'all founded on the great axiom 'I have to live''

so wrote stendahl of the political speechwriter maisonette. it would make a great title for an adorno piece (if he hasn't used it already).  the author has to live, so he lies. but not stendahl, he professes a complete disinterest in success and just does what he likes, he does what destiny throws in his path. and then,  like montaigne, he writes about it. 

stendahl's problem is that loves the italians but (because of a broken heart) he can no longer live there. he is in exile in paris (with a side visit to london in 1821 and to near birmingham in 1826). but he doesn't really like the french either (mind you he doesn't particularly like the brits either). he doesn't like parisians either. 

he writes well though (and this is what keeps his account of the ten years he spent in paris readable). eventually he gets back to italy, to rome, and can start writing. in other pleasures he gives us a running total on how the writing of the book itself is progressing (so that we can cheer him on).

of course there is considerable pleasure in seeing writers transported to london (voltaire etc.) in having them wander round familiar streets. 

just as in the life of henri brulard  he gives us a map of his family farmhouse in memoirs of an egotist he gives us a map of a parisian drawing room and tells us who may expect to encounter on our journey from the front door. he also gives us a proposed design for his tombstone and a sketch map explaining his opinion of the geography of montmorency where he would often spend time. 

yesterday horsemouth went to water the greenhouse on the allotment and then walked over to south woodford to raid the charity shops. as you walk down to the tube on the right hand side the good crusty old charity shop is gone (another victim of coronavirus presumably), the two on the left closer to the tube are not that interesting, the oxfam up by the bridge over the ringroad is closed on account of flooding. on his way back he read the book he had with him (the stendahl). 

in the afternoon he snoozed. 

in the evening he watched the comic strip (a fistful of travellers cheques) a pleasant homage to spaghetti westerns and then retired to bed in the attic to read alex callinicos's 2010 the bonfire of illusions. callinicos had second thoughts about the title because there has been no bonfire of the illusions, neither of neoliberalism and financialisation (following the 2008 crash) nor of US hegemony have fallen, both ideas have continued to march on despite having been disproved by events (go figure). 

horsemouth should probably get on with reading his bluffers guide to writing a business plan and then get on with writing a business plan (the sunday times 2004). outside the sun has just started shining (and almost immediately been hidden behind grey clouds).  ok no it's putting up a decent fight. 

jacken elswyth (of betwixt and between  and the shovel dance collective) has put up another  mix, fahey and basho yes (but also some less familiar choices).