Comments on: Locus Solus

By: Chris Kearin

Chris Kearin — Sat, 10 Apr 2021 16:32:30 +0000

I’m not sure what you’re referring to when you say that “One issue was done in Switzerland.” I haven’t seen the interior of V, but I-IV all bear the editorial address of Lans-en-Vercors (France). Locus Solus I was printed in Spain, and both I and III-IV were printed in Switzerland.

By: James Ward

James Ward — Wed, 09 Oct 2019 16:44:13 +0000

Jed, yes apologies, for being so distracted recently and for not first thinking before conveying the thoughts, which are admittedly inconclusive. I, too, have not made that much progress. I approach the issue as one with a background in linguistics, and sympathy for Chomsky’s view of language as biocultural (still a minority view). Burroughs’ word as virus meme is I think enigmatic and intriguing for more reasons than I am able to articulate.. And thanks for the link, and particularly the tower of Babel stuff.. Fascinating..

By: Jed

Jed — Fri, 20 Sep 2019 12:00:03 +0000

James,

Thanks for the insights. This Locus Solus post is one of the first things I wrote for RS. In terms of Burroughs’ theories of language I haven’t progressed much. The bibliographic elements I have made much more progress.

Around the time I was wrestling with Burroughs and the virus and language, I met an interesting guy on my commute.

You ever read this interview: https://realitystudio.org/bibliographic-bunker/bunker-interviews/interview-with-charles-talkoff/

It is from quite a while ago and is somewhat buried on the site. You might find it interesting if you haven’t read it.

Thanks for your time reading my posts. I really appreciate it.

By: James Ward

James Ward — Fri, 20 Sep 2019 09:35:26 +0000

Dear Jed, I just read this, last night actually… apologies.. about the point on ‘silent’ reading or hieroglyphs… I think about it this way. Burroughs’ theory of Word as virus concerns pathological aspects of language (obviously, there are some pros as well as cons and let’s face it, Burroughs was himself a paid up member of the Shakespeare squadron). Human language is considered a bio-cultural thing (Chomsky), that is, it is not just acquired from the environment but is in certain ways innate to the species. Incidentally, the Exterminator clearly makes link between genetic code and language as code. And French literary theory highlights the text or reader in whole operation of language, showing ‘author’ is in fact a function of the text, that ‘we are the language’ (bit like Rimbaud’s I am thought). The Word is a kind of complex machine and it can do the thinking on its own without any body just fine (Derrida’s likening the written word to a virus that can only repeat itself word for word is interesting). Burroughs wants the virus out of the body; to shut off the inner voice (most use of language is sub vocal) – he wants to inactivate it. So he wants it all cut up.. and shut up… the words will of course scramble to reconstruct themselves as meaning. Remember that Burroughs says writing is unique to the species, and that it preceded speech. ‘Language’ in this view is a kind of writing or code, a synchronic system (an important point), like mathematics, and as inexhaustible. But on types of physical writing… according to Derrida, it was the need to record foreign names that spurred phoneticisation in the West, but this ‘project’ has never fully been realised and the bottom line is any script must be considered hybrid ‘picto-ideo-phonographic’. There are of course many (proto?) ideographic elements in English, where spelling is anything but phonetic. Also, Michael D. Coe’s Breaking the Maya Code (Thames and Hudson, 1992), finally shows that ancient Mayan script is in principle no different from modern Japanese (a mix of picto/ideo and phono elements). And I think much of Burroughs’ late work is conducive to an almost silent reading-in-pictures… hope this raises some interesting questions, anyway.. I ponder Gysin’s hiero-glyph on the first Cat inside everyday.

By: Allen Frost

Allen Frost — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 05:42:29 +0000

Thanks for the information. Just back from the trek in the Himalayas and while hovering around in Thamel, one of Kathmandu’s famous tourist hub, in the Pilgrims book shop I bought a poetry collection titled ” Safa Tempo: Poems new and selected,” which I read on my flight back home and was shocked by the poets originality and style. Allen Ginsberg would have hugged Bhuwan Thapaliya, the poet from Nepal, if he were to read his works today. Thanks.

By: Scott

Scott — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 00:25:17 +0000

In one of the Brion Gysin interviews in RE/Search #4/5, Gysin has an interesting (but somewhat clueless) comment on Locus Solus: “Almost immediately, within the very first few months, there was a group of American poets that brought out a two-volume book their ‘genius’ work called Locus Solus, which was all cut-ups. But they never acknowledged it–it happened within six months of the publication of Minutes To Go, in January 1960.” Gysin seems unaware that Burroughs published some material in Locus Solus II.

Also, it’s Harry Mathews not Matthews. And he wasn’t a member of the Oulipo until years after Locus Solus ceased publication.