pickAfter reading a biography on Leonora I felt compelled to check out one of her works & it certainly gave me a loud chuckle/snort or two. Although I found the writing a little lumpy in places I really enjoyed the irreverence & absolute nuttiness of the whole tale,which at times was a stretch but still made for some wild escapism. Written in the 50‘s it hits feminist, ageing, esoteric & surreal spiritualist notes which collide in v unexpected ways!
so-soA kaleidoscopic narrative larded with symbols and references to just about every religion, philosophy, and mystical practice known to man. It felt sort of like a William Burroughs remastering of fables and fairy tales from around the world. I love Carrington, and I appreciate formal inventiveness when it's well-done, but I'm still on the fence whether this added up to anything or was so much performative vagueness (albeit beautifully rendered).
pickAhh I have a new love affair, the magical, wild & fiercely individual Leonora Carrington. Once lover & muse of surrealist Max Ernst she forged on & created a fabulous body of work & never bothered to hang about in galleries to say “look at me I‘m a surrealist”. Yet another woman overlooked by art history but thankfully brought back to life by distant family relation & author Joanna Moorhead. 🖤
so-soSuperfluous cat content at the request of @RaeLovesToRead
Linus and Sophie don't know what to think about this one, and neither do I. My understanding of Surrealism was pretty shallow, so it was interesting getting acquainted with the philosophical underpinnings of the movement. I'm partial to the idea of creating chance encounters, of finding meaning in coincidence and of heightened engagement with the world around you. Still, it...
so-sodid i vibe with that.. or did it vibe with me?
symbolism & #animism are doing heavy lifting here & if you hate metaphors, this desert will probably bury you.
🏜️ = existential isolation
🌵= wounded life but still alive
🫀= vulnerability, pain made visible
& a lot more! talking rocks, a bird & a wagon.
#magicrealism #surrealism #darkhumor #fiction
#weird #feverdream
Tried to see the new Superman in theater. Holy hell when did they decide deafening people was okay? I feel so bad for their staff as the ads play near constantly. Needless to say, didn't stay. Oh well, I'll just watch it when it hits streaming. My ears are still ringing.
pickOh my, this was bonkers in the best possible way! I had no idea where it was going or why! But who cares? It‘s hilarious, thoroughly entertaining! I hope when I am 92 I am this insightful! I have some friends and we always talk about living together when we are much older on an estate and this book is now the benchmark for that dream. How did I not know anything about Carrington previously? Her life, art and writings. What an extraordinary woman!
My copy of The Hearing Trumpet arrived and well, my finger slipped when I placed the order so Down Below and The Skeleton‘s Holiday arrived with it… oops?!
I kind of want all the editions of The Hearing Trumpet tho - so I may haunt some used books websites… the cover art is just that good.
