Dear Editors and Translators;

A recycled letter from the Russian translator

Michael

Michael:

Thank you so much for the letters. I like the way the world is being re-described and re-defined in them; there is more of a one-man's-world concept shared with billions. It gives more to the saying that we have the world on our fingertips.

Being wired now and flowing in the stream of information, it is so easy to feel the uniqueness of the world experienced. The infinite multitude of worlds. The essence of linguo-reality, where an object dematerialises turning into an expression. This is a real Beat factor to me.

A quilt of a world, led by mere chance and defined by particular time, when the existence was sanctioned in a defined material time slot. Immortality as a natural, the only form of existence. A bunch of facts, feelings, soul vortices, all tied with a will to proceed.

If Beat is to be seen as an American invention, then it is a freedom jazz played in the dissolving western civilization. It is the same honour stuff like the notorious orchestra of the Titanic.

I watched "Over the Cuckoo's Nest" in 1980s in Russia. Authorities thought the film had an anti-American clang and promoted it.

Evgueni

Visions of Cody is one of Kerouac's most mysterious books. It is much more complex and has many strange narrative devices. This book is more like my stuff. Kerouac was now reaching for greatness. Cody is of course Neil Cassady who is Dean Moriarty in On the Road. Very much a Jim figure, but much more hyper-active and less educated. Cody is the holy goof-ball. I wanted Jim to be my holy goof-ball, but it didn't work. There was too much darkness. The same with Cassidy. He was found dead near some railroad tracks in Mexico. An apparant drug-overdose. Cassidy is such a critical American figure. Not only did he start the Beat Revolution with Kerouac and Ginsberg, but also the Hippie revolution with Ken Kesey in San Fransisco. Ken Kesey wrote " Over the Cuckoo's Nest. " and began turning people on with Cassidy's help into LSD. This was too much for Kerouac. He supported the Vietnam war and was anti-Hippie. Kerouac also broke with Ginsberg and died a drunk's death. The white stress turned into a strange inner black stress. Harvest is an anti-On The Road book and I'm sure you feel this in Forty Immutable Parables.

Michael

Michael,

I've just finished editing the last piece. Of course it'll take a couple of more weeks for the final polishing of all three books. Now the last question. There is the whole paragraph consisting of book titles. Some of them I know but I would like to know the authors of the underlined ones, please. If they are book titles.

HOWL AND KADDISH AND MIND BREATHES; I CAN SEE PLANET NEWS AND PLUTONIUM ODE, ALSO REALITY SANDWICHES, AND IT'S THE FALL OF AMERICA AND INDIAN JOURNALS; I CAN SEE ON THE ROAD AND SOME OF THE DHARMA, AND IT'S MEXICO CITY BLUES AND DR. SAX; IT'S THE SUBTERRANEANS AND NOW THE DHARMA BUMS; IT'S ALSO DESOLATION ANGELS AND ITS BIG SUR, AND IT'S THE BOOK OF BLUES AND THE LONESOME TRAVELER, AND IT'S SATORI IN PARIS AND ALSO THE BOOK OF DREAMS; IT'S PIC AND ALSO VISIONS OF CODY, AND IT'S VISIONS OF GERARD.

Alex