2010/10/03 New York
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Word

Bone

In his essay “A Kind of Survivor” George Steiner wrote: “Kafka wrote German as if it were all bone, as if none of the enveloping texture of colloquialism, of historical and regional overtone, had been allowed him. He used each word as if he had borrowed it at high interest.”

The last sentence is beautiful.

It could function as a short but powerful statement of principles.


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14 comments Last_comment
What's the correlation between words, bone and being allowed to use something?
said L. David 03/10/2010 10:33 • x
L. David
Did you never have the feeling of using the mere carcass of a language or at least a very clear-cut version of it e.g. when you try to speak standard language or a foreign one?
said Juliane B. 03/10/2010 11:04 • x
Beautiful, it is.
said Milan van Opmeer 03/10/2010 13:15 (Updated 13:15) • x
Juliane: I see your point, but wouldn't you rather say the skeleton?
said Teresa I 03/10/2010 13:16 • x
Teresa
I wasn't sure which word to choose. I would have said "Skelett" or "Grundgerüst" in German, so you're probably right.
said Juliane B. 03/10/2010 13:50 • x
Grussen aus Münster.
My german even lack the bones, I'm here to stay with my favorite octogenarian, my mother.
said Mieke Dutoit 03/10/2010 14:14 • x
L David
Forgive me if this sounds crude, but what’s your native tongue?
said Arnon Grunberg 03/10/2010 17:31 • x
arnon
Do you expect an answer from L David !
said josiane pollet 03/10/2010 22:27 • x
Josiane
I wouldn't count on it.
said Arnon Grunberg 03/10/2010 22:51 • x
Words, concepts are indeed precious acquisitions.
said dries vc 04/10/2010 16:08 • x
Münster is grossartig.
Nice bookshops.
said Mieke Dutoit 04/10/2010 18:27 • x
Mieke
You are making me somewhat homesick. Have you seen Ellen's bookshop? It's where Mr Grunberg has been reading back in 2008. It's right between the Dom and Überwasserkirche. The street is called "Spiegelturm". And if you like a bit of girly, nostalgic kitsch you should go and see a shop called Luftschloss on "Rothenburg". Have you seen the cages at the top of Lamberti church where the corpses of the anabaptist Jan van Leiden and two of his followers where displayed after their death?
said Juliane B. 04/10/2010 20:34 • x
Juliane
I took a picture of Ellen's bookshop with my reflection in the window.
Yesterday we made a stroll trough the city, today we intend to visit musea.
Is this your home town? Or did you used to study here?
said Mieke Dutoit 05/10/2010 08:18 • x
Mieke
I studied there until February and I still have most of my friends there. Concerning musea: the Stadtmuseum is quite nice as well.
said Juliane B. 05/10/2010 08:30 • x
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