Tosh Berman's Blog, page 249
October 24, 2013
"The Plum In Mr. Blum's Pudding" Poems By Tosh Berman
Front Cover
Back Cover
October 21, 2013
"I Spit On Your Graves" by Boris Vian (Vernon Sullivan)
Original French English Translated Edition of "I Spit On Your Graves"The strange and weird narrative of the Vernon Sullivan novel J'irai cracher sur vos tombes (I Spit On Your Graves) is at times more interesting than the novel itself, which... is still pretty interesting.
I Spit on Your Graves
by Boris Vian (1920-1959)
ISBN 0-9662346-0-X
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 97-80958 $17
Translated from the French by Boris Vian and Milton Rosenthal
Boris Vian was a novelist, jazz musician, jazz critic, poet, playwright, a friend of Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Raymond Queneau, Jean Cocteau, Louis Malle, Jean Paul Sartre, and numerous others of forties and fifties Parisian cultural society. He was also a French translator of American hard-boiled crime novels. One of his discoveries was an African-American writer by the name of Vernon Sullivan. Vian translated Sullivan's I Spit on Your Graves. The book is about a 'white Negro' who acts out an act of revenge against a small Southern town, in repayment for the death of his brother, who was lynched by an all white mob. Upon its release, I Spit on Your Graves became a bestseller in France, as well as a instruction manual for a copycat killer whose copy of I Spit on Your Graves was found by the murdered body of a prostitute with certain violent passages underlined. A censorship trail also came up where Sullivan as the author was held responsible for the material. It was later disclosed that Vian himself wrote the book and made up the identity of Vernon Sullivan!
This edition is a translation by Vian and an American GI buddy of his, that was never published in America. I Spit on Your Graves is an extremely violent sexy hard-boiled novel about racial and class prejudice, revenge, justice, and is itself a literary oddity due to the fact that it was written by a jazz-loving white Frenchman, who had never been to America.
Basically what i did for the TamTam edition was to keep Vian and Rosenthal's translation in tact. I didn't clear it up due that I didn't want to change Vian's original translation of his own novel, even though there is 'odd' or awkward translated phrases within the book. But it does capture a slightly and darkly surreal view of America and its language perceived by Vian at the time.
When Vian was put on trial for the Sullivan book he was told by the court to produce the original English manuscript. Vian said of course. It was on a Friday, so over the weekend him and Rosenthal quickly translated the book into English - which of course there was no original English edition of the novel. If you noticed the original "translated" edition is titled "I Shall Spit On Your Graves" and I changed it to the more American(ized) "i Spit On Your Graves." Due to the nature of the subject matter and location, I felt the "Shall" should be removed from the title.
TamTam Books editionThe first printing of this novel is here and one can order it at your local bookstore or purchase it at your favorite on-line store. Jane & Serge. A Family Album. TASCHEN Books
It seems the world of Serge Gainsbourg is making a huge dent on the American and English speaking world at the moment. There's TamTam Books' great biography "Gainabourg" by Gilles Verlant, the 33 1/3's wonderful book on Melody Nelson (read review down below) and now Taschen is putting out what I hope will be a great photo book. Andrew Birkin, Jane's brother, took the images, so this promises to be something desired by us Serge fans. Down below is text from the Taschen website, plus a link:
The highly public love affair of French singer-songwriter Serge Gainsbourg and British actress Jane Birkin captured the hearts and imaginations of a generation. The moment Jane and Serge met on a movie set in 1968, sparks flew. They would spend the next 12 years together, a passionate union that produced the controversial duet "Je t’aime... moi non plus" (whose explicit lyrics and orgasmic moans caused so much fuss that the Vatican declared it offensive) and, in 1971, the legendary album Melody Nelson as well as a daughter, Charlotte, who has become a successful actress in her own right. From the earliest days of Jane and Serge's romance until their split in 1980, Jane’s brother Andrew Birkin was a frequent presence in their lives; an avid photographer, he snapped thousands of candid family photos during those years. Birkin’s pictures—very few of which have ever been published—offer a rare view of daily life for the couple, bringing us back to a place and time we have long idolized. Though more than 30 years have passed since the two parted ways, and over two decades since Serge parted from this world, the passion for Jane and Serge has endured. This treasure trove is sure to fan the flames of its undying embers
Designed by M/M (Paris), the photo album comes in a clear plastic cover with the following goodies tucked inside:
Text booklet featuring an introduction by Jane Birkin and Andrew Birkin’s memoir of Jane and Serge, illustrated by Birkin family childhood photosSoftcover contact sheet bookletFold-out poster5 photo printsSticker sheetEmbroidered patchThe photographer:
Andrew Birkin is a writer and film director. He won the Royal Television Society's award for "The Lost Boys," his trilogy of films based on his biography of J. M. Barrie. Later he won a BAFTA award for "Sredni Vashtar" as well as an Oscar nomination, and in 1993 won the Silver Bear for Best Director at the Berlin Film Festival for "The Cement Garden."
The editor:
Alison Castle received a BA in philosophy from Columbia University and an MA in photography and film from New York University (NYU/International Center of Photography masters program). She is the editor of titles on photography, film, and design, including Some Like it Hot, The Stanley Kubrick Archives, Linda McCartney: Life in Photographs, and Marc Newson: Works.
Jane & Serge. A Family Album. TASCHEN Books
October 19, 2013
33 1/3 "Histoire de Melody Nelson" by Darran Anderson
Darran Anderson's little study on one of the great albums that came out of Europe, "Histoire de Melody Nelson" is a superb study on Serge Gainsbourg and his masterpiece. First of all I am touched that both titles ("Gainsbourg" by Gilles Verlant & Serge Gainsbourg's short novel "Evguenie Sokolov) that i published are in the bibliography. So with the music and the books he's coming from a good place!
Anderson's book is very brief, but there's no wasted words. He has a deep understanding of Gainsbourg's work, and not only does he talk about the Melody Nelson album, but it is also a brief biography on the great artist. As in the Verlant biography, it is moving as well as terrifying to read about Gainsbourg's childhood running away from the Nazis. Over time I have read tales dealing with the Occupation, but the Gainsbourg narration is one that really makes me emotionally aware how horrible those times were. Almost unthinkable, yet it is these surroundings that probably inspired the greatness in Gainsbourg's songs and his very own iconic stance against authority.
The book also captures the flavor of Gainsbourg's love for literature and how that inspired him as well. Baudelaire, Jarry, Rimbaud, and the lasting influence of Boris Vian played a big role in how Gainsbourg looked at life and art. Anderson is a wonderful writer, and his smart, intelligent take on Gainsbourg is right on the button. Essential read for anyone who even has the slightest interest in the world of Serge, but also insightful in how bad things (occupation) can charge a shy figure into a warrior of sorts. This book along with Gilles Verlant (The granddad of Serge bios), Sylvie Simmons' English bio and Gainsbourg's "Evguenie Sokolov" we now have a great representation of the world of Gainsbourg in print.
SUN OF A BEACH + Performance Lun*na Menoh Headshirt
A video/footage put together by French curator/artist Denis Brun on the exhibition he put together in his studio in Marseille called "Sun Of A Beach." The artists in the exhibition:
Kisito Assangni (Londres)
Laurette Atrux-Tallau (Bruxelles)
Vassili Balatsos (Athènes)
Loïc Beillet le Béhérec (Marseille)
Nathalie Bujold (Montréal)
Victor Cartagena (San Francisco)
Marc Chevalier (Nice)
Daniel Clapp (Miami)
Ghislaine Dantan (Athènes)
Charles Gouvernet (Marseille)
Caroline Hanny (Marseille)
Jay Reto (Los Angeles)
Julien Levy (Marseille)
Patrick Lombe (Marseille)
Rolly Love Hate Love (Yogyakarta)
Lun*na Mennoh (Los Angeles)
Mourad Messoubeur (Marseille)
Ingrid Mourreau-Kelleman (New-York)
Thomas Negrevergne (Monaco)
Stephen Paul (New-York / Fréjus)
Didier Petit (Marseille)
Philippe Turc (Marseille)
Agnes Roux (Monaco)
Thierry Rouyer (Fréjus)
Sylvain Sorgato (Paris)
Gauthier Tassart (Paris)
Fred Vaësen (Paris)
Thomas Zoritchak (Paris)
The last three or four minutes of the video is a performance with Lun*na Menoh's mask.
October 18, 2013
New Work From Lun*na Menoh
New work from Lun*na MenohOctober 17, 2013
Tosh Talks Boris Vian "Foam Of The Daze" (L'écume des jours)
Boris Vian, as you know is a great passion in my life. Here's my latest little chit-chat from Tosh Talks regarding Boris Vian's great novel "Foam Of The Daze" (L'´ecume des jours). Published by my press TamTam Books. Translated by Brian Harper.
"Ron Mael is the closest thing to Chaucer the pop world will ever know" - Morrissey
ISBN: 978-0141394817 Penguin ClassicI haven't read one word of his memoir (getting my copy later this month) , except what Morrissey wrote about regarding Ron Mael of Sparks. To quote:"Ron Mael is the closest thing to Chaucer the pop world will ever know"
Also keep in mind that Morrissey wrote a beautiful and brilliant introduction to "In The Words Of Sparks... Selected Lyrics."
"In The Words Of Sparks.... Selected Lyrics" is available on all online shops as well as your favorite independent book shop down the street/read from you.
ISBN 978-0985272401 TamTam BooksOctober 15, 2013
The Genius of The Honeycombs
I never fell out of love for The Honeycombs.
Raymond Queneau's "Hitting The Streets" (Translated by Rachel Galvin)
Carcanet Press ISBN: 9781847771575The combination of poet and city is a hard one to find fault. i never admired the poet who writes about 'nature,' but give me a poet who writes about buildings, streets, concrete, and the waterway around the city, and I am there for them. Especially if that city is Paris and the poet is Raymond Queneau, the overall essential literary figure of the 20th Century.
"Hitting The Streets" is a proper title for this collection of poems regarding the theme of human and city. And when the city is Paris, it becomes even more interesting. Perhaps because it is an iconic location, but in truth a good poet can write about their city block - any city block - and make it interesting. So perhaps it's not the city itself but Raymond Queneau.
He is such a giant talent, and what I love about his work is his playfulness. In theory he must be hell to translate to another language, but Rachel Galvin the translator did a good job. The book is bilingual so for those who want to read the work in its original language (French) can do so. I can't read French, but still, I can read it for the music of it, and the sounds. For the Zazie fans out there I think this book is a must for your collection.
