WDWRF 08 - Gerald Murnane - Discovering the Image-Self

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[@babettedejong2975]

I do that too: pick up an unread book just to handle it. Just to imagine what the reading experience would be like, what I might get out of the book. And you've articulated nicely why! Never thought about that, but it resonated immediately.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

We can thank Mr. Murnane for reading these thoughts out of us! It was one of many epiphanies this book provided me. So thrilled to hear it resonated with someone else!

[@chrisabram8416]

Seen those shelves grow from some empty ones, to soon not having a floor left😂.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Eventually you’ll hear me talking from within towers of books! Hard to believe it’s been almost 4.5 years of LxL!

[@alphonseelric5722]

I will claim credit for directing you to Murnane all those moons ago, Chris. I was also flattened by The Plains. It seems a peering perspective on the entirety of western philosophy and art. Part 3 had me on the edge of my seat despite being wholly a metaphysical treatise. I see you have picked up his late works to begin. If I can be a guide, Murnane to me is the best living writer, now that McCarthy has passed, because he writes about writing in a way that you don't have to love books or the profession to enjoy him. It's like he was in everyone's head at some point. I think it also makes him different from other writers writing similar "artist writing about art" genre (they call it autofiction these days I believe). I cannot recommend his short fiction enough. 'Landscape with landscape' and 'Stream system' (his collected short fiction). If you like the more cerebral kind of fiction that he brings to the table, Murnane is almost as good as Borges at doing what he does, no exaggeration. His best work is Inland imo. The Plains seems hard to top but his work right after had him deliver 2 books that are atleast as good.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Well, first of all, and big and sincere thanks for turning me to Murnane! I preordered Inland, which comes out here in February, and I just ordered Stream Systems immediately! (Fun fact: I’ve got a sort of read-through video of Borges’s “Shakespeare’s Memory” coming out in a few weeks.) Cheers!

[@bluewordsme2]

fabulous vid chris....i LOVE LOVE Murnane...as i've mentioned before....he is absolutely a writer's writer...and for me, one of the most interesting thinkers writing books--all his books and in particular A History of Books is (for me) about the process of WRITING...even though ostenibly about reading and books, i read it and feel it is really about the act of writing--all those words, stories and poems (books) we've written...and swallowed (read) as writers...so much that the act of writing itself makes things real, more so than what is. This the classic Sartre question (essence or existence, which proceeds first)...and something to consider: thing of this book also similarly to Markson's Wittgenstein's Mistress--very very similar, maybe shadows of one another...and if you loved this, please read his latest book "Last Letter to a Reader"--insight into his books and this book and well, the way Octavio Paz wrote and revised his poems continually over the years....anyway...btw, when my wife teases me about my books, i show her your library hahahahahahah...and she simmers down ;)....great job brother...thanks again for the lovely...p.s. YES, RE(translation) is a great book to compare with this, as is Calvino's If on a Winter's Night....and i hope more of your readers will read Re(translation)....i LOVED it....cheers, bb

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Thanks, Bob! Thrilled to hear I’ve helped your marriage out in some way. Lol! I’ve now read The Plains and A Million Windows. The latter is the most about writing of his that I’ve read so far. The Plains made such an impact on me that I reread it immediately after finishing. And I was totally compelled to make a video on Murnane and The Plains, which will post in two weeks. All best!

[@bluewordsme2]

@@LeafbyLeaf hahahaha, AWESOME...and yes, you have helped my marriage, though occassionally i point out to my wife that I want my writing room to look like your library! hahahah...super excited about your next Murnane video...can't wait....have a great weekend Chris!

[@LeafbyLeaf]

@bluewordsme2 cheers, Bob!

[@lucaseravalli4924]

Very witty ending, Chris! This argument from Murnane is rather interesting: one might conclude that a book can only exist if someone reads it, by creating an image triggered by the words on the page. Hence, there might not exist a single particular book, but as many books as readers. Although I’d prefer to use a term more poignant than “image” to convey what a book leaves into us: Walter Benjamin used “aura” to signify the “unrepeatable appearance of a distance however close it may be”. He used it to discuss uniqueness of artwork in the age of reproduction, but, for me, it can also illustrate what a book generates in us. Not only an image, but also an atmosphere, a taste, a sound, a pain, a feeling. I do not have a precise “image” for what I read of Faulkner or Cartarescu, but rather an “aura”: aridity and sweat for Faulkner; astonishment and immensity for Cartarescu.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Thanks! Yes, I remember reading that in Benjamin and I totally agree with the aura, which is a little more all-encompassing than what Murnane has in mind. I love the way you've articulated these thoughts here, Luca!

[@jdfromparis6230]

It's Friday, it's Leaf by Leaf day!

[@LeafbyLeaf]

🙌🙌🙌

[@brianclary8205]

$1 for Women and Men? I bought my used Dalkey paperback for $3 and it tisk-tisked me from my shelves and several address changes before I finally read it this year. Quite an experience. Can’t wait for your take on it.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

I love that: "several address changes." And, man, $3 is a steal, too, of course! I can't wait to read it. As it happens, I'm going to be reading a McElroy next month (though not _Women and Men_ just yet)!

[@Librarypencils]

Clever ending ya son of...

[@LeafbyLeaf]

😂😂😂

[@MaximTendu]

While waiting for Part Nine with the anxiety (of influence) that cliffhanger has inevitably aroused over here, I've decided to order The Plains. As always, thanks for your service, good man ✌

[@LeafbyLeaf]

And, as luck would have it, I’ll be posting a video on The Plains in a couple of weeks. 😁

[@MaximTendu]

@@LeafbyLeaf My anxiety intensifies, but in a good way. Enjoy the rest of your wekeend 🍸

[@LeafbyLeaf]

@MaximTendu you, too!

[@hfjdksalable]

@@LeafbyLeaf Lets go! I wasn't aware it was going through a booktube renaissance. Such a great one.

[@gabbii_playz]

Gotta love these videos 🩷🩷

[@LeafbyLeaf]

You’re the best! 🫶

[@carolin8645]

We wrote about V13 from carrere. I saw today that it will be publishd in english in june 24.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Quelle chance !

[@AleksandarBloom]

Any Murnane fans here? How would you rate his novels and where to start?

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Since the recording of this video, I’ve become a dedicated Murnane fan. In fact, I’ve got a video on Murnane and his most popular book, The Plains, coming up in a few weeks. I’ve now read Tamarisk Row, The Plains, A Million Windows, and A History of Books. Personally, I would start with The Plains (this is subject to change as I read more), and I hope to express why in my forthcoming video. And I would pair it with A Million Windows, which is his richest book that really highlights his take on reading and writing. Hope this helps!

[@alphonseelric5722]

All his work is great except for the 1st two. The Plains and, especially, Inland are his best two novels. Border districts and A million windows are also quality. His short fiction is not to be missed. Murnane is sbout as idiosyncratic a writer as there ever was. He is eccentric even among eccentrics. If you aren't sure you would enjoy him, it's better to sample his short stories before beginning with him.

[@somadood]

gm 🍵

[@LeafbyLeaf]

☕️

[@kasparasvarzinskas2020]

Superb author. I wrote my undergrad thesis on 'The Plains' back in 2015. Murnane is truly a lot like Calvino and Borges but he's definitely more of a writer's writer - it's almost frustrating how introspective and almost solipsistic he usually writes. Keeping in mind of him never having traveled outside Australia, it's very impressive how he deliberately chooses a very narrow lens for pretty lofty ideas. He's basically a mapper of imagination to whom reality is only interesting as far as it remains indefinite, in distance.

[@LeafbyLeaf]

Very well put! I have a video on Murnane in general and _The Plains_ in particular coming on the 24th!