DeLillo in Dublin

[Michael Joseph]

Reminds me of the famous image of WB Yeats whipping a sword around at
Ballylee and shouting "conflict, conflict!" Also, an interview ca. '82
with Stanley Elkin (whom Wm. Gass describes in the Nonpareil ed. of "The
Franchiser" as the writer he most admires among living writers), Elkin
said the novel was about conflict. (Also, that the novel was a place for
language to happen.) When the interviewer follows his anecdote (about
reading the "Making of Ashenden," which concludes with a young man being
raped by a female bear, at a Catholic Church, in England), to point out
Elkin should have enjoyed the experience (one of the girls accuses him of
being the antichrist) because it represented "conflict," Elkin replied,
"that's my work. In life it just raises the pressure."

Michael

On Wed, 28 May 2003, Bekah wrote:

> At 1:51 PM +0100 5/27/03, Peter Fellows-McCully wrote:
> >Went to hear Don Delillo read from Cosmopolis and take some questions
> >last night. Most questions centred around earlier works. Shortest answer
> >of the night: "What was Underworld about?" Answer "Conflict".
>
> Now that will have me pondering for awhile! (sigh)  Conflict!?!
>
> Bekah
>
>