A pop culture aside: The song "Rikki Don't Lose that Number" was written about her, after Steely Dan's Donald Fagen met her at a party when he was attending Bard College.
I came across this channel a few weeks ago after seeing you and Cliff from Better Than Food doing a interview, but quickly realised I had seen a number of your videos about 3 years ago, starting with your Why Read Philosophy? video (which holds up nicely after a recent rewatch I must say). I'm really enjoying catching up on your more recent reviews, this is an absolutely excellent channel and I hope it ends up getting the attention it deserves. Thanks a lot for the work you put into it and I hope you continue for a long while yet, I will be sticking around to see where we go!
This is so exciting. I don't know if its intentional or something subconscious but the theme of experimental avant-garde women authors brought me great happiness in Women's Literature month. Anne Carson, now Rikki Ducornet, wonderful. 🌷🙏🏽
I remember falling for Rikki's stunning prose after reading The Fan-Maker's Inquisition, which I still think is one of the best books on de Sade out there. This little gem of a book evoked both Kafka and Clarice Lispector for me as I read it. As potent and distilled as a shot of liquor, her prose still stuns me. Thank you for your thoughtful review. All the best!
I think it's a fairly common fantasy of authors to be imprisoned with just pen and paper in order to be able to write without distraction. Aquin did it. Genet did it (the same novel twice after the guards discovered the first version, both written on toilet roll paper). BTW, speaking of Aquin, thank you for pointing me in the direction of "Ha!". It struck me that he was probably an undiagnosed bi-polar, or manic-depressive as it would have been called in his day.
Until I came across this video, I didn't know who Rikki Ducornet was, but I gather she's an experimental writer of the same or similar artistic caliber as Anne Carson. Her novella is flowing in poetic language
I think one can only take a certain amount of, say, looking at the sky on a regular basis. Hopefully what is done with the phone reflects what is gained from the sky gazing!
Currently slow-reading Vita Contemplativa so this is interesting to me. Ducornet's closet reminds me of being at the bottom of the well in The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle.
Would you ever consider doing a dive into John Ashbery? I know you’re a fan of Self Portrait In a Convex Mirror but how do you feel about his other works? I feel like there’s a lot to talk about with his poetry, but also how do you even talk about it? 😅 Cheers, Chris!
In the first part of your review I was thinking about Pilgrim At Tinker Creek, and then you mentioned Annie Dillard. I guess I must get myself a copy of The Plonitus, then. Thanks for the video :)
I love Ducornet...she is also a poet...my kind of novelist, i adored her Jade Cabinet....but she hasnt been on my radar in a while...have just ordered... love that youre reviewing more and more poets....thanks so much Chris!, bb
