2007/06/13 Hamburg
A message
Like an animal
To the left: my audience this evening at bookstore Kurt Heymann in Hamburg.
New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof organized for the second time the Iraq Poetry Contest.
This poem by Frances Richey was picked up by Kristof and he quotes it in his column this week:
"Last Mother’s Day, when
he was incommunicado,
nothing came.
Three days later, a message
in my box; a package,
the mail room closed.
I went out into the lobby,
banged my fist against
the desk. When they
gave it to me, I clutched it
to my chest, sobbing
like an animal.
I spoke to no one,
did not apologize ..."
Shouldn’t a Dutch (or French for that matter) columnist be organizing the Afghanistan Poetry Contest?
As to the mark for the
My "amante" didn't like this last remark very much.
As somebody who strives to avoid conflict I might delete it in the near future.
The people seated next to me at Kurt Heymann bookstore in Hamburg
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31 comments 
Luik
Check mijn blog www.coenvandam.blogspot.com voor de foto's van de boekbespreking in Luik. Maart 2007En lees over hetgeen Arnon meemaakt.
Your audience is very homogenous. You could cut and paste and I wouldn't even notice.
Noa
Do you really look different from the people in the picture above? But when you are trying to say that religious Jews, black people, Shi'ites and Sunni tend to boycot my readings, yes you have a point. Why do you think I'm organizing tis mud wrestling for peace event? See my post of April 18.I'm as blonde, bland and white as all your other readers. And I smile like all your other readers. Nothing exciting in that court. I'm an excellent wrestler though, so be warned.
Noa
I would like stress that not all of my readers are white and bland, and if you are a mud wrestler, what kind of minority do you represent? White and bland is by all means not really a minority. But maybe you are a Buddhist. Or a Sunni. Or a Jew. Or you lost your leg in 1987.Okay, not ALL your readers are blonde and bland. And I'm no minority, there's nothing that would typically define me other than: priviliged. I said I'm a good wrestler, not specifically a good mud-wrestler. Apart from that my hobbies are reading. film and playing the piano. Conclusion: I'm a plain jane. And so what? Plain jane's should not be discriminated either.
Noa
Okay fine, you represent a minority as well. Contact Johannes or Sander for the details regarding this event. Where do you live? We don't have an unlimited budget for travel expenses. In the meantime go search and find if there's nothing in your family that would make you a minority. Maybe your grandfather was a Nazi, who knows.Heritage
Arnon, by the way, I find it very daunting that you're actually replying to me (or do you have someone pretending to be you?). I mean kapow: I'm in actual communication with Arnon Grunberg! But then, unfortunately, boring old life goes on. There's reality for you.Because you asked: I am of South African-boer descent (my great-grandfather fought in the boer-war). He was (almost) as nasty as a nazi. I currently live in Amsterdam and am an assistant to some megalomanic asshole (if he googles me I'm screwed. Oh well).
Noa
A Boer -- that qualifies you by all means for representing the Boers, a minority if ever there was one.Arnon, have you already found a place to hold the mud wrestling event? I was thinking about ' Caprera' (http://www.openluchttheaterbloemendaal.nl) the open-air theater in Bloemendaal, but maybe that's too elite.
Tina
It's going to be Kortijk, Belgium. Johannes has all the details. Are you going to mud wrestle?@sander voerman
I represent traditionless children of the babyboomgeneration in Kortijk@Arnon
I'd love to, but first I need some more details. So I''ll send an e-mail to Johannes.My parents were not amused when I told them I want to mustwrestle. They think it's bad for my image.
Tina
I don’t think mud wrestling is going to hurt your image, what kind of image do you have exactly?I know a Tina H from Belgium, but I think she wouldn't care about some mudwrestling on her image.
thanx for the 9, it made us happy as berlin kids seeing Knut in the zoo.
Elke
You are very welcome.Arnon
Do you know whether Kurt Heymann is going to put the photos they took on your reading there on-line (they're not on their web-site yet)?@Arnon
To be honest, I don't know exactly what my image is. It differs. I think your image is mostly made by the people who surround you at the moment. From that point of view I would have about two images. At school I have this image of being an artyfarty, geeky, rebellious , weird girl. Since I don't play hockey and have other interests and friends than most of my classmates.Outside school - my friends- think I'm posh and a little weird. (I think weird is a keyword for my image)
But I suppose my dear daddy had a little too much alcohol in his veins when he spoke those words. (normally he is quite bright) Maybe he was pointing at my artistic career, but personally I think being a peace activist would only do good to someone's image.
Tina H
I'm afraid there is only thing that is going to save you: hockey. But mud wrestling might be second best.Elke Vermeulen
I thought you were working for Kurt Heymann Bookstore, please enlighten me, who are you?Parents
Dear Tina, at first I thought your father had a point. I was thinking, if I had a daughter, would I let her mud wrestle? But then again, mud wrestling is not less decent than running around in a miniskirt on a field like with hockey.But the event is not there to upset people so the commission will think on how to cope with worried parents.
What image do teachers have of you?
Tina
Were you a boy would your father have objected?That's the question.
Please ask him and send him my regards.
@Johannes
You'd better answer that question yourself. ;-)
I think most of them like me. At least they think I'm smart. I always get invited to join things like Pre University College, even though my grades aren't high enough. I can skip class and show up to late at school and never get detention., but that's because i'm miss Hoppa's favorite.
@ Arnon
Well it will be wrestling then.. Since I was a little girl I beared immense hatred towards the nobel sport of hockey. My parents would be highly dissapointed if i started hockeying. Not only because of the short skirts (that's not a big deal really), but mostly because of the environment. They don't want me to become a 'hockey bitch' . I think they have a point.
You'd better answer that question yourself. ;-)
I think most of them like me. At least they think I'm smart. I always get invited to join things like Pre University College, even though my grades aren't high enough. I can skip class and show up to late at school and never get detention., but that's because i'm miss Hoppa's favorite.
@ Arnon
Well it will be wrestling then.. Since I was a little girl I beared immense hatred towards the nobel sport of hockey. My parents would be highly dissapointed if i started hockeying. Not only because of the short skirts (that's not a big deal really), but mostly because of the environment. They don't want me to become a 'hockey bitch' . I think they have a point.
@ Arnon
I asked him and he said to me that he doesn't want me to be a sex object. It would be different when I was a boy, because then it would be more like a joke. But he said it would be the same if I a was boy and I started boxing or another sport where people watch you to get hurt a lot , because he doesn't want me to be someone where other people can laugh at.
I asked him and he said to me that he doesn't want me to be a sex object. It would be different when I was a boy, because then it would be more like a joke. But he said it would be the same if I a was boy and I started boxing or another sport where people watch you to get hurt a lot , because he doesn't want me to be someone where other people can laugh at.
Tina
I understand your father. As to his valid concerns I say this: you won't be laughed at, and I don't think you would be more a sex object than you are while going to a dancing or playing tennis. We don't want men lusting after our daughters, but it would create an emptyness in our daughters when they never felt the eyes of the lusting man or woman or am I mistaken? Nevertheless, what's your own opinion on all this? I stand with your father, as far as I'm concerned I advice you no to take part in this contest.Arnon
i am the (only?) person that brought dutch books to be signed (and also a beautiful Israeli man, not to sign) and we had a little chat in dutch and german (so the beautiful Israeli man could participate) about what book is going to be published in what language (german/hebrew), about israeli politicians and about Avrom Burg's new book (which you need to read by-the-way).That's to ring a bell (or not), furthermore bin ich, beside the fact that i am dutch, ein(e) Berliner(in).... hmm that was cheap, i know. Need more info?
Decorum
Tina,Your parents have a good sense for decorum.
If you still plan to join the event as a mud wrestler against your father's and Arnon's advice maybe we should print a t-shirt for you with the text: 'Hi dad, at least I'm not a hockey bitch'.
For older ladies with a son who doesn't want his mother to join we have to find another suitable text. Anyone?
@Arnon
I don't like to be seen as a sexobject, but that doesn't mean I don't want to look/be attractive. You don't have to look like a pornstar/bimbo to be attractive. Quite the opposite I guess.. If I would be set away as a brainless bimbo, I wouldn't compete. BTW what are the competers supposed to wear? I'm not very prudish, but a naked fight would be a little too much.Tina
Nobody is going to be naked. Bring as many clothes as you want. Men are only allowed to enter the arena in the company of a woman. In case of doubt i.e. when it’s it not clear if the spectator is a man or a woman Johannes will decide.I don’t understand your fear of being set away as a brainless bimbo, but fair enough. You will have plenty of opportunities to show that you do have brains.
Oh that's nice. Being set away as a brainless bimbo would actually hurt my so called 'image '. So that's why I don't like it. I highly appreciate it that you give me the oppurtunity to show off my cleverness.
I don't really see a problem now and so do my dear parents, I guess. Wrestling isn't that bad as boxing.
I don't really see a problem now and so do my dear parents, I guess. Wrestling isn't that bad as boxing.
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