Some Remarks of a new Subscriber.

[Michel Ryckx]

To mr. Mackin
Wars do not end at once.  They tend to end gradually.  June 6th, 1944 was the beginning of the liberation of France, Belgium and the Netherlands. The first week of September, 1944, Antwerp was liberated -which is still a major reason of partying and Antwerp becomes a Whole Sick Crew.  The German army retreated and the city was free.  (GR starts at this very moment).  Only a few weeks later, when everybody was busy eating chocolates, chewing gum and oranges provided by the Allies, the 'Flying Bombs' as they were called, began to arrive.  At the very moment everybody thought the war was over, the horror started.  The village I grew up in, 15 km North of Antwerp, was liberated at the end of September 1944.  Germany surrendered 8th of May, 1945.  That is what I meant when I say 'When the war was over...'.  The 8th of May is not a holiday in Belgium, but every village or town has its own date of liberation.

I will look for some links on those Bombs here in Belgium and hope to be able to inform you about it.

If I may be allowed to give another example of historical reading:  when I read GR, there was a talk of an 'Adenoid' (pp. 14-15 in my copy).  I thought the word had something to do with noses, and I was too lazy to look it up.  But my first reaction was: this is a metaphor for the confusing foreign policy of mr. Eden in the Thirties.  I may be wrong (and I don't care) but the passage can be read as such.

Besides, tedious things just are what they are: tedious.  Life is not that pleasant that I want to make it more complicated than it already is.

To mr(s?) Saurio.
I just read your 'Invective' and think it very dishonest.  I will try to reply in detail.

To Otto
I will look for the exact number of casualties in the archives of the city.  Verder: ik heb Black Venus gelezen (erg lang geleden) maar ben iets te jong (37) om te begrijpen wat de commotie nu eigenlijk was.

Michel Ryckx.