Harry Mathews was an American author celebrated for his innovative novels, poetry, and essays. A founding member and editor of the literary journal Locus Solus, he significantly influenced the avant-garde literary scene. Mathews became the first American inducted into the French literary society Oulipo, exploring new possibilities in literature through formal constraints and algorithms. His works, often embodying these principles, showcase a unique vision for literary creation.
The concluding 70 sonnets of this volume delve into the lives of the Amsterdam outcasts within the Lillard Universe, offering a rich exploration of their struggles, aspirations, and relationships. Through poetic form, the work captures the essence of their experiences, weaving themes of resilience and identity against the backdrop of Amsterdam. This collection serves as a powerful culmination of the first volume, inviting readers to reflect on the complexities of belonging and the human condition.
Cigarettes is a novel about the rich and powerful, tracing their complicated relationships from the 1930s to the 1960s, from New York City to Upper New York State. Though nothing is as simple as it might appear to be, we could describe this as a story about Allen, who is married to Maud but having an affair with Elizabeth, who lives with Maud. Or say it is a story about fraud in the art world, horse racing, and sexual intrigues. Or, as one critic did, compare it to a Jane Austen creation, or to an Aldous Huxley novel--and be right and wrong on both counts. What one can emphatically say is that Cigarettes is a brilliant display of Harry Mathews's ingenuity and deadly playfulness.
The collection showcases a profound emotional resonance through inspirational poetry, reflecting the spirit's epiphany during the latter half of 2020. Each poem invites readers to embark on an imaginative journey, echoing William Blake's vision of engaging deeply with poetic imagery. The verses aim to uplift and transform, encouraging a connection that leads to personal happiness and enlightenment.
Exploring themes of impermanence and the eternal, this poetry collection reflects on the interconnectedness of life and the natural world. Through a sensitive lens, the poet conveys an acceptance of existence that fosters personal growth and a deeper ecological awareness. Each poem serves as a meditation on how the transient aspects of life shape our experiences and understanding of the universe.
Harry Matthews' Sonarification, is a ground breaking first collection. Its themes are given a contemporary significance in threats to the ocean, & traditionally, in poems celebrating antiquity, love, friendship, loss and triumph.
John and Paul were also visitors to the town. They were twins, as identical as can be. They wore the same clothes, chino trousers and open-neck sweaters, in John's case adorned with a faded maroon neckerchief. Both were addicted to the shellfish harvested year-round from the rocks and sands of the coast: little clams, winkles, cockles, crabs, and above all sea urchins-their dessert, as both said. They drank only McEwan's India pale ale and smoked the same thin black Brazilian cigars ... So begins the great writer Harry Mathews's final novel, The Solitary Twin, a rollicking yet incredibly moving story of two young men who come to a picturesque beach town. Seen prismatically through the viewpoints of the town's residents, they offer a variety of worldviews. Yet are they really twins or a single person? Harry Mathews, the first American member of the French avant-garde literary society Oulipo, and long associated with the New York School of Poets, passed away this year, and The Solitary Twin is his last novel. "I believe this novel is his finest," his friend John Ashbery wrote.
Un abécédaire français et anglais. Chaque lettre fait l'objet d'un poème (dans chacune des langues) à sa consonnance (le crocodile a croqué...), mais, en français, ce n'est pas évident pour toutes les lettres, par exemple le A, le I, ni le O substitué par le eau, ni le U... Une présentation originale Où les illustrations sont faites de sculptures de pâte.
