John Cage
Writing Through Finnegan's Wake & Writing for the Second Time Through Finnegan's Wake (SIGNED Limited Edition), 1978
Cloth boards in a slipcase, black and white text throughout, English. SIGNED by Cage on the limitation page. Number 118 out of a limited edition of 200 copies. New York: Printed Editions
11 1/4h x 9 3/4w x 1d in/ 28.58h x 24.77w x 2.54d cm
JC003
$ 650
Finnegans Wake: Embodying all Author's Corrections by James Joyce (1939) was inspired by the 18th-century Italian philosopher Giambattista Vico's, concept that history is cyclical. To demonstrate this, the book ends with the first half of the first sentence of the novel. Thus, the last line is actually part of the first line, and the first line a part of the last line. One of the most challenging books to read with its lack of a straightforward plot,Finnegans Wake: Embodying all Author's Corrections is considered a work of fiction that integrates forms of fables, deconstructionism, and analytical work.
“Imagine a book, written in English yet incorporating dozens of languages, whose constant demand of the reader is the need to look up the meaning of nearly every word. One may seem to know the words; they are familiar…yet largely unfamiliar. Strange constructions like hierarchitectitiptitoploftical and cryptoconchoidsiphonostomata erupt into this de-realized wordscape with unforgiving regularity….the overall effect is one of befuddlement, hypnosis, or perhaps delirium tremens. Welcome to the world of Finnegans Wake.”___________ Laura Kuhn, Executive Director of the John Cage Trust
American composer and music theorist John Cage (1912-1992) was one of the leading figures of the post-war avant-garde. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage is regarded as one of the most influential composers of the 20th century. Cage is also acknowledged as instrumental in the development of modern dance, mostly through his association with choreographer Merce Cunningham, who was also Cage's romantic partner for most of their lives. Highly influenced by various East and South Asian cultures, Cage's studies of Indian philosophy and Zen Buddhism, led him to create with the I Ching, an ancient Chinese classic text decision-making tool, which uses chance operations to suggest answers to questions one may pose.
