So much to enjoy in this interview. I liked the minimalist treatment of "Hamlet"! It reminded me of that minimalist piece which never ceases to get to me, "For Sale: baby shoes, never worn". The whole subject of writing with constraints is fascinating. Must be good for the brain, too!
Just too much else to mention so I've just subscibed to Terry's Substack instead.
(PS I've read "The Diceman" and it's heavy going by the end but then I don't have a strong stomach!)
Thanks Terry, that was great! Why am I thinking of Peter Sellers playing Shakespeare's Richard III reciting "Hard Day's Night" in the manner of Laurence Olivier? Remember that? The possibilities are endless! Clearly the work of Shakespeare and The Beatles was good enough to stand up to reinterpretation!
Thanks for this, Kate. I've always found these experiments fascinating, like pure mathematics - i.e. I admire them from afar.
The problem with OuLiPo is that most of their works are clever mind games for their own sake. In other words, the authors are so preoccupied with form that they forget about substance. Where's the story? Where's the message?
There are exceptions, like Georges Perec's "Life: A User's Manual" (one of my favorite books ever) but they are just that - exceptions.
Italo Calvino, for instance, was a OuLiPo member but he steered clear of those tricks (or only used them sparingly) when he wanted to write serious literature.
Great questions and gets at the heart of why we write and for whom?
Terry’s interpretations on his newsletter are really fun and I think a lot of it is an exercise in flexing our creativity that can then be used elsewhere (does that make sense? To have purpose as we grow as writers).
Thanks for your thoughts! I haven’t read Perec but love Calvino’s non- OuLiPo lit. I wonder if it influenced him - even subconsciously - in the way he wrote after he was exposed to it?
Thanks Kathleen. It was a privilege to be interviewed for your podcast. And if anyone would like to read Oulipian writings, one of these collections may appeal: https://open.substack.com/pub/terryfreedman/p/three-collections-of-oulipo-writing?r=18suih&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
A privilege for me as well!
Great link, for everyone - there are more links on the podcast episode page.
Thanks, I thought they were great, especially the poetry foundation one. 😁
We get to hear your voice! 😄
(Still waiting for Sunday's reveal of the mystery Oulipo...)
Contrary to popular opinion, I hate the sound of my own voice. The big reveal: perhaps I will defer it for a month or two...🤓🤓
😂😮😬😞
Fear not, Nathan, I shall do it on Sunday😁
Pheeeew 😄
😂😂
Thanks for doing this interview, Kathleen. Love Terry's work and writing and it was great to hear the discussion.
Great post, as ever this really broadens my knowledge.
Thanks so much, Jon!
So much to enjoy in this interview. I liked the minimalist treatment of "Hamlet"! It reminded me of that minimalist piece which never ceases to get to me, "For Sale: baby shoes, never worn". The whole subject of writing with constraints is fascinating. Must be good for the brain, too!
Just too much else to mention so I've just subscibed to Terry's Substack instead.
(PS I've read "The Diceman" and it's heavy going by the end but then I don't have a strong stomach!)
Think you will like Terry’s Substack, Jules!
😁
Thanks Jules. Definitely good for the brain! The Dice Man post is here:
https://open.substack.com/pub/terryfreedman/p/hamlet-reimagined-as-the-dice-man?r=18suih&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
Thanks Terry, that was great! Why am I thinking of Peter Sellers playing Shakespeare's Richard III reciting "Hard Day's Night" in the manner of Laurence Olivier? Remember that? The possibilities are endless! Clearly the work of Shakespeare and The Beatles was good enough to stand up to reinterpretation!
I do! Thanks for the reminder 😂 Yes, I agree. Analogous I think to the way that music by Bach and Vivaldi still works as pop or jazz 😃
Thanks for this, Kate. I've always found these experiments fascinating, like pure mathematics - i.e. I admire them from afar.
The problem with OuLiPo is that most of their works are clever mind games for their own sake. In other words, the authors are so preoccupied with form that they forget about substance. Where's the story? Where's the message?
There are exceptions, like Georges Perec's "Life: A User's Manual" (one of my favorite books ever) but they are just that - exceptions.
Italo Calvino, for instance, was a OuLiPo member but he steered clear of those tricks (or only used them sparingly) when he wanted to write serious literature.
Great questions and gets at the heart of why we write and for whom?
Terry’s interpretations on his newsletter are really fun and I think a lot of it is an exercise in flexing our creativity that can then be used elsewhere (does that make sense? To have purpose as we grow as writers).
Thanks for your thoughts! I haven’t read Perec but love Calvino’s non- OuLiPo lit. I wonder if it influenced him - even subconsciously - in the way he wrote after he was exposed to it?