BOOK NOTES – IN MEMORY OF A LOST COMPANION by Gili Ben-Zvi
In midsummer my dog passed away. The sudden loss of her companionship has left a gaping hole. Attempts to adjust to the new routine only reinforced her absence. In my grief, a melancholic fog began its descent upon me, obscuring perspectives and shrouding my emotions. Life became bland, numb. Words refused to form meaningful phrases. I read, yet nothing registered, comedies brought no laughter, dramas failed to move. I decided to go to a bookshop, partly out of habit, partly out of hope. I thought if anything could elicit a reaction, surely it would be a book. I loitered among shelves, for a good hour, lolled next to tables, touching many books to no avail. I flicked through a few titles that drew but a faint cerebral response. Ready to leave empty handed, I scanned the shelves one last time. A familiar name popped out of a lean book spine, Leonardo Sciascia. Sciascia is a great Italian author who’s books have eluded me for many years. “The Moro Affair” is a close reading of the relations between power and language as manifested in Italian politics in the 1970’s. Though unfamiliar with Sciascia’s non-fiction work, I was delighted to find this book, any book from an author whom I’ve missed for so many years. And though the book’s topic is far from comforting, it remains immanently important in our current political climate. On a personal note, the mere joy of this find, was enough to wedge the crypt’s door ajar.
FÜR DAS LEBEN LERNEN Zum Auftakt des neuen Schuljahrs
nimmt das Karikaturmuseum Krems die Themen Schule, Bildung
und Lernen aufs Korn. Über 30 KarikaturistInnen bieten amüsante Standpunkte für einen Diskurs im Bildungswesen. Gedanken
und Texte von ExpertInnen sind den Originalzeichnungen gegenübergestellt. Denn mit Austritt
aus der Schule hört das Lernen nicht auf, im Gegenteil – wie der Ausstellungstitel „Für das Leben
lernen“verkündet und das ein Leben lang … wie der vom Fisch erleuchtete Lesende von Benoît van Innis (im Bild) so herrlich surreal
bezeugt.