Ernest Vincent Wright’s 1939 novel Gadsby is written without the second vowel. One of the best known E-less works is Georges Perec’s lipogrammatic French novel, La Disparition (The Disappearance).  Its plot is full of wordplay, puzzles, and other word fun.  Though it may be hard to believe considering the restriction under which it is written, the novel is said to be quite engrossing.  Apparently, many reviewers were not even aware that a special constraint was used in writing it.  After writing the novel, Perec faced a protest from the A, I, O, and U keys on his keyboard that they had to do all the work and E was leading an e’sy life.  Perec had no choice but to write a short work called Les Revenentes, where he put to work all those idle Es:  the only vowel used was E.  If that doesn’t sound incredible enough, here is more.  La Disparition has been translated into English as A Void by Gilbert Adair.  Of course, the translation also doesn’t have any E in it.  And A Void’s protagonist is named Anton Vowl.  Here’s a way to try lipography:  write numbers from zero, one, two . . .  onwards.  You wouldn’t need the letter A until reaching thousand.    

Bearded Man with a Beret is a 1630 painting by Dutch artist Jan Lievens.  The painting of an old man is considered to be a stock character or a tronie.  It is housed at the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C.  See picture at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bearded_Man_with_a_Beret   

The New Yorker  Feb. 3, 2023  I expected to hate but in fact loved the movie “The Menu,” which uses food in almost every scene.  I went in knowing very little and was delightfully surprised by all the twists, so I don’t want to give too much away.  But here’s a funny example that won’t spoil anything:  the restaurant dinner that the plot centers on includes a course of tortillas that are laser-engraved with images personalized to each guest, sort of like latte art.  Later, s’mores are also played to excellent effect—and that’s all I’ll say about that.  Best recent meal that I didn’t eat in a restaurant:  I worry that I’ll sound too self-congratulatory when I say that I made it myself, for a very small dinner party one recent Saturday—however, I can’t really take credit for it.  I followed, to the letter, a Nigella Lawson recipe that I’ve found to be foolproof.  It involves searing a whole chicken and then boiling it (plus carrots, leeks, and aromatics) in water in the oven.  After an hour and fifteen minutes, you add orzo to the liquid, and pop it back in for another fifteen.  When it’s done, you remove all the bones, which slip out easily from the meat (I use tongs for this), stir it all up, and sprinkle fresh parsley on top.  It makes for the most glorious one-pot meal.  Hannah Goldfield    The Most Beautiful Libraries in the World by Laura Schmitt and Chris Vanjonack   https://electricliterature.com/libraries-from-around-the-world-that-must-be-seen-to-be-believed

The New Republic publishes Robert Frost’s iconic poem “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” (March 7, 1923)   

Beauty is the purgation of superfluities. - Michelangelo Buonarroti, sculptor, painter, architect, and poet (6 Mar 1475-1564)   

http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com  Issue 2640  March 6, 2023