To read Borges you had to have a comfortable chair and a side table large enough to have at arm's reach the OED, works of Shakespeare, the Bible, Greek and Roman mythology, and others I'm likely forgetting. You needed to follow up on the allusions and references as the printed words on the page were just the entryway to his world.. Now you just need your phone. I'm not so sure that is an improvement.
God, this resonated with me so much, especially your passage on how our tastes change over time. I am going through a big transition at the moment and part of that for me is realigning my creative tastes, so this came at a timely moment indeed. Thank you very much for putting together such an eloquent piece on the subject!
Kind of you to ask Chen. It was twofold. Firstly, I became a dad! That was a seismic shift. I am so grateful to be a father and it has transformed my whole world; I'm regularly filled with awe. But it was a big shift. And professionally, after fifteen years as a novelist (writing and publishing more than 30 books) I have found myself directing a feature film. It's super scary because so much is unknown and it feels like creative processes I took for granted are no longer the same. Thanks for listening. Have you been through big creative changes like that?
Interesting exploration of what taste means to us humans. Now I’m thinking I need to read Borges. 😊 Yet, all in all I have been convinced for some time that the perception of good or bad taste (in art, music, literature, etc.) is mostly a matter of consensus…if all the cool kids say it’s great, so must it be so. I never listen to the cool kids anymore (critics), unless they are outlandish, kind of weird, and make me laugh- which they rarely do. Looking forward to your Borges- any suggestion for a starting point in his work?
To read Borges you had to have a comfortable chair and a side table large enough to have at arm's reach the OED, works of Shakespeare, the Bible, Greek and Roman mythology, and others I'm likely forgetting. You needed to follow up on the allusions and references as the printed words on the page were just the entryway to his world.. Now you just need your phone. I'm not so sure that is an improvement.
I like that description very much. It rings true to me
God, this resonated with me so much, especially your passage on how our tastes change over time. I am going through a big transition at the moment and part of that for me is realigning my creative tastes, so this came at a timely moment indeed. Thank you very much for putting together such an eloquent piece on the subject!
I want to know more about that big transition... Could you elaborate?
Kind of you to ask Chen. It was twofold. Firstly, I became a dad! That was a seismic shift. I am so grateful to be a father and it has transformed my whole world; I'm regularly filled with awe. But it was a big shift. And professionally, after fifteen years as a novelist (writing and publishing more than 30 books) I have found myself directing a feature film. It's super scary because so much is unknown and it feels like creative processes I took for granted are no longer the same. Thanks for listening. Have you been through big creative changes like that?
Interesting exploration of what taste means to us humans. Now I’m thinking I need to read Borges. 😊 Yet, all in all I have been convinced for some time that the perception of good or bad taste (in art, music, literature, etc.) is mostly a matter of consensus…if all the cool kids say it’s great, so must it be so. I never listen to the cool kids anymore (critics), unless they are outlandish, kind of weird, and make me laugh- which they rarely do. Looking forward to your Borges- any suggestion for a starting point in his work?
Borges thought he was the greatest poet :) I think it's Homer but we won't split hairs here. Both are magnificent.