All this make me think of the song Salt of the Earth, by the Stones: “Let's drink to the hard working people …”
http://www.keno.org/stones_lyrics/salt_of_the_earth.htm
But a lot of hard working families look down upon ‘the others’ as well.

Dear Arnon

You are taking French courses.. Do you know the exact meaning of the word 'Acmé' in the review on L'Oiseau est malade? context: Une farce tragique qui pousse la lucidité du désespoir à son acmé paradoxale: la vie.
My french is quite good (I speak it all the time), but this word gives me headaches. I'm starting to feel stupid.
Wikipedia learns me this: Acmé est un substantif féminin qui connut néanmoins des hésitations de genre et des emplois masculins avérés : il désigne le point extrême d'une tension ou d'un propos.
Appliqué à une civilisation, le terme évoque son apogée.
But I still can't place in the right way.

There's a blog:

http://umandrea.blogspot.com/

Congratulations!

You go girl! x

Margot

Thanks!

Monica

I'll ask my French teacher when I see him on Tuesday. Acmé. Aucune idée.
Where was this review published?

Arnon:

I hope you dont mind me intruding here, but i have a question (which is totally off-topic too:) have you read Peter Sloterdijks 'Critique of cynical reason'? Its pretty much about living with and without illusions, and it highly relates (in an very interesting way) to themes you deal with in your novels. What do you think of Sloterdijks views?
If you mind this intrusion on your blog, just tell and I'll back off.

Kind regards.

Joep Smaling

I have read “Regeln für den Menschenpark” (in Dutch translation) and maybe I was in a bad mood while reading it but it did not make a huge impression on me.
Should I read “Critique of Cynical Reason?”

Arnon

2006-03-14, Les Inrockuptibles

Monica

And who was the reviewer?

Ah, yes you should read it. He makes a difference between cynicism and kynicism. The old kynic like Diogenes was this great comic 'defiler' of al kinds of values and visions . He's the great Demasker of all illusion. Since (and this is een beetje kort door de bocht) the kynic learnt to live without great expectation, he's not prone to depression and despair. The modern cynic on the contrary is in fact a moralist who cant stand mans futility, and suffers from total disappointment. Sloterdijk is in favor of the old kynics who are not afraid to demask and who still have some joy in being and joy in making fun of mankind, no matter how 'ugly' the world and man can be perceived. Since i've read and analysed some of your novels thouroughly , i'm sure you will find this a very fascinating piece of work.

Arnon

I asume it is a lady, called Raphaëlle Leyris

Monica

Raphaëlle Leyris -- a very nice lady, I met her last fall in Paris. She was interviewing me.

Dear Arnon

Maybe it is my girlish mind, but when I think of Paris, I think of the most wonderful french Aria ever written. It comes from les pêcheurs de perles (An opera I have seen in Paris):
' a cette voix....je croix entendre encore'.

The full version, in good quality, is hard to find on the net, but this gives an impression: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MjnIcxCz8c

Sometimes I think "Let's fall in love with monica" but then I remember you're a Miss Belgium to be.

Monica

Just to be on the safe side: is there any connection between your last comment about this wonderful opera and the word acmé?

Dear Dens

I'm not a miss Belgium to be, I'm just writing an opinion paper about miss contests..

Arnon

I asume it has nothing to do with the opera from Bizet.

@monica

Does that mean you want me to fall in love with you, or just that you're not competing?

Monica

I discussed "acmé" with my French teacher. There a was little but of confusion going on. At first he thought I was looking for the translation of "acné."
Anyhow, he suggests translating the word as apotheosis or crisis. Does this make sense?

Dear Arnon

Thank you for helping me.
When I asked my lover over the telephone the meaning of acmé, I was trying to spell the word, because there was the same confusion with the word 'acné'. At the end we were even arguing about our French competence. I learn that word like 'crisis' can cause one.

ps: I wish you all the best with your French courses. It is a nice language, and you can read Celine and Derrida in their original version.

Monica

You should not bother your lover with these mundane things.
Is the translation of the word "acmé" helpful? Does the sentence now make sense?

Arnon what do you think?

Une farce tragique qui pousse la lucidité du désespoir à son acmé paradoxale:
la vie
literal translation:
A tragic farce that pushes the lucidity of despair of his paradoxical crisis: life

I think it suits.

Monica

Yes, it suits, but I would say that you push toward something, don’t you think?
Of course you can push for as well, but here maybe “toward” is slightly better?

Arnon

I have to agree.

Brussels Metro and Acmé

My lover told me today that he met two friends on the Metro. They told him that there was a kind of performance-like thing named Acmé. He remembered our discussion on the word. He couldn't recall what they exactly said, but he remembers it was very interesting. The good thing is that we have their number, so we can call them to ask it again.