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> What is an oink? asked Frederick. A vulgar West Midlands and no doubt elsewhere's nominative for that which is common, unsophisticated, etc etc An urban yokel. A farmyard noise on city streets. david b ----- Original Message ----- From: "Frederick Pollack" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Friday, February 23, 2001 4:17 PM Subject: Re: Trotsky's Globetrotters (Was Re: epic) > david.bircumshaw wrote: > > > > > I see my tribe as that of rootless cosmopolitan intellectuals. > > > > Just pondering on your phrase, Frederick, with interest, in that against the > > package 'rootless + cosmopolitan+ intellectual' I would tend to see myself > > as, erm, waaal: > > > > 'rootless' yes on the grounds of an abolished family, a childhood > > disappeared under the bulldozer, and an inhabitation of that City which is > > Every City > > but no in that my voice, my accent, is stamped with what I am, am from > > > > 'cosmopolitan' only in my experience of Indian restaurants and in my dubious > > knowlege of other languages but profoundly provincial not only in where I > > live but also in that there is No True Centre anymore but its Myth is > > Everywhere so all of us are always inalienably oinks (but rootless) > > > > 'intellectual' - well wish I were it summons a bespectacled figure I read > > about in childhood but any modicum of self-examination tells me that I am > > only self-reflexively cognitive for a pitifully small portion of my waking > > time > > > > just wondering, how do others see themselves on this > > > > david b > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: Frederick Pollack <[log in to unmask]> > > To: <[log in to unmask]> > > Sent: Thursday, February 22, 2001 2:34 PM > > Subject: epic > > > > > Wondering (again) if anyone ever looked up my two book-length narrative > > > poems, The Adventure (1986) and Happiness (1998), both Story Line > > > Press. Though the second was billed, against my wishes, as "A Novel in > > > Verse," both tell coherent, non-"splintered" stories in, I think, > > > authentically poetic, non-novelistic ways. I wouldn't claim that either > > > is an epic, but I firmly believe a revival of epic is a real, and vital, > > > possibility. Both my books were meant to contribute to that > > > possibility. The "tale of the tribe" aspect is certainly open to > > > reinterpretation; I see my tribe as that of rootless cosmopolitan > > > intellectuals. > > > What is an oink?