, or at least certain enough about the potential pitfalls of language to stay away from them. "

pre pub essay

by Deep Vellum used this line by Rilke. Beauty is nothing more than a terror that we are still able to withstand  

Josh Billings

 has a fabulous essay review of Schattenfroh on LA RB 

just want to copy and paste the whole thing  so fine and brilliant it makes you weep with hope and joy

Gazing into One’s Own Head

Josh Billings reviews German author Michael Lentz’s novel “Schattenfroh,” newly translated by Max Lawton.

September 9, 2025

September 5 Friday and Schattenfroh

 Call yesterday afternoon while we were watching GH.  Michael McDermand to tell us Nancy died the day before, Sept 3.  Undiagnosed aggressive leukemia.  Hospice moved into the house the same evening or the next after the diagnosis.  Nancy didn't want to try any chemo or other procedures.  That was Friday a week ago.  She died on Wednesday.  Was calm and peaceful and tired most of the time.  Made lots of lists for Mike, Cindy and Bob.  Said maybe in a few months have a gathering for people to tell the funniest anecdote about her they could remember.  Feels still like we are in shock.  Gray morning doesn't help.  Wayne coming at 1 and the Natalie had scheduled a visit at 2 to chat GH stuff and general visit.  Nice visit with Pat last week.  I emailed the group yesterday, shock responses.  

Earlier I had a boost surprise.  We went to Meredith for a dental cleaning for Va.  Sally noted her purple outfit, as I had said she would.  She is very proud that her eldest son has been named master chef at Grand View Hotel in Whitefield.  He and his wife have a free five room house along with other perks.  Driving into Holderness Va said let's see the Inn where Carole's birthday party will be.  Drove in, looked at the asphalt slope by the rear garage that I thought was to be our entrance path.  Young man down there noticed us and I motioned to have him come up to talk about details.  Entrance is really in the front, a brick walk.

I got out of the car to go with him to see the walk and the small places with edges where the transport chair will need to edge up and over.  He looked at me and said are you Bob Garlitz?  Yes.  I took you for Composition my first year at PSC and it was my best course.  You told me something I still remember.  You said just write your essay and when you'r through throw away the first paragraph.  That has stayed with me because I have a hard time just figuring what my thoughts are and what I want to say, so after the first paragraph I finally start finding out.  He was/is a snowboarder from a high school in MA.  Majored in Political Science then taught challenged kids at Sandwich school.  His wife worked for the previous owners of the Inn for some years, also went to Plymouth but maybe a few years younger.  They bought the Inn five years ago.  He loves the change of work.  He asked us if we were related to Jessica Shaw, took a moment to realize it is Jessica Wixson Shaw and Sky Shaw.  He also knows Dave's musician Brendan Dowd (?).  Brendon (or Brendan?) Matthews.  They have a six year old daughter and twin three year old boys.  Thanked him for remembering me and saying hi.  Looking forward to the dinner more now!!  Delightful surprise.  

Oh, and Schattenfroh is super.  As good as, better than, I had hoped and expected.  Tweets say it is already viewed as a masterpiece of German Lit, five or more years old there.  Big reviews coming out in NYRB etc.  I tweeted two lines about it.  It is a book that is in love with how books are in love with books.  And the suggestion that reading K Burke's Epilogue: Prologue in Heaven would be a great companion piece to the novel, as a closing satyr play in comic mode.  Debating about whether to suggest it to Ed on the basis that the translator's tweet says the book assumes you've read your Hegel and Heidegger.  Max Lawton, who I've been following on X for a year or so.  That's how I caught wind of the book and its importance.  He works in four or more languages, mostly in Russian first and took on German because he wanted to translate this book.  I heard some bits of an interview on YouTube with the author, Michael Lenz.  But I'm in that phase of wanting to postpone digging around for commentary until well after I've finished the first read.  Already assuming I will want to read it again.  Love the voices and the flow through the rich materials from German/world lit and history.  Theologies.  Meanderings of all sorts.  

Last week of August 2025

 Heading into Labor Day weekend.  As if that will bring anything.  Markers.  Liturgical tabs.  

Eye procedure in about an hour.  Clearing up or away the obfuscatory smudge on the left eye.  Dr Scott who went to University of Chicago Medical School.  Which years.  Seems about my age maybe a few years younger.  Sent more funds to the kids.  Grateful praying hands emoji from Cécile.  Hope it helps her worry a bit less, especially in this first anniversary of Annie's death.  Sure to be hard for her and her father. They say they will come for Christmas but I'm a wee skeptical.

Doc's laser gizmo would not work.  Postponed until early October.  He said he went to Bowdoin, happiest years of his life.  No reply about Chicago.  

Discovering the Secret Path to Unleashing Your True Potential

 The Yielding Warrior is about the concept of yielding and how it can be applied to almost any area of life. The book dives into the three main directions of yielding: physical, mental, and emotional. You will learn how to break down and dissect the concept of yielding while learning how to build a set of life skills that can be applied to business, sports, education, music, art and relationships. Yielding has three areas of practice ritual, active, and philosophical based training applications. "The Yielding Warrior" helps you to understand why we use these different areas and how you can use them to create a life practice for yourself. The art of yielding has been practiced for centuries and in reality, everyone does it to some degree. As one of my old instructors once told me "it is easy to get an athlete to 85% of his or her potential the last 15% is always exponentially harder". The true beauty in the arts is always in the last 3-5% of your potential. As you watch someone like Michael Jordan play basketball or listen to music created by Johann Sebastian Bach you can appreciate their magical abilities and feel the energetic emotion emanating when they perform. Yielding helps us to be more aware of, and to nurture these subtleties that allow our passion to shine.

Jeff Paterson's book 

Annie Ernaux's Look at the Lights, My Love about Auchan Hypermarché Cergy

Recording her visits to a store near Paris for over a year, she captures the world that exists within its massive walls. Through Ernaux’s eyes, the superstore emerges as “a great human meeting place, a spectacle”—a flashy, technologically advanced incarnation of the ancient marketplace where capitalism, cultural production, and class converge, dictating our rhythms of desire. With her relentless powers of observation, Ernaux takes the measure of a place we thought we knew, calling us to question the experiences we overlook and to gaze more deeply into ordinary life. 

 

The saying "secrets transform into diamonds" suggests that 

hidden truths or undisclosed information, when brought to light or revealed, can ultimately result in something valuable or powerful.

This metaphor draws parallels between the formation of diamonds under intense pressure and heat, and the process by which concealed information can, through various circumstances, become something precious or impactful.

The exact phrasing "secrets transform into diamonds" is not found in the search results for novel titles containing "diamond" and "secret."

 

However, the quote is likely a metaphorical statement about secrets having value, and being revealed as something precious. The themes of secrets and diamonds are prominent in several works:

• The Famous Five series by Enid Blyton includes the novel Five on a Secret Trail, where the children likely uncover a secret that leads to an adventure involving a treasure hunt. In Five Go Off in a Caravan, the children's mother's past is hinted at, suggesting the possibility of a concealed past and hidden wealth.
• The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas involves secrets, hidden treasure, and the theme of delayed gratification. A fellow prisoner, Abbé Faria, educates Edmond Dantès and informs him of a hidden treasure on Monte Cristo. This aligns with the theme of secrets eventually yielding valuable outcomes. After escaping, Dantès finds the treasure and uses his wealth to exact revenge, while also performing acts of generosity, hinting at the potential for secrets to be used for both positive and negative purposes.
• The Diamond of Darkhold by Jeanne DuPrau features a secret discovered by Lina and Doon that could change their lives. This secret, a forgotten technology to harness the power of the sun, highlights the idea that concealed knowledge can lead to breakthroughs and new opportunities.
• The Diamond Secret (Love Inspired Suspense) by Lenora Worth involves a search for a legendary chocolate diamond and a dangerous man. This could potentially connect secrets and diamonds in the context of the story's suspenseful plot. 

In conclusion, while the exact phrase might not be present, the concept it evokes is found within the themes of secrets and diamonds in various novels like The Famous Five, The Count of Monte Cristo, and The Diamond of Darkhold. 

myth of coal into diamond

Coals are just the solidified form of carbon, while diamonds are the crystallized form. All the carbon trapped inside the deepest layers of earth is turned into either coal or diamond.

The quote "secrets transform into luminous stars" appears in the novel 

Black Star Requiem Epilogue: The Final Echo by Jeffery J. Davis. 

This novel is the concluding part of an epic saga exploring themes of survival, power, identity, and the fragility of civilization in a galaxy on the brink of collapse. The main character, Seren Vael, is the last remaining member of an ancient and powerful collective, the Choir, and embarks on a journey to uncover the hidden truths about her people and the fall of their empire. 

an AI way to blog anew?

 

The phrase "He became so good at keeping his life secret, he kept it secret from himself" is a thought-provoking idea exploring self-deception and the lengths to which individuals might go to compartmentalize or deny aspects of their own lives

While this exact wording isn't directly attributed to a specific novel in the search results, it aligns with concepts explored in works like George Orwell's 1984, particularly the quote: "If you want to keep a secret, you must also hide it from yourself". This quote from 1984 captures the essence of the sentiment in the user's inquiry, highlighting the psychological process of internalizing and suppressing secrets even from one's conscious awareness. 

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August 2

 Was it yesterday's depression and last night's school anxiety dreams that have me thinking I will cave in and subscribe to The NY Times?  Fell into looking up stuff on Compton Wynyates, Ronale Manor and Anselm Hall.  Lots more no seems to pop up online.  Or my personal algorhythms are in tune.  

Finished reading, looking through (at the final few pages) Guyotat's Coma.  Two books by him are enough.  Now I will Google "how to enjoy reading Lobo Antunes" to see if AI can give a hand here.

Ramps.  We bought that fine ramp with handrails in Albuquerque last year.  Now in the garage we have a shiny new foldable ramp, 7 foot long, to use with the new stair climbing chair due to be installed this Wednesday.  The Era of Ramps thrust upon us.  

not bad actually ---  To enjoy reading António Lobo Antunes's books, it's helpful to embrace their unique style, which often features multiple, overlapping narratives, stream-of-consciousness, and a focus on memory and subjective experience.Antunes's writing can be challenging due to its dense prose and shifting perspectives, but understanding his techniques and the context of his work can enhance the reading experience. 

Here's a more detailed guide:

somehow the text would not copy and paste well.  Is that by design?  

Just noticed this blog goes all the way back to 2006 which had 115 entries.  Most for any year.  Three years after Virginia's catastrophic event, in 2003.  So at least the blog has some sort of presence as a chronicle.  When one does is the event automatically reported to Google and the blog removed?  Or can any forensic net nerd find anything forever?  

sent this to Phil earlier ---  wmhuo168 (@William Huo) posted: Milton Friedman didn’t just destroy public education. He rewired how Americans think about everything from housing to health to patriotism.  

to which he replied. 

I think that part of the attraction is the mathematics of a strictly economic view.   It's "econmaththink."  One uses calculus to arrive at the "ideal solution" of any and all economic questions.  I'm very familiar with it and, if not for Exeter and the Peace Corps, might be trapped in it.  Liberalism seems like sloppy thinking to people attracted by econmath's definite goals and answers, which Friedman definitely was.   So were all my fellow econ majors at Brown.   They are still that way.  Which is why I get along best with a Brown classmate who majored in history and later went to law school but whose Jewish decency and background in history enable him to avoid being trapped in the restrictive  lawthink.  Another think mode that I don't like is militarythink.  I find the best generals and admirals are not trapped in militarythink but most generals, colonels, majors, captains, lieutenants and nearly all sergeants are.   P 

Virginia is now going into her second Iris Murdoch novel!!  gasp. her first was The Sea, the Sea, finished a few days ago.  She finished watching Indian Summers yesterday.  

Traveling family returns late tomorrow night and starts Theater Camp bright and early Monday morning. 

Might be that this house demands, commands, writing in this blog as extension, continuation, of "work"---the work we did here for 40 plus years as teachers and scribes and clerks and copyists and scribblers.  Artists, actors, producers.  Content Influencers, content creators.  Whole host of new terms by which to measure lives beyond coffee spoons.  Or was it tea spoons?  

Thursday. Last day of July

 Cooler.  Rain.  Gray.  Driving the car around.  Embarrassed to be so pleased with such a thing.  Ashamed to be having too much.  Relieved and pleased it is just like the car in Albuquerque and even a few tweaks better.  

Guyotat.  At the end of the book we hear he went to a school run by the Brothers of the Christian Schools.  Perfect.  Now I think I won't send the book to John Miller, from high school.  Gave up recommending books to people a while back.  Good move.  However the strangeness of the book resonated with me in odd ways, it surely will not with John.  I've heard a bit from Phil about him over the last thirty years, but I hardly know him.  Or if he reads anything other than the WSJ.  

Is Guyotat's Coma any better than In the Deep. So far perhaps a bit.  But it gives the sense again that we're dealing with a strange bird who may not be the artist-author he wants to be.  Who can tell.  What about the huge Antunes volumes stacked up here?  With Schattenfroh due to arrive, should I start anything?  

Charger anxiety became terrible yesterday.  Could not use the Mac book for days because I could not find the charger for it.  Ordered one and it turned out to be the wrong fit.  Desperately ordered others and then canceled those after finding the correct ones in the Apple Store online.  

Was not going to do this blog anymore. 

car lust car lost

 Whether to go ahead and lease a car now or not.  Strong urge this Sunday morning to proceed and go for the ID.4.  Just looked at a few tube reviews of the Soltera.  Black plastic fenders.  Low hatchback profile in the rear means our transport chair might be a harder fit.  I know the ID.4 well, why not stay with it for here?  What if we stay in NM soon?  Plug-in ev still fits this house better, best.  Or resale.  

Monkey mind project for sure.  Cars be mirror trophies of who we be.  Wannabe coaches.  Dream chariots. Fortress cocoons.  

In the Deep moves forward.  First published 2010 under title Arriere-Fond  rear-back. i.e. back drop, background.  so translator's "in the deep" is an interesting invention/rendition.   How before the internet the book might seem to be; how the internet has caught up with it in every possible detail.  

of all

 "Of all the paths opening before me, I should choose the widest, where the gaze is lost."

Rachel wants to do Tuesday.  But we have Brook for Tuesday.  Will she stay with that?  Could Rachel do another day?  How many helpers do we want for a given week?  

a quotable line

 "Always choose what pushes toward the future."  Guyotat, In the Deep, 185

24 July Thursday.  Crew slowly packing for jaunt south.  Willow and I walked from living room red chair to green chair in den.  Big coffee brown recliner lift chair now defines the great room.  Arlyn came to look over the lawn and hedges.  Doug popped over with question about whether plant in his hand was edible.  

Guyotat's book a surprise in most every way.  And it works with me now, for me now.  Strange to say.  Fascinating, really, his writing.  Interested in reading in other works to see how one relates to another.  In this one he is remembering/recreating his fifteenth year.  

One day with Brook.  Is she backing out of going on?  Note from Justin, he thinks Rachel wants to do Tuesdays.  Comfort Keepers has a woman who will start August 13?  Hourly now $47.00.  Going to call CK in Abq to see what their rate is.  $35 an hour plus 7.625 % state tax.  So 140. for four hours plus 10.68. Andrea just called back to recall our phone talk a year or so ago.  

Dennis may arrive in Philly by the end of the month.  He's so excited.  

Here crew still gathering for blast off.  Will they lunch before the wheels roll?  Or will they pack edibles and stop further down the road?  

Always choose what pushes toward the future.  

"The future is what doesn't yet exist; it's what I must create out of nothing: poetry and its double: the text of the deep--'beyond-creation.'" 185