‘the overcoming of death’ (the unguarded thoughts of abram tertz)

horsemouth is up. he has his coffee (yum yum). it’s a slightly misty morning.

here's a show on new weird britain (from the bbc).

last night a horror movie mini-marathon, both hammer blood from the mummy’s tomb (1971) not as good as hammer’s the mummy but still an entertaining romp, and night of fear (1972) a more psychological horror (plot spoiler - largely on the lines of les diaboliques featuring a disused school with recordings of the children). both were on channel 81, herzog’s nosferatu is coming up soon. all the above, and the following, can broadly be described as concerning the overcoming of death - either as literal return to life, simulacra, or in the case of abram tertz, by means of art.




horsemouth has shifted his reading affections

to abram tertz’s a voice from the chorus the book tertz (real name andrei sinyavsky) wrote while in prison in the form of letters sent out to his wife. he wrote on various topics all of which avoided his imprisonment (like silvio pellico of an earlier age). tertz’s life returns in reflected forms and concerns - gulliver, robinson crusoe (the castaways), the lives of things, the poetry of thieves cant, bragging and exculpations.

‘each man is born in only one copy and when he dies no one can take his place.’

horsemouth is plotting going to see gigs - gwenifer raymond this week, thereafter the weekends are filling up - leigh folk festival, the mela, the greenwich tides festival, a stick in the wheel gig.