I have not written, read, or seen anything that was worth sharing, and have not felt like sharing much lately. I've reached an introspective time, during which I prefer to ask questions, listen, read, watch, collect information, think and process it. It's delightful to find hidden treasures in the deep recesses of the subconscious. I tried going out again and socializing or emailing, but it brings little pleasure now. Blogging feels very isolated and self boasting. I much prefer to communicate in person. Speaking to someone gives me a sense of understanding and involvement in the conversation, as opposed to posting a monologue.
And I have not really done anything exciting worth talking about. It's easier to talk about something radical and brilliant created by others, like the Italo Calvino's classic If On A Winter's Night a Traveler or a new film by Woody Allen To Rome with Love. Though completely unrelated, both Allen and Calvino explore radical methods of communication by involving the reader/viewer in their stories. Allen's technique is very different, he does not make the viewer participate in the film, yet I could not help but feel as though I was a part of it. (Viewer participation would be interesting in terms of a play. Perhaps Calvino's book can be turned into a play with viewer participation, but I am not an expert on plays.)
What I like best about both Calvino and Allen is the ease with which both artists express their ideas by unitizing means much different from what we are used to. Both are incomplete, both leave the reader/viewer in search of the rest of the story, yet both manage to involve you in their plot-lines as one of the characters. In Calvino's novel, the plot explores the art of reading, while Allen explores the art of creating something ridiculous, which he politely describes as "ahead of its time". Both create a feeling of nostalgia and melancholy discovered in creation of a masterpiece that surpasses the imagination of an ordinary spectator.
Another genius is Isaac Asimov. I love his simple eloquence and linear approach to story telling. The strength of his writing is in use of logic in place of high poetry. Unlike Woody Allen, he communicates his stories almost clinically, leaving it up to his readers to create their own visual and sensual references from individual perception and ideals. Despite the lack of high literary style, Asimov's work does not lack in skill and interesting notions. One of my newly discovered treasures is Asimov's short story called Cal about a robot who wises to write. It has become my favorite short story. It can be found in a collection of Asimov's writings entitled "Gold".
