I recently had the experience, fortunately an unusual one, of being snubbed. Blanked Out. Given the cold shoulder. The bum’s rush. Evocative enough phrases to describe the sensation of being ignored. I had offered to give a talk to an academic department where I had previously given seminars, in a college where I had been a visiting professor for a few years and … [Read more...] about IN PRAISE OF IGNORE-ANCE
Phil's Blog
The Cat Sat on the Map: Some reflections on post human cartography
The city of cats and the city of men exist one inside the other, but they are not the same city. Few cats recall the time when there was no distinction: the streets and squares of men were also streets and squares of cats, and the lawns, courtyard, balconies, and fountains; you lived in a broad and various space. But for several generations now domestic felines have been … [Read more...] about The Cat Sat on the Map: Some reflections on post human cartography
On losing the Royal touch
How do you map a monarchy? Depict the location of its palaces and other places of residence? Display the extent of its material wealth or its kinship connections ? Create a genealogical tree or a psycho-geography of members of the royal household? Or devise a cartogram showing their personal popularity or lack of it with different groups of ‘subjects’? A wealth map … [Read more...] about On losing the Royal touch
A LOCKDOWN POEM
Crossing the Pandemoticon It began with a hand clenched experimentally to ear not so much a fist as a makeshift mouthpiece designed to broadcast miracles speaking in tongues: ‘habari,kangarooshni,slapit nego,nego,unulti possum! craaghi covid ipsit cunnilingo ? es krampit todo kwa heri ‘ a polyglot mother … [Read more...] about A LOCKDOWN POEM
A Long Life in the Making
Phil's has created a Vimeo video of the book with selected readings. This is an afterword to my father's memoir which I have just edited for forthcoming publication by eyeglass books. I thought that the reader might be interested to know a bit more about the biographical background to this memoir, what motivated and influenced … [Read more...] about A Long Life in the Making
