I have been invited to take part in the Nexus Conference 2006, so I decided that it made sense to read George Steiner’s In Bluebeard’s Castle: Some Notes toward the Redefinition of Culture.
You might not know what it is, this thing called the Nexus Conference. Of course, I can tell you much more about it after having attended the conference, but the idea is that a group of more or less intelligent people speaks about a more or less important theme in front of a group of more or less interested people.
The organizer of all this, Mr. Rob van Riemen, explained to me that I should imagine the conference as an opera, and that Mr. van Riemen himself was the director.
That leaves me a singer, but I’m always open to new experiences.
This years’ speakers are, among others: Sydney Blumenthal, Roger Scruton, Adam Zagajewski, et cetera, et cetera.
The theme is "New Notes Toward the Definition of Western Culture."
And I’m supposed to discuss the burning question, "Why art, music and poetry?"
While traveling on a train through the hills of southern Germany, the question seemed to me more and more absurd, if not outrageous. No, don’t worry, it wasn't because of Germany.
Would a winemaker organize a conference and ask the participants to discuss the question, "Why red wine, white wine, and champagne?"
A novelist should, if possible, strive for more than sheer entertainment. But as soon as he tries to define this further, not only does he risk of making himself a little bit pompous, but he also betrays his own novels. (Yes I know, some people think being pompous is a virtue.)
The defenders of art more often than not betray the very thing they pretend to defend.
And when it comes to novels, poetry, movies, paintings, is there such a thing called abstinence? Could you proclaim yourself a poetry-virgin? Does it make sense to say that you decided to stay a Nietzsche-virgin until your sixtieth birthday? I’m willing to organize a conference about these questions, but I’m still looking for a sponsor. Starbucks maybe?