Welcome to Confusio Linguarum - my personal blog dedicated to visionary literature, transligualism and bibliophily.
A few words to explain what CL is about:
First of all, visionary literature, works of surreal/philosophical/metaphysical dimension that also include works of weird/horror fiction. Key areas of interest include:
- weird fiction in the tradition of: Poe's and Gogol's arabesques, Aickman's strange stories, Grabinski's psychofantasies, Ligotti's existenstial/oneiric nightmares or Franz Hellens' réalités fantastiques
- Belgian l'école belge de l'étrange
- French les contes insolites and decadent movement with supernatural elements
- German unheimliche Phantastik
- Latin American magic realism
- Romanian symbolism in fiction and poetry
To make things more interesting this blog will have a translingual dimension. I'd like to spend some time dealing with translingual writing and authors who "flaunt their freedom from the constraints of the culture into which
they happen to be born” ... “by expressing themselves in multiple verbal
systems” as Steven G. Kellman defines in Switching Languages Translingual Writers Reflect on Their Craft. I am keen on delving into obscure works and identifying translation gaps. Neglected works of visionary literature as well as works lost in translation will find their place here. I will be happy to present noteworthy translations from English into other languages (and vice
versa).
There are plenty of niches from which obscure voices of visionary fiction emerge. Those barely ever make it to the other side of the language barrier. I would like to spend some time discussing literary developments and markets in various parts of the globe, with special focus on European countries, mainly: France, Belgium, Germany, Poland and Romania.
If time allows, I would also like to conduct several short interviews with literary visionaries and translators.
If time allows, I would also like to conduct several short interviews with literary visionaries and translators.
Last but not least, this is a personal blog so I will be happy to share with readers my case of bibliophily: unique publications I'm especially fond of, curiosities found in books and in second-hand bookstores (tagged as "cabinet of curiosities"), personal anecdotes and some brief mentions of collaborations I was involved in a more or less significant way plus my own "self-published" volumes.
For me personally, languages and literature have always gone together with travel, so I will be randomly sharing experiences from literary journeys. I hope these won't be too disappointing of a read.
Some other points to consider:
- I am not a writer, a critic let alone a scholar. I do not support any literary awards nor do I belong to any literary communities/societies with closed membership. My passion for literature stems from the urge of maintaining contact with languages I've learned and I see myself as a reader and independent observer. This blog is just a repository of insights into literature, transligualism and bibliophily and will not be used for promotion.
- English is my third language from among several in which I can read. I apologize in advance for any infelicitous turns of phrase. I often succumb to confusio linguarum myself!
- I take liberty in linking back to sites containing media in other languages or quoting non-English texts without necessarily finding time to translate them.
