Kill Your Inner Bourgeois

Unfortunately I missed a great French man who was visiting Delhi the other day to talk about his book "An Attempt to Kill My Inner Bourgeois". His name is Yann Kerninon (weird name, eh? Ask his parents) It had only recently been translated into English by the Indian book publisher Full Circle Books http://fullcirclebooks.in/
 (they also run a book shop and a cafe that's called Turtle). Something drew me to this book, and it wasn't the cover design, that's for sure, so it must have been the title. I have been trying to kill certain "bad things" within in me for the past 49 years, so it seemed this would help. And did it! Ok, let's be honest, it will be killed bit by bit, future tense. No one is a saint.

The French book cover is not much better ( a pig digging
at something), but oh well. I would have put a dandy,
a blue color worker and a guru-ji on the cover, or...
well, something a little more interesting anyway.

I will quote here from the first page:

"A battle is now being waged between life, in all its forms, and death in all its forms. It is being waged everywhere, in every country on the planet, but more than anywhere, in the minds and bodies of each one of us. What could be worse or more cowardly than to flee the battle and pretend life itself was not an immense battlefield? This book is a tribute to the DADAISTS, who, at the dawn of a ruinous century, had the temerity to celebrate life. This books is a tribute to all those human beings who, at the dawn of the 21st century, see the deadly deserts that lie ahead, and yet against all odds, are determined to prove that they are equal to life."

The reader learns what DADA stood for. Thought it was just an art movement? Think again.... S-he also learns the difference between bourgeois and anti-bourgeois (according to Yann, there are both crazy) and what the middle-way means: to become non-bourgeois. If you thought you were anti-bourgeois, then this book will wake you up and rattle your bones. The mirror in your face will not be glorious, but keep reading!

Pretty cute for a philosopher, eh?
And what's best, he also
does magic tricks! See him on YouTube!

I particularly love these lines from the Second Part, ch.3, p.124

"...the penguin is the animal closest to man! Like it, we work, lay eggs, we slide, we fall, we struggle grotesquely while the icy wind of death blows in our ears. We are all penguins in a freezer." HAHA, anyone who saw the movie "March of the Penguins" (2005) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0428803/  has to agree. It was the most grueling spectacle I ever witnessed in a mother nature film, maybe because it reminded me so much of our own lives. Futile struggles against all odds.

To give you an idea, but it is best to dive right
into it and ABSORB!

Yann gives us JUMPING EXERCISES to practice becoming NON-bourgeois, so we can stop behaving like assholes all the time, stop pretending, being true to ourselves, and not be afraid to be a child again. How about exercise number 6 (p.130)
"Every morning, dare to repeat to yourself and to others that all that you do is meaningless and absolutely absurd....."  ABSURD< ABSURD>ABSURD.............DADADADADA :-))
He also introduces each chapter with a quote by the original Dada thinkers and  "music for this thought". How about a little "ANAL CUNT" . Head spinning! YEAH!

Read all the original DADA stuff on this site  http://sdrc.lib.uiowa.edu/dada/collection.html

Sunday Guardian from 11 September 2011
I had thrown this paper away already when I went through it
again only to discover this AFTER I had bought the book.
LIFE!!!

You can go to his web site http://www.yannkerninon.com/

 or visit him in Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Yann-Kerninon/110820218956389

or ask me to send you the book from India, and I will be glad to buy it for you and send it to you.

BEST wishes from this new DADA and KERNINON fan. It's been a long while since a book has blown me away so much and it feels good, damn good. ALIVE!