Re: Unthinkable in Literature

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Hi Bob
The book in question was suggested to me by a fellow subscriber on 11th May
2001.
In response to a previous posting by me (also 5.11.01) I was asked if I had
read (and formulated some of my ideas via) To The Friend Who Did Not Save My
Life by Herve Guibert. I have not read it and had not heard of it (by name
anyway) until I read the following:
(I quote from the e-mail reply)
"Not that it's necessarily contradicts what you suggest, but I'm wondering if
you're familiar with the novel by Herve Guibert, "A l'ami qui ne m'a pas
sauve la vie" (To the friend who didn't save my life) which is in large part
a hagiography of Foucault, implying him as a quasi-religious icon, even
while (or precisely because) Guibert reveals aspects of Foucault's life that
he tried to hide from the public while he was living -- that he had AIDS,
that he frequented S&M clubs, etc. (to some extent, even the fact that he
was gay). In my reading this attack/veneration of Foucault does exactly
what you suggest --
It's sort of interesting, in any case."

So when I mentioned Blanchot I was asking/wondering how my correspondent
would have imagined that Foucault would write about his own gayness.
The correspondence began (11.5.01) when someone asked the question about "the
unthinkable in literature". The question asked who are contemporary writers
that are representative of this language. I selfishly turned the question
into referring to the thre uses of history set out in NGH. The response
already quoted above provoked a flurry of interest in the novel. You can
check other correspondants replies to "The Unthinkable In Literature" if you
would like to trace the book. Or get it from Amazon!
Ed

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<HTML>Hi Bob
 The book in question was suggested to me by a fellow subscriber on 11th May
 2001.
 In response to a previous posting by me (also 5.11.01) I was asked if I had
 read (and formulated some of my ideas via) To The Friend Who Did Not Save My
 Life by Herve Guibert. I have not read it and had not heard of it (by name
 anyway) until I read the following:
 (I quote from the e-mail reply)
 "Not that it's necessarily contradicts what you suggest, but I'm wondering if
 you're familiar with the novel by Herve Guibert, "A l'ami qui ne m'a pas
 sauve la vie" (To the friend who didn't save my life) which is in large part
 a hagiography of Foucault, implying him as a quasi-religious icon, even
 while (or precisely because) Guibert reveals aspects of Foucault's life that
 he tried to hide from the public while he was living -- that he had AIDS,
 that he frequented S&M clubs, etc. (to some extent, even the fact that he
 was gay).  In my reading this attack/veneration of Foucault does exactly
 what you suggest --
 It's sort of interesting, in any case."
 
 So when I mentioned Blanchot I was asking/wondering how my correspondent
 would have imagined that Foucault would write about his own gayness.
 The correspondence began (11.5.01) when someone asked the question about "the
 unthinkable in literature". The question asked who are contemporary writers
 that are representative of this language. I selfishly turned the question
 into referring to the thre uses of history set out in NGH. The response
 already quoted above provoked a flurry of interest in the novel. You can
 check other correspondants replies to "The Unthinkable In Literature" if you
 would like to trace the book. Or get it from Amazon!
 Ed
 </HTML>

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