complex cormac

[David Breecker]

I've always been at a bit of a loss to understand why novelist Cormac  
McCarthy is in residence at SFI (apart from the fact that he's  
brilliant and so are a lot of people there, and I'd certainly have  
him in residence in my office if I could); but reading his Nobel-
winning post-apocalyptic "The Road" I came across two lines in as  
many pages that started to make it more clear:

"The last instance of a thing takes the class with it. Turns out the  
light and is gone."

"Query: how does the never to be differ from what never was?"

That's enough to make afternoon tea more interesting...
db

dba | David Breecker Associates, Inc.
Santa Fe: 505-690-2335
Abiquiu:   505-685-4891
www.BreeckerAssociates.com



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[Stephen Guerin]

Yeah, I also remember a very sfi-ish small piece in Blood Meridian. I'm
traveling now and don't have the book so won't try to butcher a quote from
memory. But my hazy memory is that it had a bit about propagating information
structuring the world...

> -----Original Message-----
> From: David Breecker [mailto:david at breeckerassociates.com]
> Sent: Thursday, July 26, 2007 12:02 AM
> To: Friam Group
> Subject: [FRIAM] complex cormac
>
> I've always been at a bit of a loss to understand why
> novelist Cormac McCarthy is in residence at SFI (apart from
> the fact that he's brilliant and so are a lot of people
> there, and I'd certainly have him in residence in my office
> if I could); but reading his Nobel-winning post-apocalyptic
> "The Road" I came across two lines in as many pages that
> started to make it more clear:
>
> "The last instance of a thing takes the class with it. Turns
> out the light and is gone."
>
> "Query: how does the never to be differ from what never was?"
>
> That's enough to make afternoon tea more interesting...
> db
>
> dba | David Breecker Associates, Inc.
> Santa Fe: 505-690-2335
> Abiquiu:   505-685-4891
> www.BreeckerAssociates.com
>
>
>
>

[Richard Lowenberg]

No less great; but McCarthy was awarded a Pulitzer for "The Road", not a
Nobel.

RL


On Wed, 25 Jul 2007, David Breecker wrote:

> I've always been at a bit of a loss to understand why novelist Cormac
> McCarthy is in residence at SFI (apart from the fact that he's
> brilliant and so are a lot of people there, and I'd certainly have
> him in residence in my office if I could); but reading his Nobel-
> winning post-apocalyptic "The Road" I came across two lines in as
> many pages that started to make it more clear:
>
> "The last instance of a thing takes the class with it. Turns out the
> light and is gone."
>
> "Query: how does the never to be differ from what never was?"
>
> That's enough to make afternoon tea more interesting...
> db

[Marcus G. Daniels]

And three cheers to Cormac for telling Oprah "You work your side of the
street and I'll work mine" !!

[David Breecker]

Wait, was the context  of this magnificent line?

On Jul 25, 2007, at 10:54 PM, Marcus G. Daniels wrote:

> And three cheers to Cormac for telling Oprah "You work your side of  
> the
> street and I'll work mine" !!
>
> ============================================================
> FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
> Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
> lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org
>

dba | David Breecker Associates, Inc.
Santa Fe: 505-690-2335
Abiquiu:   505-685-4891
www.BreeckerAssociates.com



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[Marcus G. Daniels]

David Breecker wrote:
> Wait, was the context  of this magnificent line?
http://www.flakmag.com/books/cormacoprah.html

>
> The interview begins with the question of McCarthy's reclusive nature,
> which proves nothing as studied or fraught as Salinger or Pynchon. Of
> publicity tours and the like, he says simply, "I don't think it's good
> for your head. If you spend a lot time thinking about how to write a
> book, you probably shouldn't be talking about it, you probably should
> be doing it."
>
> "It's nothing against the press or the media?"
>
> "You work your side of the street and I'll work mine," he says with a
> smile.
>

[Randy Burge-2]

For those interested in watching Cormac's entire interview with Oprah, taped
at SFI, you can register for the Oprah Book Club.

Cormac's interview is one of the first listed on the home page.
http://www.oprah.com/obc_classic/obc_main.jhtml

Link to interview: registration may be required. If you get through with
this link, you may not have to join:
http://www.oprah.com/obc_classic/obc_player.jhtml?video=693&category=177

Randy



on 7/26/07 1:11 PM, Marcus G. Daniels at marcus at snoutfarm.com wrote:

> http://www.flakmag.com/books/cormacoprah.html
>>
>> The interview begins with the question of McCarthy's reclusive nature,
>> which proves nothing as studied or fraught as Salinger or Pynchon. Of
>> publicity tours and the like, he says simply, "I don't think it's good
>> for your head. If you spend a lot time thinking about how to write a
>> book, you probably shouldn't be talking about it, you probably should
>> be doing it."
>>
>> "It's nothing against the press or the media?"
>>
>> "You work your side of the street and I'll work mine," he says with a
>> smile.