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What exactly is language?

This question started popping out in my head in one of these last “hard to fall asleep” nights. Did I reach any conclusion? Nope… Just a few vague thoughts that you may or may not agree with.

Lets put you all in the mood for this reading. Think ambiguity (again the nasty word)… Have you thought really really hard? Good, then let me start the befuddlement.

Languages are nothing but the most simple ways for men to communicate, as in exchange thoughts. Grab any word. Now go to the dictionary and look up the definition for that word. What do you see? Every word is defined by a group of other words. And every of those other words will, in its turn, be defined by groups of other words in a path that, eventually, will lead to the first word be included in the groups. So, language equals redundancy. Not only language, but languages. How many words in different languages describe the same thing? Have the same meaning? Redundancy in it’s simple form. Not only redundancy but ambiguity (see where I’m going with all this?). Proof? Easy. Let’s go back to your psychology classes: Pavlov and his famous dogs. The way the mind works, two different things (apparently different) start meaning the same thing to the extent that the first one can be forgotten and the second takes (usurps) its meaning. Transposing to mankind, words can take the meaning any given individual is apt to give them.

You know what is not ambiguous or redundant? The eyes… The most powerful form of communication lies in the eyes. A look knows no boundaries of language or words. What you want to say, those things that really mean something, can be said by a look. No dictionaries define a look. It can reach inside you, undress the clouds covering your thoughts and plant a meaning. A true meaning unpolluted by words. The difficulty in this most pure form of communication? You have to learn how to see first. Not look… but see. Can you trust your eyes not to betray you and disclose the world inside you?

Up to now, you have read 365 words. Can you say that you perfectly understood what I’ve been trying to say, or even that what I wanted to say is properly expressed by what I’ve written? I don’t know… I haven’t seen your eyes…

But that is another story…

Where to begin on this one…

For all of you who have had the pleasure of reading Paul Auster, you know what I’m talking about.

His experimental writing style is confusingly beautiful. And again, he manages to establish himself as one of the most adventurous writers in contemporary fiction.

This is one of his early books of memoirs, divided in two distinct but mesmerizing parts. On the first part, “Portrait of an Invisible Man”, the reality of death plunges the author in the discovery of his fathers’ life and the connections with his family history. He takes us through multi-layers of thought, in which the metaphorical use of life episodes manages to dive us into a rather unfamiliar family.

“The Book of Memory”, the second part of “The invention of solitude”, relays more on language than action to color its canvas. Coincidence and solitude are ever present, and be mistaken if you think the power of language is not enough to tell a story. As in other books, Auster makes use of autobiographical elements to increase the verisimilitude of his words… After all, is a book of memories.

If you want master use of language and are not afraid of obscure writing, then you should read this one… I’ve rated it a 8/10.
Want to buy it? Choose your best amazon store…

UK - The Invention of Solitude

Germany - The Invention of Solitude

USA - The Invention of Solitude

I haven’t mentioned to you to where I’ve submitted this short story. So here it goes, on the October 26, 2006, was mailed to “The Southern Review” and a few day later followed to “The Golf Coast Magazine“.

For now, just received an email from The Southern Review stating that they have a backlog of 11 weeks on submissions… Still haven’t decided if this is good or bad news…