Thursday, June 18, 2009

Still taking notes for poems but don't have the mental energy to actually turn them into poems. Doing lots of reading instead.

Just finished a bizarre short book by the wonderful Czech writer Milan Kundera, Identity. As the title suggests the book explores the theme of human identity through the relationship between two lovers. It's quite a psychological book - full of mind-games and manipulation. Kundera doesn't like being referred to as a philosophical writer but his books are definitely books of Ideas, existentialism in this case. One of my favorite bits in the book comes out of the mouth of the character Jean-Marc when he describes a visit to his dying grandfather :

"I had just turned fourteen, and my grandfather – not the cabinetmaker, the other one – was dying. There was a sound coming from his mouth that was unlike anything else, not even a moan because he wasn’t in pain, not like words he might have been having trouble saying, no, he hadn’t lost speech, just very simply he had nothing to say, nothing to communicate, no actual message, he didn’t even have anyone to talk to, wasn’t interested in anyone any more, it was just him alone with the sound he was emitting, one sound, an “ahhhh” that broke off only when he had to take a breath. I would watch him, hypnotized, and I never forgot that, because, though I was only a child, something seemed to become clear to me: this is existence as such confronting time as such; and that confrontation, I understood, is named boredom. My grandfather’s boredom expressed itself by that sound, by that endless “ahhhh”, because without that “ahhhh” time would have crushed him, and the only weapon my grandfather had against time was that feeble “ahhhh” going on and on."


I'm also reading a series of essays on feminism by Virginia Woolf. I've long been a fan of her novels but the essays are excellent, very sharp, insightful, a wonderful writer.

Still waiting (forever it seems) on replies for poetry submissions, some I've given up on.
So on a happier note here are some of the reasons why I love Poetry Scotland:

i They were the first to publish my poems
ii I've had poems in the last two issues and three poems coming up in the summer issue
iii The response time is usually about a week (bliss)
iv It's only a quid an issue
v It's a broadsheet packed with poems and only poems


Some non-poetry news - I'm having a girl!!! This was a surprise - I was convinced I was having another boy! So now I'm dreaming of rows and rows of little dresses and very excited about what having a little girl is going to be like!

I can't resist puting a scan photo up. It's the first time I've had a 3D scan, we only paid for a normal one but the very nice lady gave us 3D pics to take away as well as the normal. My wee girl smirks and smiles in the womb.

19 comments:

Rachel Fox said...

3D pics! They must be new...

Looking forward to seeing her when she makes it out to meet us all. Will you call her Virginia..?
x

panther said...

She looks great ! I didn't know they DID 3-D images.

I too like Poetry Scotland. What name do you publish under, Sorlil ? I will look out for you in the next issue.

swiss said...

scans are cool! i still can;t hget over the blurry picture about the size iof a bean is now my daughter. where did those years go!

Marion McCready said...

hi rachel, her name is going to be - Ruby Grace Kestrel McCready -
a mouthful eh?! (Kestrel's not my choice but I can live with it, lol)

hi panther, ooh do a google image search on 3d scans, they are amazing! my publishing name (and my real name!) is marion mccready.

hi swiss, yes scans are great, I have a wee jelly bean one of sorley that seems so funny to look at now!

Rachel Fox said...

Kestrel is cool! I think that should come first! Kestrel McCready...who'd argue with her?a
x

deemikay said...

Awww... :)

Have you any idea for names yet?

deemikay said...

Oh, and it's ages since I've read any Kundera... maybe I will.

Titus said...

Great names! From someone whose middle name is Ruby.
Great scan too. She's posing.

deemikay said...

Ooops... guess who didn't read the comments to see some suggested names? :os (That's the problem with commenting when at work.)

Kestrel *is* unusual, but unusual is good. :)

(Word verification is "ploppi" - why that should be associated with babies I don't know!)

Colin Will said...

My grandson, who was then five, was asked to suggest a name for his then unborn sister. Rebecca, he said, and Rebecca she is.

Marion McCready said...

kestrel mccready does have a ring about it but it ain't happenin!!

hi david, if you read kundera before than you'll definitely enjoy this one, I was lucky enough to pick it up in a local charity shop.

hi titus, yes I think she was posing, lol. great middle name!!

hi colin, I asked sorley the other day who was in mummy's tummy and he said jungle book, er...okay!

s* said...

Mrs McCready! - you never told me you had a name for baby bump, and here am I thinking of Sorley and baby bump!! Kestrel is a beautiful name, I think it is very pretty and interesting, like a song-writer/musician (or a poet's ?? ;-) )name - good choice jamie! :-)

Roxana said...

hey, i commented on this one, haven't you got it? hmmm...

how could i have been silent in front of such a lovely girl and the mysterious Kestrel name, i had never heard of it before. i remember asking about its origin, and if it is a scottish name :-)

Marion McCready said...

hi roxana, no I didn't get your comment! a kestrel is a bird of prey, one of my husband's favourites :)

SarahJane said...

Wow! That's so wonderful. Congratulations! My first was a girl and I also thought my second would be ditto, but he was a boy and it's delightful having both. All the best.

Marion McCready said...

thanks sarahjane! the thought of having a girl was slightly terrifying at first but now I'm really excited!

Dick said...

I'm very late to your news, sorlil, but what a wonderful picture. We so nearly went for 'Ruby' when Maisie was on the way. Perfect name and all the best to her and her mum.

Marion McCready said...

Thankyou Dick :) Yes we really love the name Ruby, Maisie is lovely also.

Dominic Rivron said...

It's hard to tell with photos, but I'd have said from this she looks a bit like her brother. Surely, it's too early to tell, though. Great pic.