Short Story Monday: A Poem About Truth

A POEM ABOUT TRUTH 

May 18, 1944. At Hitler's war conference he is told that the enemy has carried out two spy operations during the night on the heavily defended French coastline. At one place, near Calais, German troops have found an orange peel, an empty flask and a shovel lying on the beach. Years later they would say that they also found a landscape painted on driftwood, a finely crafted homemade flute and a dagger. In the estuary of the river Somme, two British commandos were discovered in the late afternoon. "They came ashore in a rubber raft," General Jodl, chief of Wehrmach operations, tells Hitler. "They claim to know nothing."

Illustration by Gemini

The scene changes to a French restaurant once frequented by Napoleon. The restaurant serves excellent Italian fare. Three nights have passed. A stout German woman makes pasta in the kitchen. Two French chefs argue about how to make croissants. They are smoking cigarettes and sipping wine. They know that Hitler is a madman, but it does not affect their cooking. The taller chef, thinnest of the two, is also a writer. At night he composes poetry in the same way that a garden produces flowers. The effect is dazzling. His mother also was a poet, as was his grandfather. He does not believe in war or death. He is restless, anxious about love, and lives alone. If he had a lover, he knows that he would write less poetry, since he writes only to fill his piteous empty hours. When he reads his poems, he cries, then burns them. He is brutally honest with himself.

The following evening he overhears a Nazi under-lieutenant commenting on Britain's secret operations. He seizes the opportunity to become part of an adventure. He never again sees his home. Later that night the chef is captured in a forbidden zone near the Seine whereupon he fakes an English accent and says he is a spy. He is blindfolded and driven to a chateau where he must stand before Rommel. He makes up a story about a wife and daughter in Britain. The details are vivid, but Rommel loses interest and orders him to be shot. That night he writes a poem about the event and leaves it in his cell. The German officer who reads it laughs at the insipid rhymes and melancholy metaphors. He shares it with his friend who notices that the word "mayhap" is misapplied and that "appenage" would have been a better choice of words than "freehold."

By week's end a hundred eyes have beheld the poem. Many jokes are made of it. Heinrich (we do not know his last name), a company agent from Stuttgart, makes a copy of the poem, then translates it into German. In the translation he improves the meter and resolves the problematic third stanza. He sends it to his mother who does not understand it, but keeps it in a small wooden box on the bureau next to a framed photo of the Fuhrer.

It is possible the original poem is still in existence somewhere, but no one knows for certain. My cousin, who married a German woman, says that her father saw the poem, the original version, and remembers that it was called Truth Is A Fire That Burns. We do not know if this was the same poem, or if he saw the poem at all. After the war many German soldiers say they saw the poem, and many more say they made copies of it to send to the Fatherland. We know that most of them are lying. Over the years versions have appeared in journals, some superior to others, all of them improvements on the original. I have seen it thrice in English literary journals -- once, I believe, in the Antioch Review, though it may have been one of the other college publications that begin with an A. Someone told me that it has been translated into 57 languages. In Thailand, the mountain peoples now say that it is the Word of God.

No one remembers the French chef who gave his life to produce the poem. His unknown name has been swallowed up by history, but his poem lives on in human hearts.

- 30 -

Translated 8-22-98
E. N.

Brief Analysis of "A Poem About Truth" by Grok, the X.com LLM.

This compact metafiction (under 800 words) masquerades as historical footnote, but its true engine is the immortality of bad art. The French chef—unnamed, lonely, self-immolating—writes a single poem titled Truth Is A Fire That Burns. He dies for it; the poem survives, mutates, and metastasizes. The story’s genius lies in never quoting the poem. We witness only its reception: Nazi ridicule, linguistic nitpicking, unauthorized edits, postal journeys, apocryphal sightings. By withholding the text, E. N. forces us to confront how meaning accretes through transmission, not origin. The poem’s value is not aesthetic but mythic: it becomes relic, rumor, scripture.

The narrative’s tone is deadpan fabulism, blending WWII intel briefs with restaurant banter and word-choice debates (“appenage” vs. “freehold”). This collision of the mundane and the fatal undercuts heroic spy tropes; the chef’s “adventure” is a lark that ends in a bullet. Yet his disposable life seeds an undying artifact. The final twist—that Thai hill tribes now call it the Word of God—echoes Borges and Calvino, suggesting truth is whatever outlives its teller.

Structurally, the piece is a Chinese whispers game: each retelling “improves” the original until the chef vanishes and the poem ascends. The dated translation tag (“Translated 8-22-98 E. N.”) implies even this story is a version, not the source. In 180 words, E. N. distills a parable: mediocrity, copied enough, becomes scripture; anonymity, amplified, becomes authorship. The chef’s real espionage was against oblivion.

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Did you enjoy the story? What did you think of Grok's analysis?

Feel free to leave a comment.

Imaginary Interviews: A Visit with Jorge Luis Borges, the Master of Magical Realism

Jorge Luis Borges was an Argentine short-story writer, essayist, poet and translator. He is regarded as one of the most important figures in Spanish-language literature. I first encountered his work in an old issue of The Antioch Review. And I was blown away.

The influential Argentine writer was born with congenital glaucoma, which left him nearly blind in his right eye and severely impaired his vision in his left eye. This condition would have a profound impact on his life and work.

Borges began writing at a young age and published his first book of poems in 1923. He went on to write dozens of short stories, essays, and poems. He was also a translator who translated works from English, French, German, and other languages into Spanish. Being a scholar of literature and philosophy, his work is often influenced by these fields.

He famously excelled in a form of storytelling called Magical Realism. In this imaginary interview I hope to introduce more readers to one of my favorite writers and primary influences.

EN: Magical realism is a defining feature of your works, blending fantastical elements with reality. How did you come to embrace this literary style, and what do you believe it adds to your stories?

Jorge Luis Borges: I appreciate the question. Magical realism, for me, was a natural way to explore the blurred boundaries between reality and imagination. Growing up in a multicultural environment and being exposed to various myths, legends, and philosophies, I realized that the extraordinary can exist within the ordinary. This realization led me to embrace magical realism as a means of capturing the inexplicable beauty and complexity of existence.

Magical realism allows me to express the ineffable aspects of human experience that often elude rational explanation. By seamlessly integrating magical elements into everyday settings, I aim to create a sense of wonder and provoke contemplation. This style enables me to explore philosophical questions, challenge preconceived notions, and reflect on the mysteries of existence in a way that straightforward realism might not allow.

In my view, magical realism enriches my stories by infusing them with a sense of enchantment and inviting readers to question reality's limitations. It encourages us to perceive the world from different angles, to question the boundaries between what we consider real and what we deem fantastical. This fusion of the ordinary and the extraordinary underscores the idea that life itself is a tapestry of paradoxes and that reality can be much more than meets the eye. Through magical realism, I strive to celebrate the complexity of human experience and offer readers a lens through which they can appreciate the enigmatic beauty of the world.

EN: Many of your works draw from diverse cultures and traditions. How do you approach incorporating these elements into your stories, and what role do they play in creating a global literary tapestry?

JLB: Incorporating diverse cultures and traditions into my stories has always been a deliberate and enriching process. I believe that literature has the power to transcend borders and connect people by highlighting our shared human experiences and the multiplicity of perspectives that exist around the world.

When I explore different cultures and traditions, my approach is one of respect and curiosity. I approach these elements not as mere ornaments, but as windows into the profound variations of human thought, belief, and expression. I delve into myths, folklore, and histories to uncover universal themes that resonate across cultures, such as love, loss, identity, and the pursuit of meaning.

By incorporating these diverse elements, I aim to weave a global literary tapestry that reflects the richness and complexity of human existence. This tapestry serves to challenge narrow perspectives and promote understanding among people from different backgrounds. In doing so, I hope to remind readers that, despite our apparent differences, there are underlying threads that connect us all.

Ultimately, the incorporation of diverse cultures and traditions adds depth and universality to my stories. It offers readers the opportunity to explore the world through different lenses, fostering empathy and expanding their horizons. It is my hope that my work contributes to a broader understanding of the human experience, transcending cultural boundaries and fostering a sense of unity amidst our diverse tapestry of life.

EN: Your writing often explores the labyrinthine nature of human existence. Could you share how this theme reflects your personal philosophy and why it resonates so deeply with your readers?

JLB: The exploration of the labyrinthine nature of human existence has been a central theme in my writing, reflecting both my personal philosophy and my fascination with the intricate layers of reality. To me, life itself often feels like a labyrinth, a complex network of paths that lead to unexpected revelations, dead ends, and profound insights.

Our understanding of reality is often limited by our perspectives and perceptions. We navigate the labyrinth of existence, seeking knowledge, meaning, and connection, yet often finding ourselves confronted with mysteries and paradoxes that challenge our comprehension. Through my stories, I seek to capture the essence of this journey, the perpetual search for understanding in a world that seems both ordered and chaotic.

Using the labyrinth as a metaphor for the enigma of existence, I hope to provoke introspection and contemplation in my readers, inviting them to ponder the myriad paths we traverse in our quest for knowledge and meaning.

This theme resonates with readers because of its universal relevance. The labyrinth is not confined to any one culture, era, or belief system—it's a concept that transcends boundaries and speaks to our shared experiences as humans.

EN: Do you see the mind itself as a labyrinth?

Photo by Maksym Kaharlytskyi on Unsplash

JLB: Indeed, the mind is a labyrinth, a vast and intricate terrain that holds within it the echoes of countless thoughts, memories, and perceptions. Just as the physical world is filled with paths, twists, and turns, so too is the landscape of our consciousness. The mind is a realm of discovery and contemplation, a place where ideas intersect and diverge, forming intricate patterns of thought.

Like the labyrinth of existence that I often explore in my writing, the mind presents us with challenges and mysteries. It invites us to navigate the corridors of memory, to seek understanding in the maze of our emotions, and to venture into the depths of our imagination. Just as the traveler within a labyrinth confronts uncertainty and the unknown, so too does the thinker grapple with the complexities of their own mental landscape.

Yet, within the labyrinth of the mind, there is also the potential for revelation and insight. Just as explorers of physical labyrinths may discover hidden truths, those who journey through the labyrinth of their thoughts can unearth profound understandings of themselves and the world around them. The mind's labyrinth is a place of creativity, where the paths we tread can lead to new ideas, connections, and revelations.

The idea of the mind as a labyrinth resonates deeply with me because it mirrors the themes I've explored in my writing—our quest for knowledge, the tension between order and chaos, and the simultaneous beauty and complexity of existence. By recognizing the mind as a labyrinth, we embrace the endless potential for exploration and discovery within ourselves. This concept continues to inspire and influence my work, as I strive to capture the essence of both the inner and outer labyrinths that shape our understanding of reality.

EN: Your influence on literature extends far beyond your native Argentina. In fact, I consider a number of my own stories to be inspired by your work, especially those in my book Unremembered Histories. How does it feel to have your ideas and techniques shape the work of writers from various cultures?

JLB: To witness my ideas and techniques resonating with writers from diverse cultures is a profound and humbling experience. Literature, as an art form, transcends borders and languages, uniting minds through the exploration of universal themes and human experiences. Knowing that my work has contributed to this global dialogue is a testament to the power of storytelling and the interconnectedness of human thought.

EN: One last question. As a writer who's navigated blindness, how has this condition influenced your creative process and your perception of imagination and reality?

JLB: Navigating blindness has been a profound and transformative aspect of my creative journey. While it initially presented challenges, it ultimately reshaped my perceptions in ways I could never have anticipated.

Blindness, in a sense, became a metaphorical labyrinth within which I had to navigate. As my visual world diminished, my reliance on imagination and memory grew stronger. The boundaries between the external and internal worlds began to blur, and I realized that perception is not confined to the physical senses alone. This realization profoundly impacted my writing, as I sought to convey the intricate interplay between what is seen and what is imagined.

In this new realm of limited sight, I discovered a heightened awareness of language itself. Words became my palette, allowing me to paint vibrant landscapes of thought and emotion. Imagination became my guide, enabling me to explore realms beyond the confines of the visible world. The act of storytelling became a way to bridge the gap between the tangible and the intangible, between the known and the unknowable.

Blindness compelled me to reexamine the nature of reality. I came to understand that reality is a subjective construct, shaped by individual perceptions and interpretations. This insight allowed me to embrace the idea that reality is malleable, that it can be reshaped and reimagined through the creative act. I found that the limitations of sight were not limitations of vision—they were invitations to delve deeper into the recesses of the mind.

Blindness, paradoxically, illuminated the vastness of the inner world, inspiring me to navigate the labyrinth of imagination with renewed vigor and a profound sense of wonder.

Related Links

The concept for this interview was first explored in my imaginary interview with John S. Hall, the Blind Poet of Ritchie County.

Here are some other Borges links.

Jorge Luis Borges: An Introduction

Tribute to Borges' Garden of Forking Paths

The Mind of Borges 

A Yellow Rose

Tribute to Borges' Garden of Forking Paths

This weekend I came across the coolest Reddit page. It showed a photo of a labyrinth dedicated to Jorge Luis Borges,  author of a story called "The Garden of Forking Paths."

Naturally, any time I see something like this I want to share it.

The Garden of Forking Paths appeared in one of his early volumes of short stories titled Ficciones. (Fictions) As I peruse the table of contents here my heart stirs with wonder at the quantity of incredible stories his imagination produced. If you're a fan of this remarkable Argentine author you'll be similarly stirred by titles like The Lottery in Babylon, The Circular Ruins, The Library at Babel and Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius.

* * * *
I'd planned to share this Borges-themed labyrinth yesterday when I unexpectedly received an article from a New York friend that included some Borges anecdotes which deserved to be shared here. The title of the article was A Visit to the Klippersonian. It's about a globetrotting photographer named Stuart Klipper who collects things, both tangible and experiential. He's not only an interesting story himself, but he has a lifetime of interesting stories to tell as well.

At one point his story intersects with Borges. Their meeting feels as spooky and unexpected as a Borges tale that feels more fate than luck. The net result is Klepper having an opportunity to host a visit by the world-renowned Borges to Minneapolis, where on the a non-forking path along Minnehaha Falls there is a stature of Longfellow. They similarly visited the Walker Museum, making memories there as well.

And if all that is not enough, Klipper shares a few Dylan anecdotes that you've probably never heard before, for those who never tire of hearing another Dylan detail.

Photo by Victor Garcia on Unsplash

Here is a link to The Garden of Forking Paths so that you may grasp why Borges has such a following.

In my youth I was fascinated with mazes and labyrinths, hence it was especially delightful and mentally stimulating to discover Borges. I've many times noted Borges has been one of my chief influences when it comes to writing fiction. In 2011 I assembled a half dozen in my first volume of short stories titled Unremembered Histories, my own attempt at Magical Realism.

The title of the book takes its name from my Unremembered History of the World, which in its own way treats the concept of time like a series of forking paths. You can read that one on Medium without purchasing anything. Feedback always welcome.

In closing, here is a very short piece by Borges, which like all his short pithy pieces is both pointed and properly rewarding: Inferno, I, 32

Have a great week.

Related Link
The Mind of Borges

Klippersonian link courtesy LL

Five Minutes with Author Storyteller Matthew Donnellon

Illustration by Matthew Donnellon

I came across one of Matthew Donnellon's stories on Medium at some point earlier this year, and it had all the elements of a good story. You have to keep going because you want to know what will happen next. Last week I came across his story "The Curious Case of Emma Lee." It was so efficient in pulling me in and carrying me along. Like a flume ride at the amusement park, you just let it take you, knowing that at the end it will give you a rush and a memorable splash.

I liked his self description on Medium that reads, "Matthew Donnellon is a writer, artist, and sit down comedian. He is the author of The Curious Case of Emma Lee and Other Stories." Sit down comedian made me smile. I did stand-up for six months or so a number of years ago. (There may have been some in the audience who would have preferred that I sit down.)

It's my pleasure to introduce you to Matthew Donnellon.

EN: When did you first take an interest in writing fiction?

Matthew Donnellon: I wanted to become a writer multiple times in my life. The first time I remember thinking, “This is cool. I want to make up stories like this,” was when I was 8 years old. I had just been given the book Hatchet by Gary Paulsen and I fell in love with the story, and this was the moment I became a fervent reader.

The second time happened when I was 18. I didn’t go to college write away and I was meandering and wondering what to do. I was reading something and it my dad that suggested that I should try writing since I read so much. That was the first time I ever considered it.

Then, in college, I was taking an Art History class. I had the professor multiple times and knew her pretty well. One day after handing back exams she came up to me and asked what I was studying. At the time, I was actually getting ready to apply to nursing school. She told me then that I should be a writer and that was really the first I truly considering trying to make that my job.

Illustration bt Matthew Donnellon

EN: What do you most enjoy about creating stories?

MD: I have a wildly overactive imagination, and for me making up worlds and characters is my favorite part. I like when I make up a character that I know so well that they feel like real people to me.

EN: Who have been the writers that most inspire you?

MD: Neil Gaiman is my biggest inspiration. I love his work and I love the way he uses language. In fact, more than a few of my stories are just me trying a Gaiman impersonation.

If I ended up with half the career he has I would die a happy man.

EN: Where are you from and how has that influenced your work?

MD: I am from Michigan. I was born and grew up outside of Detroit, but like many people here I spent summers in northern Michigan. Now, I split time between the two.

It influences me quite a bit I think. A lot of my stories take place in Michigan and the Midwest. And, a lot of my stories take place in the woods and farms and rural places because I have a lot of experience there.

In addition, I use a lot of plain language, which I think speaks to my midwestern roots.

EN: Some of the stories I've read of yours seemed to fall into the category of magical realism. Is that how you would characterize your style or genre?

King & Crown Logo

MD: Recently, I have written a lot of stories that would be considered magical realism. I started as a straight science fiction writer. Then, I did an experiment where I tried to write a new horror story everyday, so I also consider myself a horror writer. But, horror dovetails nicely into magical realism.

Having said that, my newest project, a series of stories collectively called King and Crown, is pretty much straight fantasy because that’s my favorite genre to read, and I wanted to try it.

EN: What do you do for a living? Is writing an avocation or a something more?

MD: I write for a living. It’s the only job I’ve ever had. Luckily, I was able to string enough projects together to keep me afloat after school. I started as a ghostwriter, and now my creative work is becoming more and more by main job, with some freelancing to supplement.

EN: How long have you been writing stories and when did you begin to take it more seriously?

MD: I really tried writing seriously around 18 or 19, so ten years as I’m 29 now. I must have started half a hundred books when I was younger. I became an English major in college and still kept trying to write. But, I only wrote two short stories the whole time I was in school. I mostly only wrote papers and I focused on academic writing, as at the time I was considering grad school or law school.

When I graduated, I wanted to try writing as a job. One, because I liked writing and, two, I wanted to be able to be flexible where I lived. So I quickly had to write seriously and put together a body of work to get clients.

I started writing fiction seriously about three years ago. I was hired by a website and I was told to create content and they didn’t really care as long as it got views. So, I started posting short stories, and they started doing well.

EN: Where can people see more of your work?

MD: Most of my work in a publication on Medium called the Inkwell. I’m the editor and sole writer.

https://medium.com/the-inkwell

My little brother also runs the Facebook page for my King and Crown story series.

https://www.facebook.com/bykingandcrown/

I also have a collection of short stories on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Curious-Case-Emma-Other-Stories/dp/1718001762

EN: Thanks for sharing. To anyone here who follows writers on Medium, I recommend following Matthew and checking out The Inkwell.

* * * *
Related Links
My review of Neil Gaiman's Art Matters and Other Insights for Writers
Unremembered Histories: Six Stories with a Supernatural Twist
(My own collection of stories in the Magical Realism genre.)

Throwback Thursday: What Is Magical Realism?

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN 2015

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"Just when I thought you were gone... you came back." 
~ Bob Dylan, Born In Time

From my youth I've had an interest in dreams, fantasy and science fiction. Somewhere along the way I discovered the Argentine author Jorge Luis Borges, godfather of magical realism. His influence has been immense, inspiring writers all over the world from Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Umberto Eco to Italo Calvino and Isabel Allende. I, too, have been so influenced. Unremembered Histories, my first volume of short stories, is a small collection of what I consider the best of my efforts in this genre.

For this reason I believed it may be useful to explain this particular story form in greater detail.

From Wikipedia
Magic realism or magical realism is a genre where magical or unreal elements play a natural part in an otherwise realistic (often mundane) environment. Although it is most commonly used as a literary genre, magic realism also applies to film and the visual arts.

One example of magic realism occurs when a character in the story continues to be alive beyond the normal length of life and this is subtly depicted by the character being present throughout many generations. On the surface the story has no clear magical attributes and everything is conveyed in a real setting, but such a character breaks the rules of our real world. The author may give precise details of the real world such as the date of birth of a reference character and the army recruitment age, but such facts help to define an age for the fantastic character of the story that would turn out to be an abnormal occurrence such as someone living for two hundred years.

The term is broadly descriptive rather than critically rigorous: Professor Matthew Strecher defines magic realism as "what happens when a highly detailed, realistic setting is invaded by something too strange to believe."

From the Oxford Dictionary
Definition of magic realism in English: noun
A literary or artistic genre in which realistic narrative and naturalistic technique are combined with surreal elements of dream or fantasy.

From Mitchell's Introduction to Magical Realism: "an unexpected alteration of reality [. . .] an unaccustomed insight that is singularly favored by the unexpected richness of reality or an amplification of the scale and categories of reality" (Alejo Carpentier)

More specifically, magical realism achieves its particular power by weaving together elements we tend to associate with European realism and elements we associate with the fabulous, and these two worlds undergo a "closeness or near merging."

From Cliffs Notes
To understand magical realism, it helps to have a sense of mystery - an increased appreciation of the transcendent. In so doing, you'll savor works like the landmark One Hundred Years of Solitude, by Gabriel García Márquez.

The basic structure of One Hundred Years chronicles the life of the Buendía family for over a century. It is the history of a family with inescapable repetitions, confusions, and progressive decline. Magical realism is manifested in a mythical city of mirrors, an insomnia plague, prophecy and ghosts, time displacement, a family curse, and more.

* * * *

There are a number of Dylan songs that could be expressionistic forms of magical realism. I think here of Changing of the Guard, or maybe even Ballad of a Thin Man, which defies comprehension on a rationalistic level.

Life is a great mystery filled with wonders. All too often, subsumed as we are in the day-to-day, we lose sight of the wonder. Stories of this sort can resonate with parts of our soul -- conscious and unconscious -- in ways that an ordinary story might fail. This is, in part, one of the aims of all my stories in general, and these stories in particular.

As the saying goes, "Try it. You'll like it." It's currently my personal best seller, even if it isn't on the New York Times lists. 

What is Magical Realism?

"Just when I thought you were gone... you came back." 
~ Bob Dylan, Born In Time

From my youth I've had an interest in dreams, fantasy and science fiction. Somewhere along the way I discovered the Argentine author Jorge Luis Borges, godfather of magical realism. His influence has been immense, inspiring writers all over the world from Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Umberto Eco to Italo Calvino and Isabel Allende. I, too, have been so influenced. Unremembered Histories, my first volume of short stories, is a small collection of what I consider the best of my efforts in this genre.

For this reason I believed it may be useful to explain this particular story form in greater detail.

From Wikipedia
Magic realism or magical realism is a genre where magical or unreal elements play a natural part in an otherwise realistic (often mundane) environment. Although it is most commonly used as a literary genre, magic realism also applies to film and the visual arts.

One example of magic realism occurs when a character in the story continues to be alive beyond the normal length of life and this is subtly depicted by the character being present throughout many generations. On the surface the story has no clear magical attributes and everything is conveyed in a real setting, but such a character breaks the rules of our real world. The author may give precise details of the real world such as the date of birth of a reference character and the army recruitment age, but such facts help to define an age for the fantastic character of the story that would turn out to be an abnormal occurrence such as someone living for two hundred years.

The term is broadly descriptive rather than critically rigorous: Professor Matthew Strecher defines magic realism as "what happens when a highly detailed, realistic setting is invaded by something too strange to believe."

From the Oxford Dictionary
Definition of magic realism in English: noun
A literary or artistic genre in which realistic narrative and naturalistic technique are combined with surreal elements of dream or fantasy.

From Mitchell's Introduction to Magical Realism: "an unexpected alteration of reality [. . .] an unaccustomed insight that is singularly favored by the unexpected richness of reality or an amplification of the scale and categories of reality" (Alejo Carpentier)

More specifically, magical realism achieves its particular power by weaving together elements we tend to associate with European realism and elements we associate with the fabulous, and these two worlds undergo a "closeness or near merging."

From Cliffs Notes
To understand magical realism, it helps to have a sense of mystery - an increased appreciation of the transcendent. In so doing, you'll savor works like the landmark One Hundred Years of Solitude, by Gabriel García Márquez.

The basic structure of One Hundred Years chronicles the life of the Buendía family for over a century. It is the history of a family with inescapable repetitions, confusions, and progressive decline. Magical realism is manifested in a mythical city of mirrors, an insomnia plague, prophecy and ghosts, time displacement, a family curse, and more.

* * * *

There are a number of Dylan songs that could be expressionistic forms of magical realism. I think here of Changing of the Guard, or maybe even Ballad of a Thin Man, which defies comprehension on a rationalistic level.

Life is a great mystery filled with wonders. All too often, subsumed as we are in the day-to-day, we lose sight of the wonder. Stories of this sort can resonate with parts of our soul -- conscious and unconscious -- in ways that an ordinary story might fail. This is, in part, one of the aims of all my stories in general, and these stories in particular.

As the saying goes, "Try it. You'll like it." It's currently my personal best seller, even if it isn't on the New York Times lists. 

Discussing Symmetry's Portal with Artist Margarida Sardinha of Portugal

I've been following the work of Lisbon-born artist Margardia Sardinha since I first discovered and interviewed her in late 2010. Perhaps it was our shared interest in Magical Realism that captured my attention. In our first interview I was impressed with the breadth and depth of her studies and experience. Since that time she has produced several award-winning works including HyperLightness ad absurdum and London Memory multi+city.

To best appreciate this interview and the work it discusses, I recommend beginning with yesterday's Introduction to the Alhambra.

EN: How did you first become aware of the remarkable designs in the Alhambra?

Margarida Sardinha: The Alhambra is embedded in European culture. Thus I cannot tell the first time I heard of it for it was a long time ago. But the first time I visited the site was quite recently in 2011 and I was overwhelmed by its beauty and geometrical splendour. There are only 17 modes of geometrically dividing an Euclidian bidimensional plane and these are shown in the extraordinary Islamic designs of the Alhambra.

EN: It seems evident that earnest artisans in both the Western and Islamic traditions have had spiritual aims in their work (Sistine Chapel, for example) but they have approached this in utterly different ways. Can you speak to these two different approaches, the representational and non-representational?

MS: Our Western Biblical passage “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness [of any thing] that [is] in heaven above, or that [is] in the earth beneath, or that [is] in the water under the earth:” (Exodus 20:4-6) and the Quranic words "No vision can grasp Him, but His grasp is over all vision: He is above all comprehension, yet is acquainted with all things." (The Noble Quran, 6:103), and "Remember Abraham said: 'O my Lord! make this city one of peace and security: and preserve me and my sons from worshipping idols.'" (The Noble Quran, 14:35) both forbid the figurative representation of God but for some reason later in the Bible the Solomon’s Temple is described as having cherubim and other figurative artifacts. Thus artists used this as a starting point, nevertheless this does not mean they did not use geometry. Geometry is at the heart of any religious art and the Western one is no exception as explains Charles Bouleau in his book The Painter’s Secret Geometry. In his book he explains how Western artists concealed sacred geometry underneath a veil of figurative depictions and the example of the Sistine Chapel is a good example of that; for Michelangelo even distorted the images according to perspective and gave geometrical symbolic or occult meaning to each of the sections.

EN: Is Symmetry’ Portal your response to what you encountered at the Alhambra, or something more?

MS: My work circles comparative religion so Symmetry’s Portal conveys the Islamic spiritual dimension. There is within the Islamic spiritual universe a dimension that can be called 'Abrahamic Pythagoreanism,' or the prospect of seeing numbers and figures as keys to the structure of the cosmos and as symbols of the archetypal world, and also in how the world is conceived as the God's creation in the sense of Abrahamic monotheisms. It is this possibility within the Islamic intellectual universe, with none or very little outside influences, which allowed Islam to develop a similar mathematical philosophy to the Platonic-Pythagorean tradition of antiquity but with a totally sacred characteristic. It is also this innate element of Islam’s structure that allowed the creation of a sacred art of an essentially geometric nature, and natural sciences that sought to penetrate into the very structure of physical existence, not by penetrating through the molecule and the atom, but by ascending to the world of mathematical archetypes to uncover the key structures that are reflected in the heart of matter. Islamic art is essentially a way to ennoble geometrically matter united by calligraphic forms that incorporate the word of God as revealed in the book, the Holy Qur'an.

EN: Please describe Symmetry’s Portal, the work you have created.

MS: Islamic spirituality had to develop a sacred art in accordance with its own form and revealed message and also its essence. The doctrine of unity, which is central to the Islamic revelation coinciding with a nomadic spirituality that Islam made its own, has brought to light an aniconic art where the spiritual world is not reflected in the sensible world through various iconic images, but through geometry and rhythm, arabesques and calligraphy that directly reflect the celestial worlds and finally the supernal sun of Divine Unity. Symmetry’s Portal comprises 30 works and a 3D film that deconstruct symmetry and generate illusory semblances. Thus, Symmetry 's Portal is a body of work of optical illusions where the symmetric and random are diluted in three-dimensional works originated from two-dimensional planes. Hence, symmetry’s isometrism is deconstructed or complemented by three-dimensional polyhedra where the image’s similitude evokes various illusory spatiotemporal dimensions. The inferences of such structures are also related to our dual understanding in the form of

Absolute = Random = Symbolic Continuum Relative Determinate

Where the cancelling-out of the respective mind effected differentiations results in a non-polarized symbolic continuum. This symbolic continuum is not static for it is a flux of consciousness that albeit relative to each individual it is absolute in essence – a paradox in itself that implies the self-referential framework of the individual and his/her correlation with absolute or innate forms. Thus, they refer to individual spatiotemporal events in the fabric of nature where immanence and transcendence are undifferentiated. This multidimensional interlace lies both in three-dimensional photographic works of large format as well as in the experimental film that constitute the showcase. The thirty works and the film "Symmetry's Portal" which comprise the exhibition were devised based on the geometric-mathematical descriptions of Keith Critchlow -- where the study of Islamic patterns is analysed via metaphysical and cosmological principles --, Marcus du Sautoy and Roger Penrose.

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Symmetry's Portal will be open to the public through February 15 at the
Centro Ismaili in Lisbon. Directions to the Exposição.