Brief Exchange in the forum

Posted: Tue Nov 09, 2004 12:22 pm Post subject: Facts and Surrealism

The most amusing thing about the Appendices is that the story is over, but the characters now appear to carry on with their ordinary lives. They are casually mentioned as proof-reading the book, or commenting on the adventures, or simply carrying on (so it wasn't the end of the world after all). Out Of the Book experiences indeed, as they talk about 'the novel' but paradoxically still live on inside the book...

This also helps continue the theme of what is true, and what is not (like a Borges story) with references to authentic reference material and (possibly) imaginary or as-yet unwritten books.

Just in case you thought you could read it and drop it, these appendices now point you back into the thick of it - looping like an Escher - withcryptography (in the original release in three volumes I didn't see these appendices for a year, so I jumped on these clues to go back and find those mysterious symbols); with new clues (or red herrings) like 23 Skidoo; with all sorts of references to track down (if you are so inclined); with invitations (Cheth!) to go back and contemplate particular scenes again.

I remember when volume 3 reached me (in a complete photocopy from a US import a friend had, so help me Bob - I was just too impatient) I felt a slight shock when the story ended halfway through the volume - you know how you pace a novel usually, by the 'feel' of the number of pages to go. Fortunately this extra material soon soothed my frustration, while winding me up all over again (isn't there a story in the Intro to Gurdjieff's All and Everything about the donkey eating the hot chili - can't swallow, can't spit it out?)

Little did I know, however, that I would end up treating it the way we are now - poring over the text like a Joycean scholar!

Posted: Wed Nov 10, 2004 7:38 pm Post subject:

Dear Bogmag,

Of course, I wanted at least some readers to

pore over the text like Joyce scholars....that's

why I made it so Joycean

It has taken 29 years [plus the 5 years

lost in getting it published] but that

dream seems real at last,

and I thank everybody