Celan in Neasden

Mason has said mum is okay, and may be released tomorrow.

Otherwise I had a better day today, making some poetic progress this morning. Listened to aprogramme on Radio 4 about the poet Paul Celan. I learned that he visited his Aunt in the in Mapesbury Road not far from Kilburn station in London. A small Peter Kenny lived in nearby Neasden in the late 60s, and I love the idea that the greatest poet of the 20th century might have walked down my street.

Listening today to Debussy's La cathédrale engloutie (The Sunken Cathedral)which, along with Appolinaire's poem Ocean de terre is forming a sort of mood board for the poems I am trying to write. The Dubussy piece has gorgeous chords, suggesting submerged church bells.

Went to the gym again, knee twinging but is so far holding up. Feeling good about it. The virtue of this offset by meeting Matt in the pub later on to discuss our doppelgänger mini-opera project. We ended up talking to a man called Roger, who Matt knows, and whose spotty tie I rather liked. To my surprise he simply took it off and, despite my protests, gave it to me.

Below Paul Celan.

Comments