Page Two THE MICHIGAN DAILY Thursday, November 20, 1969 Page Two THE MICHIGAN DAILY Thursday, November 20, 1969 poetry and prose Jorge By MARCIA ABIRAMSON Jorge Luis Borges is not a man of conclusions. He does not write in terms of the definite, and he does not think in terms of the definite. As he said last night, his thought and work are z built on his belief that "fp is a parable but we do not know t what it stands for." Borges is poet and celebrant of the mystery ; that is life, and his seemingly infinite and eternally changing art cannot help but reach into N the deep and often hidden part of us that knows we understand nothing.< So, unlike other celebrated or becoming-celebrated wv r i t e r s, Borges could not come to Ann Y Arbor to deliver a manifesto on aesthetics or creativity or even a definite interpretation of his own work. Instead he presented a simple « reading of five of his most re- cent stories and three poems, in- cluding his "El otro tigre." Af- ter his translator read each work (except for one poem), Borges discussed his o w n thoughts about it now and dur- ing its composition. Often Borges made excuses for the stories, saying that he had not made them up but had sim- ply "worked in a few additions" to an older tale. His commen- tary, intensely personal, m a d e this the whole evening an individual don' experience -- a conversation, for not a lecture. Borges is an ex- it s tremely warm person, and you sym feel his compassion, his puzzle- self, ment with life, his struggle to A accept his blindness and his thro own weakness. last His face was filled with a view marvelous delight when t h e writ audience of 400-500 laughed at the one story which satirized t h e shor sterile pomp and protocol of call academia. Borges does, after all, worl believe that despite its s e r - pers iousness, "you should get a kick favo out of art," and he wants his Ir work enjoyed. said The first story, "Pedro Salva- wor tore," told of "a secret man" er, who hid in a cellar for nine Alti years to escape persecution. The the story, he said, has three ele- you ments: the anecdote itself, the - doin parable of loneliness, and th e like third factor, the mystery -- H what we don't know. that "Life is full of mysteries, and bere Luis Borges: In init merely "adding details' to a story told to him. But it is a story he - and I - very much like. Is it a fable of truth, or of skepticism? Borges asked. But of course Borges would and could not diffuse the ambival- ence. 'It can be read in many ways," he said, ,"I wish I could arrive at some understanding of the story it has been given me to write." His discussions of the three poems were much the same- touching on their ambivalence, their complexity. "El otro tigre" is about the problems of art, and no one, including Borges, has completely explained it satisfactorily. Borges himself now feels com- plete disagreement with another poem, "Composition written in a copy of Beowulf," a phenom- enon which, he said, "generally happens to me." But he con- cluded, there is always an im- mense satisfaction in attempting the impossible. And that is, in a sense, the meaning and power of Borges. He drags us away from the pro- saic surface of life, into the deep seas which underly our existence. Borges knows he can- not explain what he cannot un- derstand - he can only write what is given to him to write, and succumb to the mystery of the words which once created have a life and a mystery far beyond what he has conceived. Borges was a surprise visitor here-his lecture was announced only last week. Reportedly he had been asked to come for some time and finally was able to make the trip. Hopefully we will see him again. J. D. Salinger once said some- mysteries where that a writer should be someone you want to call up and talk to any time. And by that standard-or any other-Jorge Luis Borges is a writer. Borges was presented yester- day afternoon at one of those little romance languages coffee hours, replete with cookies and doughnuts. But the occasion was not stiff and dull-it could not be, with Borges there. Although he must go through these afternoons all too often, Borges was fresh and bright and funny. Re-phrasing answers to the same questions, Borges tried always to explain, but, more im- portantly, to discuss. He always wanted to know who he was talking to - an assistant profes- sor born in Argentina, a grad- uate student in Spanish liter- ature. And he wanted to know what they thought. The gather- ing clearly was willing to wor- ship, but Borges would not ac- cept any such nonsense. When he was asked if he has any plans to write his autobi- ography, Borges laughed. "Me? What do I have to write about my life? Reading, studying? Falling in love? Being jilted or accepted or any of the other human experiences? No, I have nothing to w r i t e my auto- biography about." Borges talked about every- thing, from his family to his artistic development. He spoke of how he attempted to be "baroque" when he was young, but now is as straightforward as possible. Through it all he was inter- ested, eager to talk. As he was whisked away for dinner by the beaming professor who escorted him, Borges said with a large smile, "After all, this is my cup of tea." (And he was at it again after his lecture, at the Residen- tial College, probably re-answer- ing the eternally recurring ques- tions about himself and about literature with the same warmth and enthusiasm. It is hard to re- member the high places he holds.) THURS & FRI.-NOV. 20-21 GASL IG H T Dir. GEORGE CUKOR, 144 Ingrid Bergman plays the wife, Charles Boyer the husband trying to drive her insane in this tense drama. "A real gas" 7 & 9 Architecture 662-8871 Auditorium 75c ALL CAMPUS THANKSGIVING MIXER FULL FAITH & CREDIT FRIDAY, NOV. 21 9-12 MARY MARKLEY HALL GUYS 50c GIRLS 10c U of M ID required AA Oil I M. 'r f 111 111.1 III IL u-u-.- u,' ~ ~ 'U ri IA 1-1 I I- .f M M, -AAAA 'I I k MIL- ."il-I' 4,"'. ANTHONY QUINN GREGORY PECK in THE GUNS OF NAVARONE Will the Germans Lose This Time? "FANTASTIC."-NRA NOVEMBER 21-22 7:00-9:15 AUD. A 75c (chicken feed) FRI.-SAT. story is one of them. I t think I am praiseworthy setting it down, but I think hould be remembered as a bol of the mystery of life it- " he explained. n intense humility r a n ough everything Borges said night, as it does in inter- 's with him and his o w n ings about himself. One of pieces was "A Prayer," a rt prose work which Borges ed an attempt to ask t h e id for real hopes rather than onal and perhaps impossible ors. n his commentary, forges that lie felt his greatest k in life had been as a teach- revealing beauty to others. hough you cannot know what universe is doing, he said, can in some way assist by ng "something righteous - teaching beauty. e said also, in the same vein, t he would rather be remem- ed more as a friend " than as al Congress - Part 1; Botanical ns, 4:00 p. artment of Speech (Student Lake er) - Final lfress Rehearsal and b' Horow " "r"na ' heater, , 4:10 p artment of English Poetir Read- villiam Stafford, Prof. of EngILh. and Clark Colle-. Port land, Ore-1 Mutlti-Purpos' Room, Uinidergrad ry, 4:10 p . graphv Semilnar: Sarah Rousseau [tgh \xipple. 'Mixed Media l'ilmis [i Oi1 the Connui ' 4050 1SA. ce of Religious Xlfairs Semiar: w, Putnam, "T1oward a Ch'ri-ian staiiliig of the H-;.., uii'' Eton M"todit ".7u cli, ,tt uron, 7:00 pi.mi. eiera! NOti(CeS 'o shar rmi ( fo imr 1 uima of Dept. for somie 27 yea si . a ridial emiblv 2:00 poi . Friday. 1. 1969. lcations available for atholarships Allowshipi listed below in the of- (Continued on Page 10) NATINAL tNEAI. ORP RA~ON , DAILY OFFICIAL BULLETIN The Daily Official Bulletin is an official publication of The Univer- sity of Michigan. Notices should be sent in TYPEWRITTEN form to 3528 LSA before 2 p.m. of the day preceding publication and by 2 p.m. Friday for Saturday and Sutn- day. Items may appear only once. Student organization notices a r e not accepted for publication. For information, phone 764-9270. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20 Day Calendar Physics - Ast ronony: Resonance Group Lunch Seminar:Sanl Bo W e n, Univ. Wise., "The Kondo Effect"; 12:00 Nuclear Colloquium: W. P. AI'ord, Univ. Rochester, "The Validity of Spec'tro- scopic Factors"; P & A Colloquium Rim, 4:00 p.m. Piano Department Student Recital: School of Music Recital Hall, 12:30 p.m. Mental Health Seminar: Prof. Harold D. Lasswell, Yale, "Power-Sharing in a Psychiatric Hospital: Future Studies'; 1057 Mental Health Research Inst., 3:45 p.m. Botany Seminar: Dr. William R a u- dolph Taylor, "Camera Report on Field Trip No. 1 of the XI International Bo- ORGANIZATION NOT [CES Univeral lift ( hurch Camnpus i3ene- fit, Mlehi ;an Union Ballroo, Frida, Nov. 21, 1969 at 8:30-11:30 p.m. Dance- Concert, featuring the "Floating Opera". For more information, please call Rev. John Neno, at 769-1247. Bach Club Meeting, 1236 Washtenaw (at S. Forest). Program: The Goliard Brass Ensemble will play the Prelude and Fugue in B Flat Major, Contra- punctus 1 & 9, Air in G , plus Chorales and other short pieces. Refreshinents and fun afterwards No musical know- ledge needed. For ifo, call 663-2827, 764-9883, or 761-7356. "A(rJ (cs,- -ro Ipa DIAL 5-6290 ENDING TONIGHT The motion picture de- signed to save the world from sanity. tanica Garte E Rep, Theat "a', Frieze .liep Ing: Lewis gon: Li brat Gco and H Fo usi 14:15 I? (f11 Lloyd aid 11 G 1. L o Econ memo Nov. 2 App and 11 -Dai ly-Jy yCassidy a poet. "I can never get over the amazement of being taken seriously," he explained. "I have been blundering through my life." And he asked the audience not to take his prayer serious- ly, but rather to try to compose their own prayers for "real hopes" rather than possibly un- obtainable "personal favors." His own "real hope?" Serenity, he said. "The Anthropologist," in many ways a typical 3orges story, told of a Texas boy who goes to live with a primitive Indian tribe in search of a doctoral thesis on their secret rites. He learns the secret, but decides riot to reveal it. He tells the astounded doc- toral chairman that he can live by it anywhere and will not re- turn to the Indians. But what does he do? "Fred married, di- vorced, and is now a librarian at Yale." Again. lBorges in.sisted he was MIK E'S STEAKS 1313 S. University Ann Arbor FRIDAY'S SPECIAL ONLY FISH & CHIPS with cole slow, bread & butter 99C SATURDAY'S SPECIAL STRIP SIRLOIN STEAK salad, potatoes, bread & butter choice of coffee or soft drink for $1.80 only BACH CLUB Present, GOIUARD BRASS ENSEMBLE Program: * Prelude and Fugue in B flat 0 Contrapuncti 1 and 9 * Air on the G String 0 and other works Thurs., Nov. 20, 8 P.M. 1236 Woshtenaw (at S. Forest) Refreshments and FUN Everyone Welcome! (No musical knowledge native) For further info call 663-2827, 761-7356, or 764-9883 TN FEA HI 0) WIN TURES DIAL ELD 8-6416 VIER LOR , DeLuNe . . AND ... I ' 9 "Stolen Kisses' is a movie I'll cherish for a very long time. One of Truffaut's best-strong, sweet, explosively funny. Delphine Seyrig seduces Leaud in one of the most erotic, nonsex scenes I've ever seen in a movie." CANCIELLE Sden. Mushie is not able to appear this Friday. He w i 11lbe rescheduled for Winter Term co Em M(9 OLIVIER'S HAMLET SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 23 7:00-9 :30-AUD. A-75c (No Kidding) -READ AND USE DAILY CLASSIFIEDS- Tickets refunded at UAC offices 2nd floor Union THAT DOG ON WHEELS IS COMING "HAVE A BALL, BABY" -"Putney Swope" SEETHE FUNNIEST DOUBLE FEATURE EVER TO COME TO TOWN! ]ll Fi1BtaY OUSB THE PAGEANT PLAYERS * political street theatre from New York City * performing inside Canterbury & on the streets ® workshop Saturday afternoon * "Possibly the country's first (street group), formed in 1965" FRI DAY-SAT U R DAY-S U N DAY-$2.00 i I i { i j I i i t I I E NATIONAL GENEFRAL CORPORATION y FOX IASTERNT TATRFS FuOX V iI L'"6E 375No. MAPLE RD.-769-1300 HURRY! ENDS SOON MON.-FRI.--7:10-9:20 SAT.-SUN.-1 :00-3:05- 5-0 7:15-9:30fX i~h1 BlUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID NEXT-"Take The Money & Run" "Provokes uncontrollable laughter." -Mich. Daily "For those with the good sense to recognize the deft satiric wit of one of the most unorthodox and brilliant young film makers at work in America today." --Newsday "PUTNEY SWOPE" "Swope," 6:45, 9:30-"Firemens," 8:1 5 only I THE BEST OF MUSIC. . . . .. from past and present The U of M Men's Glee Club Milos Forman's t S F- it- III U