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Little For Careenagers
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 22, 2021
This is a short excerpt from a novel-in-progress that would be published in full, in the early 70s.
I was pleasantly surprised. Most poets come across as rather awkward at writing novels, even though most of them can write academic essays quite well. However, Zukofsky here displays that he was capable of writing both when he wanted to. I have not read his other fiction but this was probably a good place to start.
After having just finished a biography on Zukofsky, I could, for the most part, clearly identify which people the characters are modelled on. Little Baron Snorck is clearly Paul Zukofsky, Louis and Celia Zukofsky's only child, a violin prodigy who went onto becoming a virtuoso violinist performer and composer and hardline / hardcore protector of his father's archive. He insisted that people should get his approval first if they wanted to write about his father - very headstrong, stubborn, and this image comes through in this novel as well, but in an amusing, light-hearted way. (Incidentally, that's why a close friend of mine (who is an associate professor) recommended NOT doing my PhD dissertation on Louis Zukofsky, because I would have to obtain Paul's approval first - an unlikely prospect, he intimated).
Dala Babado von Chulnt is of course Louis Zukofsky himself and Celia Zukofsky is Verchadet von Chulnt. What was amusing about this short novel excerpt was Little Baron's churlish and childish behaviour, his amusing mix-up of words as all children do - for example the "Illiacy" (a mix of The Iliad and The Odyssey by Homer). This short work also gives us a glimpse into the domestic lives and relationships between Louis and Celia as well as the parents and in-laws.
This was an appetising bite - now I want to read the whole novel, Little, at some point in the future. Unlike much of Louis Zukofsky's difficult but fascinating poetry, this prose work is easy to read, light and quite amusing. Any parent reading it will be able to relate to it easily and have a chuckle.
I was pleasantly surprised. Most poets come across as rather awkward at writing novels, even though most of them can write academic essays quite well. However, Zukofsky here displays that he was capable of writing both when he wanted to. I have not read his other fiction but this was probably a good place to start.
After having just finished a biography on Zukofsky, I could, for the most part, clearly identify which people the characters are modelled on. Little Baron Snorck is clearly Paul Zukofsky, Louis and Celia Zukofsky's only child, a violin prodigy who went onto becoming a virtuoso violinist performer and composer and hardline / hardcore protector of his father's archive. He insisted that people should get his approval first if they wanted to write about his father - very headstrong, stubborn, and this image comes through in this novel as well, but in an amusing, light-hearted way. (Incidentally, that's why a close friend of mine (who is an associate professor) recommended NOT doing my PhD dissertation on Louis Zukofsky, because I would have to obtain Paul's approval first - an unlikely prospect, he intimated).
Dala Babado von Chulnt is of course Louis Zukofsky himself and Celia Zukofsky is Verchadet von Chulnt. What was amusing about this short novel excerpt was Little Baron's churlish and childish behaviour, his amusing mix-up of words as all children do - for example the "Illiacy" (a mix of The Iliad and The Odyssey by Homer). This short work also gives us a glimpse into the domestic lives and relationships between Louis and Celia as well as the parents and in-laws.
This was an appetising bite - now I want to read the whole novel, Little, at some point in the future. Unlike much of Louis Zukofsky's difficult but fascinating poetry, this prose work is easy to read, light and quite amusing. Any parent reading it will be able to relate to it easily and have a chuckle.
Read
May 28, 2015Achingly good.
Some books I absolutely need to read in their original edition. I am grateful to Roy Miki for his copy. The text face is Bodoni Book. The composition and binding is by H. Wolff Book Manufacturing Company, New York, NY. The paper is by Monadnock Paper Mills, Bennington, N.H. The printing is by Noble Offset Printers, New York, N.Y. The design is by Jacqueline Schuman.
Some books I absolutely need to read in their original edition. I am grateful to Roy Miki for his copy. The text face is Bodoni Book. The composition and binding is by H. Wolff Book Manufacturing Company, New York, NY. The paper is by Monadnock Paper Mills, Bennington, N.H. The printing is by Noble Offset Printers, New York, N.Y. The design is by Jacqueline Schuman.
Read
May 4, 2022Lighthearted, charming, dazingly-written comic family narrative with lots of references to 20th century classical music.
March 11, 2017
Never have I seen such intricate prose used to tell such an uninteresting story.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews