Das Geschlecht der Engel. der Himmel der Heiligen. Ein Brevier

by Raoul Schrott, Arnold Mario Dall'O

Breviaries, books of standard religious readings for particular denominations, are a familiar genre with a long pedigree. But you’ve definitely never seen a breviary like this one. The Sex of the Angels is a playful, often ironic take on the breviary in the form of a collection of letters that begins by taking up early Christian cosmology and follows the Biblical mutations of the angel from Babylon to the present day. As it goes along, Raoul Schrott also weaves in a history which ranges from ancient Greek legends of the origin of light to the medieval darkness of the eclipse. But there is more going on here than meets the eye: the letters are addressed to an unnamed “other” and chart the course of an elusive affair. They are, we come to realize, a declaration of love—or, more accurately, of yearning—but also a far-reaching poetic essay which moves between etymological history, anthropological anecdote, philosophy, and disquisition on the nature of art. The text is supplemented by sumptuous illustrations by Arnold Mario Dall’O that chart the stories of the saints, and the result is a unique dialogue between literature and art: an extraordinary and rare book about love.
 

148 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Prof. dr. Raoul Schrott, is an Austrian poet, writer, literary critic, translator and broadcast personality.

Schrott was raised in Tunis where his father served as an Austrian sales representative. He attended the universities of Norwich, Paris, Berlin and Innsbruck where he studied comparative literature and linguistics.

He was an assistant to French surrealistic poet Philippe Soupault. He earned his PhD in philology (combining linguistics and literary studies), and currently works as professor on many Austrian and foreign universities. He was very much interested in Dada and surrealism movement, and Schrott completed a thesis on 'Dada 1921 - 1922 in Tyrol'. He translated Homer's writings and modern adaptation of the Babylonian-Assyrian Epic of Gilgamesh into German.

Dr. Schrott is a polyglot, particularly acknowledged for his foreign language skills such as Breton, Basque and Occitan, but he also speaks English, French, Italian, Corsican and Gaelic.

Reviews

[Joseph Schreiber · Rating 5 out of 5]

This gorgeously illustrated, wonderfully inventive angelology is essentially love letter to a distant human angel, a lost beloved. Its twenty short chapters loosely trace the origins of angels (with some very unusual interpretations), expose the narrator's longing for a woman who fails respond to his missives , and weave in brief sketches of saintly life and martyrdom. It reads like an extended prose poem. First published in German in 2001, now available in English for the first time, this is a book of rare and singular beauty.
Longer review here: https://roughghosts.com/2019/04/23/su...

[Soren · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting interpretation of the origin of angels, illustrated beautifully. The work itself is translated but the translation felt soulful and thoughtful and informed, and the narrative and illustrations work very well together. A very fascinating quick read that will have you re-reading portions after you’re done, because the poetry of it mixed with simple longing is a rare treat