Author describes quirks of his subject
The Daily Pennsylvanian
October 4, 2006
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Author Paul LaFarge speaks at the Kelly Writers House yesterday evening about the eccentric writer whose work he translated.
Photo by Elise Arnould/Publication name
Award-winning writer Paul LaFarge introduced his audience to a metaphysical world of talking rabbits, boys gluing themselves to dead girls' bodies and women marrying chairs last night.
Those gathered in the Kelly Writers House listened intently as they learned about Paul Poissel, the obscure 19th-century French writer who created these bizarre images in his novel The Facts of Winter, which LaFarge translated.
College senior Anna Levett organized the event because she was inspired after reading LaFarge's novel Hausmann, or the Distinction while in Paris.
LaFarge, an eminent scholar of Poissel, talked about the author's attempts to create both an encyclopedia of misunderstandings that humans have with one another and a dictionary of Parisian dreams.
However, the French writer's constant experiments with cocaine and his tendency to sleep 16 hours a day limited the success of these projects, LaFarge said.
Poissel published his first poetry anthology in 1869 - it garnered one ambivalent review. His second poetry collection was another dismal failure, LaFarge said.
In addition to a literary career, Poissel was also a "limacidologist" -- a slug specialist -- and a puzzle maker.
LaFarge said he was attracted to Poissel because he was "interested in things that depart from the everyday world."
He discovered the French author while doing research in the depths of the French National Library.
What he found included an early 20th century sound recording of Poissel reading from his novel and photos of him dressed as a Turk.
Audience members were pleased with the presentation.
"It was more creative than I thought it would be," College senior Dave Mangum said.
Levett said that she was pleased with the turnout and that LaFarge's rendering of Poissel's life was "funny."
LaFarge's next project is a short documentary about Poissel's career as a limacidologist. He said he may also translate one of the Poissel's plays and is working on a third novel.