[I'm very sorry for my poor knowledge of English language] I remember an interview Calasso gave in which he acknowledged that his works could very well be read in any order. With a caveat: there's a reason if they were written in a certain order (of course). So, for example, 'The Ruin of Kasch' (1983) was written five years before 'The Marriage of Cadmus and Harmony' (sadly Italo Calvino could not read the latter). 'The Celestial Hunter' was published one year before 'The Unnamable Present'. More on that later... Calasso is not a writer who, accidentally, happens to be also a publisher. He is both: you cannot understand a side without the other one. Adelphi is a crucial part of his life and of his mind as well. Giving a look to the authors included in the 'Biblioteca Adelphi' isn't optional. One of the problem in understanding him is exactly his unique taste for extreme mistery. If a topic can be fully examined, or has been fully examined, then it's not interesting anymore. Even more is true: it's only relevant to him what, honestly, cannot be approached in any already known way. Only these topics are worthy of his attention; one of them is Friedrich Nietzsche. Nietzsche isn't optional too. But that's obvious... Finally the last, maybe less obvious, hint: schizophrenia. To be more specific, Daniel Paul Schreber's schizophrenia. On Schreber's 'Memoirs of My Nervous Illness' Calasso wrote in 1974 his first and only novel (no English translation available). A lot of Calasso's writings make the reader thinks: "What is he even talking about???". But, if you read them through the lens of what we now call psychosis (I mean: always with psychosis in mind, if I may say so...), then the only possible reaction is: "Of course...". p.s. At the end of 2019 his latest book, "Il libro di tutti i libri" (the book of all the books), was published in Italy. It's a long essay on the Old Testament. So there's even more to come...
I think ive read hunter, book of all books, tablet of destinies, cadmus and harmony and unnamable present at this point, in no oarticular order i must admit with much enjoyment but some confusion too. This video has helped me get some perspective on his work - thank you.
Good overview. I'm presently reading Tiepelo Pink and it's fascinating how Calasso uses a reference (obscure reference to Tiepelo Pink in Madame Bovary) to go into larger comments regarding modernity and proto/other directions for Modernity's beginnings (Tiepolo) as opposed to Goya. I'm also finding the chapter on Theurgy and Tiepelo's etchings (Scherzo and Caprici) fascinating, especially that these represent the unaccounted for shadow or underside or detritus of the Renaissance. I haven't finished these chapters but believe there is more room for application of Jungian analysis stemming from Calasso's remarks, especially with regards to Jung's work on the Shadow and medieval/Renaissance Alchemy and application of this to Tiepelo's etching work - Calasso's remarks on Tiepolo's aesthetic and ideas regarding this set of work being the underside or shadow to conventional Greek/Roman Renaissance mythological and biblical reference (i.e. the backstory and alchemical references to the Adoration of the Magi references in the Scherzo etchings). I'd like to also read more Calasso. Thank you for the references.
Thanks for posting this, I enjoyed hearing your thoughts. I've only read Marriage of Cadmus and Harmony, Ka and Ardor, and I've probably got Kasch on my list next. I wouldn't recommend reading Ardor before Ka though. Ka provides a far more cohesive narrative compared to Ardor, which I feel like dives quickly into the ritology and philosophy of the Vedas, while Ka builds up the ritual scene and the story before that which I think made it easier to appreciate the depth that Ardor later gets into. I do love opening these books up to a random section and finding joy in how I'm always immediately engaged in whatever page I open up too. I think overall though I thought you did a good job, and I'm happy to see someone talking about Calasso!
I've read all of his stuff in English up to The Book of all Books-- what few words to say here? His books are intended for those who are both obsessed with literature and addicted to--oh, I don't know--speculating or rather wondering about life in all its academically divided intellectualized aspects? What I get from Calasso is that though the human condition *never* changes essentially, technological advances (advances in prostheses) enable 'us' both to re-imagine this fact in the present (in terms that suggest either novelty or progress, both inadequate) and sweep under the table those perennial non-desideratums like old age, death, and sacrifice via institutional absorption, i.e. to hide them in old folks homes, hospitals, research labs, et al. That is, to remove them as 'facts of life' from modern media-saturated consciousnesses, thereby 'gaining time' (consider the myth at the heart of Kasch) by allowing the lie to swell (progress!) or, if you prefer, the story to go on. My favorites are Ka and The Celestial Hunter (Lord, send me a Gopi!); the only one that I found a little wanting was the Baudelaire book, but it was only a touch disappointing: it just never really arrives. I have since read Duff Cooper's classic Life of Talleyrand, which I recommend, as well as Crane Brinton's book, same subject. Another author to read if you like his stuff is Claudio Magris, especially Danube.
Very insightful. I think you articulated a pretty cogent view of Calasso that I don't remember actually touching on in the video. I'll check out those recommendations as well.
@@VersoFolioBooks yeah, it's incredibly difficult to articulate why becoming more than a little interested in Calasso *feels* so important. I have some ideas myself but I have yet to see them through.
[I'm very sorry for my poor knowledge of English language]
I remember an interview Calasso gave in which he acknowledged that his works could very well be read in any order. With a caveat: there's a reason if they were written in a certain order (of course). So, for example, 'The Ruin of Kasch' (1983) was written five years before 'The Marriage of Cadmus and Harmony' (sadly Italo Calvino could not read the latter). 'The Celestial Hunter' was published one year before 'The Unnamable Present'. More on that later...
Calasso is not a writer who, accidentally, happens to be also a publisher. He is both: you cannot understand a side without the other one. Adelphi is a crucial part of his life and of his mind as well. Giving a look to the authors included in the 'Biblioteca Adelphi' isn't optional.
One of the problem in understanding him is exactly his unique taste for extreme mistery. If a topic can be fully examined, or has been fully examined, then it's not interesting anymore. Even more is true: it's only relevant to him what, honestly, cannot be approached in any already known way. Only these topics are worthy of his attention; one of them is Friedrich Nietzsche. Nietzsche isn't optional too. But that's obvious...
Finally the last, maybe less obvious, hint: schizophrenia. To be more specific, Daniel Paul Schreber's schizophrenia. On Schreber's 'Memoirs of My Nervous Illness' Calasso wrote in 1974 his first and only novel (no English translation available). A lot of Calasso's writings make the reader thinks: "What is he even talking about???". But, if you read them through the lens of what we now call psychosis (I mean: always with psychosis in mind, if I may say so...), then the only possible reaction is: "Of course...".
p.s. At the end of 2019 his latest book, "Il libro di tutti i libri" (the book of all the books), was published in Italy. It's a long essay on the Old Testament. So there's even more to come...
very interesting, thanks for the info. will have to go back and read them again with the new lens.
I think ive read hunter, book of all books, tablet of destinies, cadmus and harmony and unnamable present at this point, in no oarticular order i must admit with much enjoyment but some confusion too. This video has helped me get some perspective on his work - thank you.
Good overview. I'm presently reading Tiepelo Pink and it's fascinating how Calasso uses a reference (obscure reference to Tiepelo Pink in Madame Bovary) to go into larger comments regarding modernity and proto/other directions for Modernity's beginnings (Tiepolo) as opposed to Goya. I'm also finding the chapter on Theurgy and Tiepelo's etchings (Scherzo and Caprici) fascinating, especially that these represent the unaccounted for shadow or underside or detritus of the Renaissance. I haven't finished these chapters but believe there is more room for application of Jungian analysis stemming from Calasso's remarks, especially with regards to Jung's work on the Shadow and medieval/Renaissance Alchemy and application of this to Tiepelo's etching work - Calasso's remarks on Tiepolo's aesthetic and ideas regarding this set of work being the underside or shadow to conventional Greek/Roman Renaissance mythological and biblical reference (i.e. the backstory and alchemical references to the Adoration of the Magi references in the Scherzo etchings). I'd like to also read more Calasso. Thank you for the references.
Thanks for posting this, I enjoyed hearing your thoughts. I've only read Marriage of Cadmus and Harmony, Ka and Ardor, and I've probably got Kasch on my list next. I wouldn't recommend reading Ardor before Ka though. Ka provides a far more cohesive narrative compared to Ardor, which I feel like dives quickly into the ritology and philosophy of the Vedas, while Ka builds up the ritual scene and the story before that which I think made it easier to appreciate the depth that Ardor later gets into. I do love opening these books up to a random section and finding joy in how I'm always immediately engaged in whatever page I open up too. I think overall though I thought you did a good job, and I'm happy to see someone talking about Calasso!
“I know the kind of person who’d be watching this.” Lmao you got me!
I've read all of his stuff in English up to The Book of all Books-- what few words to say here? His books are intended for those who are both obsessed with literature and addicted to--oh, I don't know--speculating or rather wondering about life in all its academically divided intellectualized aspects? What I get from Calasso is that though the human condition *never* changes essentially, technological advances (advances in prostheses) enable 'us' both to re-imagine this fact in the present (in terms that suggest either novelty or progress, both inadequate) and sweep under the table those perennial non-desideratums like old age, death, and sacrifice via institutional absorption, i.e. to hide them in old folks homes, hospitals, research labs, et al. That is, to remove them as 'facts of life' from modern media-saturated consciousnesses, thereby 'gaining time' (consider the myth at the heart of Kasch) by allowing the lie to swell (progress!) or, if you prefer, the story to go on.
My favorites are Ka and The Celestial Hunter (Lord, send me a Gopi!); the only one that I found a little wanting was the Baudelaire book, but it was only a touch disappointing: it just never really arrives.
I have since read Duff Cooper's classic Life of Talleyrand, which I recommend, as well as Crane Brinton's book, same subject. Another author to read if you like his stuff is Claudio Magris, especially Danube.
Very insightful. I think you articulated a pretty cogent view of Calasso that I don't remember actually touching on in the video. I'll check out those recommendations as well.
@@VersoFolioBooks yeah, it's incredibly difficult to articulate why becoming more than a little interested in Calasso *feels* so important. I have some ideas myself but I have yet to see them through.
I'm very excited to learn more about him. Thank you so much
Calasso was the last of the wise men
🙋👉🌹🙏👀