[ilds] Gifford's "Late Modernism's Migrations"

Sun May 3 13:48:26 PDT 2015

Billy, I agree. The corporatization of music and film is certainly intense and leads to much bad material so much so that I rarely watch films or listen to contemporary music. What I am talking about, and I think what bruce is getting at, is that political and perhaps spiritual dynamism that operated in Durrell's time has faded and there is perhaps a want literary courage and or innovation. Consider the controversy over houellebecqs new novel soumission? If the corporate spotlight is more focussed on music, film and social media then the poets and novelists should have the freedom to be more daring than most are being. Spare me the trendy politics or the self absorption and say something big, new, different. And if you think art is shit, say so. I reckon people are becoming more judgemental. Iconoclasm has led to everyone being an expert. As a teacher, I have put up with this for many years.

David 

Sent from my iPad

> On 4 May 2015, at 4:42 am, William Apt <billyapt at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> If I may weigh in... 
> 
> What I notice is a widespread belief that, somehow, forming judgments  when it comes to art  - being (cringe) "judgmental" - is bad, almost politically incorrect. The problem is that in a world without judgment anything passes as art. And if anything passes as art, how determine how or whether civilization advances? There is a difference between creativity and talent.  Creativity is great (think that paean to creativity - Nevada's Burning Man Festival)  but it is talent that causes us to see or think in a way we have never seen or thought before. Remarkable talent is always present, David, but I submit that, since the 1960s, the iconoclasm of which you speak is less manifest in fiction, poetry and visual art than it is in nonfiction, film and popular music. 
> 
> WILLIAM APT
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>> On May 2, 2015, at 4:48 PM, "Denise Tart & David Green" <dtart at bigpond.net.au> wrote:
>> 
>> It’s fascinating to watch this “network” evolve over space and time, if you will.  There’s a certain grandeur to what was taking place during the 30s, 40s, and 50s among a small group of artists.  Nowadays all such activity has shrunk and diminished.
>> 
>> Bruce
>>  
>> Ha, the artists have all gone mainstream. They are on the public payroll (arts grants) or sustained by university tenure (nothing against unis, when there once meself)
>> Either that or they are all on Twitter or Facebook. It is all very bourgeois and many do not have much to say in case they offend someone BUT you can write about climate change, or evil capitalists or governments being mean to migrants or indigenous people or you can write clever little poems to be read by your friends and softly applauded. When the Australian poet Les Murray countered this in 'Sub Human Redneck Poems' he was cast into outer darkness which doesn't really bother Les as he feels better when people are not around. WE live in a depoliticized world, at least in the west. The corporations and the Institutions have taken over. The fascist communist polarity as been replaced by the beige pursuit of cars with GPS, superannuation funds and the wellness industry. Where are today's Celines, Henry MIllers, Lawrence Durrells, Charles Bukowskis??? aye, where are they? There was this French guy, Houllebeck or something, but they ran him out of town. He's hiding in Ireland drinking Guinness. So here's to Larry and the lads (and Lasses) they did good back then. Who's writing today's Air-conditioned Nightmare or Justine?? maybe you know James?? In the meantime I am going to buy a racing bike and start eating mung beans..
>>  
>> 
>>  
>> David Green
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>> Marrickville NSW 2204
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>> 
>>  
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