Saturday, November 6, 2010

Animesh Rai muses as he reads Glissant

From Animesh Rai, who has written entries previously on this blog, about the French presence in India, creolization and Glissant of course, here are his thoughts as he further studies this great writer philosopher.

In my current situation, my reading and re-reading of Glissant, in particular some of his theoretical essays in their original French versions such as Le Discours Antillais, Poétique de la Relation and Faulkner, Mississippi makes me feel like someone solving a gigantic jigsaw puzzle: bit by bit, things seem to fall into place.  Referring to my previous entry regarding
Work of Victor Anicet, artist from Martinique
Glissant on this blog, these readings are enabling me to simultaneously synthesize my earlier interactions with him, my thesis work and an overwhelming urge to understand the bearing and implications of his theories on the world stage.  While trying to take a full measure of it however partial it may be, I am struck at the same time by an exhilaration at the beauty of the writing which is not just elegantly poetic but analytic as well as synthetic in terms of the illuminating comprehension which it provides and perhaps as importantly, if not more, of the incisive questions which it raises and by a certain overpowering dizziness or giddiness best summarized by the word vertige in French. The result is an ensuing combination of sheer joy as well as exhaustion for Glissant will not yield himself without a considerable amount of intellectual as well as imaginative effort on the part of the reader.


Contributed by Animesh Rai
Published by Arabella Hutter

For more contributions from Animesh Rai, go to:

http://bilingualblogbilingue.blogspot.com/2010_01_01_archive.html

http://bilingualblogbilingue.blogspot.com/2009/12/lintroduction-dedouard-glissant-the.html

http://bilingualblogbilingue.blogspot.com/2009/12/animesh-rai-on-glissant.html

http://bilingualblogbilingue.blogspot.com/2010/09/more-about-wiles-from-animesh-rai.html

2 comments:

  1. The following two passages taken from Glissant’s novel, "Sartorius" ,talk about Victor Anicet from your illustration:



    “Le peintre Victor Anicet, qui est aussi un céramiste de formation, s’est particulièrement occupé des très, ou trays, ces plateaux de bois aux bord évasés dans lesquels les marchandes antillaises exposent leurs légumes et leurs épices.” p.322



    “M. Anicet mélange et combine dans ses trés les formes des masques africains et celles des adornos, têtes de dieux ou faces de chimères, façonnés à partir du modèle amerindien, il les peint ensemble sans préjugé, il dit que les uns lentement mangent les autres, un cannibalisme esthétique en quelque sorte, je ne sais pas à cette heure qui ingurgite et qui est dévoré, ils font partie d’un même corps dont ils sont désormais les organes innominés, qu’il en provient des amorces, des efflorescences de styles inédits que volontiers nous disons métis, et dont nous apprécions avec contentement la progression créolisante.” p. 325

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  2. Merci, Animesh, pour ces précisions préciseuses. En espérant voir bientôt les très d'Anicet en réel plutôt qu'en virtuel...

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