Ngesikhathi le kholamu iqala ukusebenza, ngingase ngibe ngumnikazi oziqhenyayo womsakazo wewashi owawusetafuleni lokulala ekamelweni lokulala likaPhilip Roth.
Uyamazi uPhilip Roth, umbhali wezincwadi zakudala ezifana nethi “Goodbye, Columbus,” “Portnoy's Complaint” kanye nethi “The Plot Against America”? Ushone ngonyaka odlule, kanti ngempelasonto edlule, ezinye zezinto zakhe zathengiswa endalini yefa eyayinezinkontileka eziku-inthanethi.
Umsakazo wewashi uyi-Proton Model 320, futhi akukho okukhethekile ngawo ngaphandle kokuthi wawusegumbini lokulala likaPhilip Roth.
Cishe yilokho uPhilip Roth ayekubheka lapho evuka phakathi nobusuku njengoba ingxenye ethile yobuchopho bakhe iluma inkinga ethile yokubhala. Njengoba ebuka izinombolo ezikhanyisiwe esibukweni, ingabe waqalekisa ukuhlupheka kwakhe okwamvimbela ekulaleni okujulile, noma ingabe kwakuyinduduzo ukwazi ukuthi ngisho nalapho ephumule, ingxenye ethile yakhe yayibhala?
Angazi kahle ukuthi kungani ngifisa ukuba nento ephethwe nguPhilip Roth, kodwa lapho ngithola indali ku-inthanethi, ngaba nesithakazelo esikhulu.
Ngeshwa, sengivele nginqotshwe umshini wokubhala wesandla i-Olivetti uRoth awusebenzisa ekuqaleni komsebenzi wakhe. Amamodeli e-IBM Selectric uRoth ashintshelwe kuwo kamuva nawo acebile kakhulu kimi.
Bengilokhu ngibheke isofa lesikhumba elivela esitudiyo sokubhala sikaRoth obungadlula kulo uma lihlala mahhala eceleni komgwaqo. Liklwebhekile futhi linebala, lishaywe ngendlela engaqondakali. Ngingacishe ngiyizwe iphunga elibalulekile esikrinini sekhompyutha kodwa ngiyalibuka, ngicabanga ukufaka isiphakamiso, ngizama ukubala ukuthi kuzobiza malini ukulithumela kimi. Mhlawumbe ngingahamba ngemoto ngiqashe iloli ukuze ngilibuyisele. Ngingathola indaba kulo: “Mina noPhilip Roth’s Moldy Couch Across America.”
Ngisho noma indawo yami yokusebenza iyinto evamile — igumbi lokulala elingeziwe elinedeski — bengilokhu nginesithakazelo sokubona izindawo zokubhala zabalobi. Ohambweni lwezincwadi eminyakeni edlule, ngaqinisekisa ukuthi ngihlela isikhathi sikaRowan Oak, ikhaya likaWilliam Faulkner langaphambili e-Oxford, eMississippi. Manje lisebenza njengemyuziyamu lapho ungabona khona igumbi lakhe lokubhala, lihlelwe njengoba kungenzeka ukuthi lalinjalo ngesikhathi esebenza, izibuko etafuleni eliseduze. Kwelinye igumbi, ungabona uhlaka lwenoveli yakhe ethi “A Fable” ludwetshwe ngqo odongeni.
Uma uvakashela iDuke University, ungabona ideski lokubhala likaVirginia Woolf, umsebenzi oqinile we-oki one-hinged top yokugcina kanye nesithombe esidwetshwe ngopende sikaClio, indawo yomlando evelele. Ifa likaRoth alinikezi lutho oluhle kangaka, okungenani hhayi kule ndali.
Kucatshangwa ukuthi yiwo amagama abalulekile, hhayi izinto ezizungeze umdali wazo. Ifenisha kaRoth eyenziwe nge-wicker veranda (akukho zindleko njengoba kubhalwa lokhu) akuyona umthombo wobuhlakani bakhe. Mhlawumbe izinto ngokwazo azibalulekile kangako, futhi ngizifaka ngencazelo ezingafanele. Amaphepha kanye nezincwadi ezihlobene nomsebenzi kaRoth wokubhala zigcinwa eLibrary of Congress lapho zizogcinwa khona futhi zitholakale kuze kube phakade.
UJohn Warner ungumbhali wencwadi ethi “Why They Can't Write: Killing the Five-Paragraph Essay and Other Necessities.”
1. “Mhlawumbe Kufanele Ukhulume Nothile: Uchwepheshe Wezokwelapha, Uchwepheshe Wakhe Wezokwelapha, kanye Nempilo Yethu Eyembulwa” nguLori Gottlieb
Konke okungeyona indaba eqanjiwe, ikakhulukazi indaba elandiswayo, kodwa futhi nokufinyelela ezinkingeni ezithile zamasiko/zokuphila. Nginayo nje into: “Heartland: Isikhumbuzo Sokusebenza Kanzima Nokuhlukana Ezweni Elicebe Kunawo Wonke Emhlabeni” nguSarah Smarsh.
Uma ngifunda incwadi entsha efanele ukunconywa kakhulu, ngiyifaka kukhompyutha yami futhi kusukela ngaleso sikhathi kuqhubeke ngifuna umfundi ofanele. Kulokhu, incwadi kaJessica Francis Kane ethi “Rules for Visiting” enamandla kancane ifanela uJudy.
Lokhu kuvela kuNhlolanja, iqoqo lezicelo engazifake kabi ku-imeyili yami. Angikwazi ukufinyelela kuzo zonke, kodwa njengesenzo esincane, ngingavuma okungenani ukuthi zikhona. Kusukela ngoNhlolanja, uCarrie ngokuqinisekile usefunde izincwadi eziningi, kodwa ngokusekelwe kulolu hlu, ngincoma incwadi ethi “Bad Things Happen” ebhalwe nguHarry Dolan.
Isikhathi sokuthunyelwe: Julayi-23-2019