and translator

28 CriticalStudies

Afewwordsonthemodeof transmission:Theessay iswritten in the formofa fairy

taledialogue,presentedlikeanovella.Hereanattemptisbeingmadetoreducethegap

between thatwhich isbeingsaidandthatwhich isbeingreferred to itself,aiming to

someextent,tobreathelifeintothehypothesisofAgambenappearingasandthrough

Benjamin’sStorytellerandTranslatorbypresentingitinastateofbecoming.Tocreate

“[a]ppearancewhichisnolongerbasedonanhypothesis,butonitself,thethingnolon-

gerseparatedfromits intelligibility”,1adissolutionof themarginsbetweentheactof

transmittingandthethingtobetransmitted.2Itisanodtothespiritofthefairytalein

theworkofbothAgambenandBenjaminandthedialoguetotheimportanceoftheoral

tradition.TheworksfocussedonwillbeBenjamin’sessaysTheStorytellerandTheTask

oftheTranslatorandAgamben’sInfancyandHistory,IdeaofProseand,toalesserextent,

TheComingCommunity.Thesingularfocusontheprimarytextsensuresthenecessary

proximitytotheoriginalworkforthispurpose.

3

Onceupona timeaphilosopher calledGiorgioAgamben satwith theStorytellerand

expoundeachdialecticuncovered.

TheStorytellerwasacreaturedrawntohumanity’sinfancy,tothepurityofexperience

andwasrespectfulofritual;theTranslatorwasamasteroflanguage,exponentofknowl-

edgebutwhosemoodwasoneofplayanddisruption.Thisisnottosaytheirfriendships

UniversityPress,1995[1985]),123.

, transl. L. Heron (New York & London: Verso, 1993 [1978]), 163.

theedgeoftheworkandthenecessaryincompletenessofworksandhowonesitsattheedgeofanotheryetunwritten.

andTranslator

Abstract

Writtenintheformofafairytaledialogue,presentedlikeanovella,hereanattemptisbeingmadetoreducethegapbetweenthatwhichisbeingsaidandthatwhichisbeingreferredtoitself.ItaimstobreathelifeintothehypothesisofAgambenappearingasandthroughBenjamin’sStorytellerandTranslatorbypresentingitinastateofbecoming.TheformisanodtothespiritofthefairytaleintheworkofbothAgambenandBenjamin,andthedialoguetotheimportanceoftheoraltradition.Writtenintheformofafairytaledialogue,presentedlikeanovella,hereanattemptisbeingmadetoreducethegapbetweenthatwhichisbeingsaidandthatwhichisbeingreferredto itself. It isaiming, tobreathelife into thehypothesisofAgambenappearingasandthroughBenjamin’sStorytellerandTranslatorbypresentingitinastateofbecoming.

29McKnight-AgambenasandthroughBenjamin’sStorytellerandTranslator

weredividedbythesenatures,allaspectsoftheformerweretosomeextentpresentin

thelatter,andtherelationshipbetweenthemwasalwaysbothcontingentanddifferen-

tial.BothwouldemergethroughAgamben’stheoryoflanguageandintohisworkitself.

-

ben’sworksanddiscussingthemwitheachotheratlength.

I

TheStorytellersatatoddswiththeworldonthisday. “I live infearofthe imminent

demiseofallmystorytellingkind.Itisoflittlesolacethatitmaybe‘possibletoseea

newbeautyinwhatisvanishing’4aswhenwearegonetheoutlookwillbebleakindeed.

Mydemisewillbeaprivateoneasisthestandardforourtime,littlegrievingandonlya

senseoflosswhichwillforeverlingerbeyondexpression.”

“IknowyouhavenotfeltquitethesamesinceWorldWarOne,sincethingsbecamemore

unsayable,”saidtheTranslatorwitheyesfullofsympathy.“AsAgambenhassaidofthis

ideathathauntsyou‘[i]tisthisnon-translatabilityintoexperiencethatnowmakesev-

ery-dayexistenceintolerableasneverbefore.’”5

“Yes,theprocessofunderminingtheexperienceandtheimaginationbeganlongbefore

that though,”said theStoryteller,“experienceisnolongeraccessible tous.6 Therela-

tionshipbetweenexperienceandknowledgehaschanged,inplaceofexperiencethere

isscienceasknowledge,withexperiencearoutetotheendgoal.7Wherestories,imag-

inationanddreamsonceguidedknowledgethereisnowempiricalevidence,ageneral

mistrustofexperience.AstheStorytellerIlinktoexperience,thatwhichchangespeople

andbringswisdom,alas,thisoldtypeofexperiencenolongerexists.”

TheTranslatornodded,“wesufferfromthepaceoflifeandmethodsofcommunication

thathaveincreasedthespeedatwhichwedisseminate.Thevastincreaseofinformation

presentedhasdilutedboththepowerandeffectivenessof thestoryteller. Peopleare

givenonlyfactsshotthroughwithexplanations,8noneedtothink,orquestion.”

TheStorytellersighed.“Myroleis‘nolongerapresentforce’;9perhapsthisforetellsthe

deathofthestoryteller,thedeathoftheabilitytoexchangeexperiences.Eventuallythe

notionofcommunityitselfwillbenomorethananabstractmemory.”

TheTranslatorconceded.“IfearIleantowardsamoderninterpretationofknowledge,

seeingexperienceasameanstoanend.Translationisaretellingandnotadirectcon-

nection,a ‘modeof transmission’ thatcanonlycarry information.10 Storytelling isan

ancientartform.Myroleisnottoabbreviatebutilluminateexperience.Iamalwaysat

Illuminations(London:Pimlico,1999[1955]).

InfancyandHistory,16.

Ibid.,15.

Ibid.,21.

Illuminations,89.

Ibid.,83.

Ibid.,70.

30 CriticalStudies

offreedomforafaithfulreproductionwithintranslations.”

“Totranslatetheobjectmustbedistinguishedfromthemodeoftheintention;notjustto

exchangethewordsinthelanguagethatmostcloselyresembleeachother;noracodeto

experienceandcreativityplayintheroleofthetranslatorcannotbeoverlooked,sobe-

ingdistancedfromexperienceismostdamagingformyworkalso.”

TheymirroredAgamben’sdialectic.TheTranslatorhungtentativelytohisknowledge,

withcareandalittlesuspicionandanenviouseyeontheexperienceoftheStoryteller;

theStorytellerclungtoexperiencefordearlife,allthetimefeelingthefataltugofthe

currentconceptofknowledge.

II

As theStoryteller had said, theoutlookwasbleak if themoveaway fromexperience

wastobecompleted.BothknewAgambensawinfancyasalogicalstartingpointtoun-

derstandtherelationshipbetweenexperienceandknowledge,11wherebyinfancydoes

notsuddenlystopexistingandchangetolanguage,butcoexistsinoriginwithlanguage,

andisappropriatedbylanguageinthemomenttocreatethehumansubject.12Assuch,

theissuefacedbyourprotagonistswasthatpeoplecannotunderstandtheirexperience

throughlanguage,aslanguagehasdistancedthemfromtheirownexperienceandcon-

nectionwithinfancy.

TheStorytellerturnedtotheTranslator.“Thestoryistheessenceofwhatistobesaid,

theexperiencetobepassedon,theunsaidandunsayableonthevergeofdisclosure;it

mayonlyperceivableinastateofinfancythatAgambenspeaksof.Thesemioticsoflan-

guageare‘nothingotherthanthepurebabbleofnature’.13ItismytaskastheStoryteller

tobreakthrough‘purelanguage’,tochangeitintodiscourse,orsemantics,tocreatethe

storyandcommunicate;itwillbeasif‘foramereinstanthumanlanguageliftsitshead

fromthesemioticseaofnature’.”14

WithadeepbreaththeStorytellersatsnugglybackintoachairformedofatranscenden-

tallimitoflanguage.

TheTranslatorslouchedupontheedgeofinfancy,“SoImustbeginnotwiththe‘babble’

butwiththediscoursecreatedfromit,thatwhichisalreadyintherealmoflanguageas

inatruerformthroughanotherlanguage,bringingitclosertobeingunderstood.”

Astheysat,thetranslatorattheedgeoflanguagelookingtowardsinfancy;thestorytell-

-

ciesoftheirtools.

“LanguageisviewedbybothAgambenandBenjaminasinadequate.Despitethis,any

moveclosertoexperiencecanonlybeachievedthroughlanguage.Asnowwehaveit,


Ibid.,55.

Ibid.,64.

Ibid.

31

therewouldbenolanguagefromwhichitcouldbemade,”theStorytellerbemoaned.

Thetranslatormused.“Withoutourimperfectlanguagewewouldbelikeanimals,with-

outhistory,beingsofpurecommunication.15Itisthemerefactwearediscontinuous,

thatwehavecomefromaplaceofnolanguagetoaplaceoflanguagethatcausesthisdis-

ruptionandgivesusourhistory,thisdisruptionisourhistoryandinfancyisitsessence.”

“Thesimilaritybetweenlanguagesliesintheirintention,theiressence.Throughtrans-

lationahigherhiddenmeaningofanoriginaltextorstorycanberealised,weshouldnot

abandonseekingananswerinlanguagewhentranslationcouldprovidearouteto‘pure

language’.16ItistruethatAgambenstatesthat‘[i]nandthroughlanguagetheindividual

isconstitutedasasubject’17buthealsonotesthatitisonlythroughlanguagethatthe

Thestorytellerconsideredanotherstance:“Benjaminstatesitisnotpossibletotrans-

lateatranslation;butsurelyatrulybrillianttranslationwouldbeatruerrepresentation

andbeartranslationtoanotherlanguagewithoutlossofessence?Thenewlytranslated

workwouldformadualbasisfortranslationalongsidetheoriginal.Foranindividual

-

encetothenextlevel.”

“Indeed,”echoedtheTranslator.“Alllanguagesaretranslationsofeachotherandallhigh

language is a translation of lower ones.18 We are constantly translating translations,

whetherwestartbyinterpretingthe‘purelanguage’ofinfancyorthehumanlanguage

ofsemanticsandsemiotics.Wecanviewthepoeticlegacy,thestory,asbesideinfancyat

oneedgeoflanguageandtranslatedproseaslanguageattheotheredge,however,they

areasinseparableasthestoryandthetranslation;eachstoryisitsowntranslation,each

interpretationofanewtranslationchangesitintoanewandoriginalstoryasitcomes

intoreality.”

TheStorytellersighed,“WhileweviewInfancyandLanguageasaself-referentialcycle,

witheachoriginatingeachother,thiscircleasastartingpoint,wenowcanviewour-

selvesasStorytellerandTranslatorcaughtinasimilarself-referentialcycle.”

Tiredandfrustrated,andfeelingmomentarilyveryunpoetic,theStorytellerstretched

outtowardsthecentreoflanguagereachingeverclosertoinfancybutcouldnotquite

touchitwithout lettinggoofitstranscendentallinguisticchair.TheTranslatorswung

backintheoppositedirectionontheotherchair,pushingattheboundaries,andedging

backlittlebylittle.

“Ourself-perpetuatingcyclehasatemporalaspectalso,”saidtheTranslator.“Ourrela-

tionshipcanbeseeninhowAgambenexplainsthesacred(ortheritual)andplay.‘Ev-

erythinginplayoncepertainedtotheworldofthesacred’;19allintranslationonceper-

Ibid.,59.

SelectedWritings:1913-1926(Cambridge,MA:TheBelknapPress,1996).


SelectedWritings,74.


McKnight-AgambenasandthroughBenjamin’sStorytellerandTranslator

32 CriticalStudies

totheword(ritual)canleadtopoortranslation,andritualismorelinkedtoafaithful

replicationoftheessence(asyoudoinyourstories),translationrequiresleaningto-

wardsplay,creativitywithlanguageandaremovalofexistingboundaries.”

“Iguess,”saidtheStoryteller“thatstorytellingisthesacredelementoftheritual,cre-

ating theoriginal text. The translator isapotentiallychaoticelement, adisorderor

subversionoftheoriginaltext.”

TheTranslatorrelatedthisbacktotime.“Sothetemporalaspectoftranslatorandsto-

rytellerasdiachronicandsynchronicparallelsthatofritualandplay.20YouastheSto-

rytellerarethe‘origin’ofthesynchronousoriginalandIastheTranslatorofmakethe

originalanoriginal throughdiachronicallyplacingsomethingthat isnot theoriginal

butanalteredcopyin itsplacewithinagiven timeline. Idisrupt thesynchronicand

createthediachronictime.Translationrecreatestheoriginalatanewhistoricalmo-

ment,itinterruptsthesynchroniceternaltimewhichtheStorytellercreateswiththe

languageofthestoryandinterruptsitwasplacingitinalineardiachronictime.”

SotheclosertheStorytellerandTranslatormovedclosertogetherintermsofritualand

play,theclosertoexperiencetheyreached.Thefurtheraparttheystretched,thegreat-

ertheirisolationfrompurelanguageandthetruthofexperience.Thetimehadcometo

movebeyondtheirponderingsandintotheworldtotesttheirhypotheses.

III

Theyjourneyed,andduringthelongdaysandnightstheyspokewithfewothers,pick-

inguptraits fromeachother. InmanywaystheStoryteller’s languagebecamemore

translatable,theTranslatorreacheddeeper,relaxingbackintoexperienceanddisrupt-

ingthedialoguewithgreaterregularity,andtheStorytellersuccumbedtoaricheruse

oftext.Thislifebecomeoneofmovementandtravel.Theywereoftenbeinginvitedas

gueststoprovinceswithcustomsdifferentfromtheirown,followingAgambenthrough

thecreationofdisruptivelegaciesmanifestingbetweenpoetryandprose.

Forthespaceofaweektheypassedthroughaplacethatwaseversosilent;anabun-

thesofterelementsofthelandscapeinamatterofseconds,meanwhileexchangingsoft

smiles,angryglancesorwrygrinsinresponsetothealterationstheysawateachoth-

er’shands.Shelvesfullofintricatemodels,thesethreedimensionaltapestriesofgreat

beautyheldinvastarchivesdocumentinghistoricalmoments.

TheStoryteller’sspokenandwrittenexpressionsofexperiencewererejectedhere.The

harshbrogueofthespokenwordwasnotwelcomed,andtherewasnotaglyphinsight.

TheTranslatorwastobeausefulcompaniononthesevoyages.“Theymaycreatetheir

historyofexperiencesequentiallybuttheydoitsuchthattheycanviewitasone.Lan-

guageisasemioticsystemwhichhasbeenbrokenthroughbysemanticstoformdis-

course; these formswearediscussingarenoexception. Yourstoriesmustbere-ex-

pressedthiswayalsotobecometheirstories.Itisimportant”,saidtheTranslator,“to

acknowledgethat‘languageinsuchcontextsmeansthetendencyinherentinthesub-

Ibid.,83.

33

21theformthis

takescanalwaysbetranslatedintoanother.”

Beyondthisplacelaythedistantlandsofspokenandwrittenlanguagethatwasoften

anduplifting,oftenhintingatunlockedsecrets justat theedgeofourunderstanding

inaestheticallypleasingorchallengingways. Agambenstoppedhereforsometime,

fortheStorytellerwasathomehere.Thelegacyoftheseaphorisms,fables,poemsand

anecdotesincreasinglyrecognisedasincipientfeaturesofAgamben’sformandcontent.

Thepeopleinthislandwerepurposefulanddedicatedtotheirpoeticvocations,but,for

Agamben,thevocationofthepoetnecessarilyinvolvesanactoffaithtoconveysome-

thing that is indeterminable,22 toexpress(inasense) thepureexperience. Heposed

theriddleofhowthepoetcanhaveavowoffaithfulnesstotheirprofessioniftheyare

unabletoformulateexactlywhatthevowistoconvey.

TheTranslatorwithhimsiftedthroughmedievalglossarynotes,whichshowedtheword

translationwherehestatesthatgodandhumanity‘inorderthatthememoryofallthe23.

-

bilityofoblivionwhereallthathasbeenforgottenresides.The‘[f]idelitytothatwhich

cannotbethematised,notsimplypassedoverinsilence,isabetrayalofasacredkind,24Thisistoimplythatthepoet’svocationisto

issovividthatitcannotbeignored,itistouseone’smindaspurepotentialtoaccess

oblivionatthesametimeastheunforgettableto‘holdintacttoidentityoftheunrecalled

andtheunforgettable’.”25

“Heretheworkofthepoet,”saidtheStoryteller,“theirvocation,istheidentitythatsits

attheintersectionofwhatisunsayable,anaccesspointoranchortothatwhichwecan-

notremember,yetiseverpresent,inthespaceofoblivionwheretheforgottenresides.

Throughpulling thepast explanations into thepoeticmomentofhiswriting in Ideas

ofProse,Agambenallowsthepastexplanatorywritingstointerruptthecurrentpoetic

writing,translatingitintoacurrentpieceofcreativeprose.”

AssuchAgambenplacedacontextontheexpressionofthepoeticcommunity,placing

theirpurposeinaphilosophicalcontext.

Hisworkdone, thegroupof transcendental travellersmovedon toheavilypopulated

-

tions,complexitiesofmarketsresultedinevermoretechnicalterminology,thelegaland

technicalphilosophicaljargonstretchedtothethinnestofunderstanding,evenamong

thosewhocreatedandguardedit. Inthesemetropoliseslayharshlessonsandmany

plotstoinvadeandconquerthedistantlandsfromwhenceAgamben,theStorytellerand


IdeaofProse,45.

Ibid.

Ibid.

Ibid.

McKnight-AgambenasandthroughBenjamin’sStorytellerandTranslator

34 CriticalStudies

theTranslatorhadjustcome,toobliteratethesesubtleformsthatmakefewclaimsto

theabsolutesandoftenseemedaimlessbeyondthepurposeofexpressionitself.

A

politicalurbanisedworldshadforgottenthelegacyofthelanguagetheyspokebut,with

TheStorytellerharkedbacktotheGlossesofInfancyandHistory,totheinterpretationof

Tieck, .“Inthisshortstoryayoungcouplewithnomoneyburnaladder

connectingtheirroomwiththerestofthehouseforheat.Theladderrepresentsexpe-

whentheonlypossibleexperienceishorrororlies’.”26TheStorytellerexplained,“This

druguse,asymptomofthatwhichnolongerbringsnewdiscoveriesandexperiencesin

atranscendentwaybutonlyservestomakespeoplelessawareoftheexperiencesthey

arehavingintheworld,astheywishtowithdrawfromtheunpleasantnessoflife.27

TheStorytellerthoughtAgamben’srenewalofthisliteraturethroughhisworkwouldset

itinthemodernvocabularyofphilosophicalprose,herebygivingitasecondlifeinthe

historicalmomentofthesepeople.Atthesametime,throughtheretellingofthestory,

thepoeticlegacyofthephilosophicalideas,andtheharmonycreatedbetweenthetwo,

theycouldcreateanewunderstanding. Herebypushingthe languageofprosecloser

tothetruthofunderstandingexperience,bringingtextfromonelanguageintoanother,

closerto‘purelanguage’andtotheunsayableessenceoftheintention.

“Thisstory,”saidtheStorytellertothepeopleofthecities,“isthepoeticlegacyofyour

moderndayexperience,thissurroundingphilosophicalproseembedsandharmonises

ideastogiveagreaterunderstandingoftheessencetobeconveyed.Youdonothave

toinvadeorridthetextofthepoetictokeepitsmeaning,butletyourowntranslation

enhance it,” theStorytellerstated,derailing,at leastmomentarily, theirdesire for the

invasionanddestructionof thepoeticrealmsandallowingthemtocontinueontheir

journey.

ArrivingatanislandsomedistanceoutsideofEuropenow,thetravellershadnodoubt

-

ress. Determined toget themostout ofhis experience on the island, theStoryteller

mustknowthehistoryofthisplace,orat leastapopularversionof it,theStoryteller

thought. TheStoryteller felt that theirstorywouldprovideanunderstandingof this

placethatwouldallowtheirunderstandingtomoveclosertothetruthofexperienceof

thiscolony.

TheStorytellerfollowedthemtoasmall,deep,sandyvalleywhereastrangeapparatus

lay.Strainingtolistentothedescriptionofthisapparatus,theStorytellerlearnthowit

punishespeoplebywritingthelawaperpetratorhasbrokenontheirbody,thenslow-

ly cutting into it into themrepeatedlyuntil theydie.Appalledby this, theStoryteller


Ibid.,18.


apparatustobeimpaled,killedandthendumpedintothepitasthemachinestartedto

comeapart.

Strangelycompelledbythis,keentoseethelinguisticsentencesontheapparatusdia-

grams(andhowthesecouldhavemergedintothelegalpunitivesentences)theStory-

tellercalledouttotheremainingpeopletorevealmoreofthestory,runningaroundthe

fromadistance,howwhenusingthismachinedoesonedistinguishwherelifeends,and

thelawasformoflanguage,begins?”

Trippingandtumbling,theStorytellerfell,ensnaredinthemalfunctioningmachine,and

themoretheStorytellerspokeofthelawanditsritualofdeath,andcalledtothetravel-

lertoexplainawayout,themoreitdrewthebodyofourprotagonistin,breakingskin,

implodingandsuffocating.Theothershadnointerest,theprisonerandsoldierleft,the

Commandantlaydeadinthepitalreadyandtheothertravellerwasstrangelyaloofand

unawareofhispresence. TheStorytellerfeltdeathwas immanent; tohavebecomea

protagonistwastotemptfate.Agambenwouldtranslatesuchanapparatusoftortureas

language;‘primarilyamachineofjusticeandpunishment.Thismeansthatonearthand

formen,languageisalsosuchaninstrument.’28

TheTranslatorhadfollowedtheStorytelleroverthehillandtothevalleyandsaid:“Ag-

andtransmissiontheircentralexperience’29andassuchthepoeticlegacyofhisworkis

translatedintothemomentofthispoliticalphilosophyandthismomentisoneofgreat

TheTranslatorpulledtheStorytellerfromthemachine;theStorytellerlaystillonthe

lungsoftheStoryteller.TheStorytellerstirredandsplutteredbacktolife,blinking,not

knowingwhoitwasthathadtrulybeenresponsiblefortherevival,asthiswasnotthe

TranslatorbutAgambeninhisguise.PullingtheStorytellertoaseatedpositionAgam-

bensaid,“‘[w]hatthecondemnedmanthusmanagestograspinthesilenceofhislast

houristhemeaningoflanguage.’”30Hesoundedalmostenvious.

WhattheStorytellerhadexperiencedwas lawbecomingthe factof life, therealityof

thelanguageoflawbecomingdeaththroughtheinscriptionofcommandmentsbythe

machineuponthebody,eradicatingtheboundarybetweenlawandlife itself. Unsur-

prisingly,theStorytellerwasstartled,“itwouldseemthatAgambentrulycomestothe

andtheirpoeticlegacy,revealingatrueressencetothereader.”

TheStorytellercontinued,“bytranslatingthepoeticlegacyintothemomentofhisphil-

osophicalworkhehaslinkedtheoriestotheirhistoryexpressingthecentralreciprocal

relationshipbetweenthem,‘creditingthemwithlife’31

thetranslatorbecameimbuedwithmeaningsinherentinthepoeticlegacyinanactive

sense,translatingtheirmeaningimplicitlyevenwhenhisworksdonothaveanexplicit

IdeaofProse,115.


IdeaofProse,116.

Illuminations,72.

36 CriticalStudies

referenceinthatmomentofhiswriting.Itisrealisedinatoneofsemi-comedictragedy

thatpermeatesbothIdeaofProseandTheComingCommunity.”

languagesintohisexplanations,havingaroleasaliteraltranslatorbetweentheselan-

guages,theintendedideas.”TheStorytellerwasuninterestedinsuchaspects,content

thattranslationofthepoeticlegacywasanintegralpartofAgamben’swork,akeytothe

survivalofstorytelling,bothinpoliticalandphilosophicalwritingsandinhisprosethat

presentsintherealmsoffables,aphorisms,andshortstories.TheStorytellerrealised

thatthesewentbeyondanalogyandexamplebutwerethesourceofhisexplanationsin

awaythatwasself-aware,fundamentalandtranslatedbetweenthesegenresofwriting

toproducealanguagethatbringsusclosertoanunderstandingthanwouldbepossible

withouttheirintegration.

IV

fallenasleep.“Clearlythecomparisondrawnhereissimilar to thatbetweenthePoet

andtheTranslator,wherebythepoet isseenasgraphic,primary,spontaneous, inside

language,aimingforrepresentationofmeaning,andtheworkbeingandendinitself;

wherethetranslatorisintentional,ultimate,derivative,outsidelanguage,dealingwith

thetotalityoflanguage,aimingforanechooforiginalandwheretheworkisapointof

departure.”32

handsofpoetry’,33thattheStorytellermustbekeptalive.InbothIdeaofProseandThe

ComingCommunity,thereisareturnofthesimpleformsharkingbacktooldertimes:

fable,riddle,aphorism,poem,shortstory.Writingbetweenpoetryandprose–inAgam-

benweareseeingare-emergenceofastoryteller.Hehasnotstrayedintotherealmof

thenovelashisform,althoughheistellingastory,infactmanystories.”

“ForBenjaminanimportantpartoflifeisdeath.Peoplearedetachedfromdeath;itisno

anunderstandingontheirownlifeandthisislost.34Agambenviewsdeathasthelimit

ofexperience.35TheimportanceofdeathinAgamben’sworksbetweenpoetryandprose

speakingoftrueexperienceandreconnectingwithlifeandinfancy.InIdeaofProseover

quarterofthechaptersfeaturedeathdirectly,36includingthechaptertitleforonebeing

IdeaofDeath.”37

“Heunderstands the ‘artof repeatingstories’38 -

Illuminations,77.




IdeaofPolitics;TheIdeaofShare;TheIdeaofHappiness;TheIdeaofThought;TheIdeaofLan-guageII,TheIdeaofDeath.

IdeaofProse,129.

Illuminations,90.


tweentherolesoftheTranslatorandStoryteller.”TheTranslatornoted,“arehisstories

-

videcounselforitsreaders?”39

“Yes,forinstance,IdeaofProsebeginswithahistoricalparable40featuringthelastschol-

archoftheSchoolofAthens,DamasciuswhowastowritehisworkcalledAporiasand

SolutionsConcerningFirstPrinciples.Thisheintendedtostartbyidentifyingthe‘single

andsupremebeginningofthewhole’.Hebecomesfrustratedbuteventuallyherealises

hisstartingpointmustnotbetograsphopelesslyattheunknowablebuttorealisethe

potentialityforrepresentation,atabletuponwhichnothingisyetwritten.Thelesson

Agambendrawsustoattheendisthatthetruediscoverywasnotexternalbutarealisa-

tionaboutoneselfthatyoumustcomebacktoyourowninternalexperiencebeforeyou

canstarttounderstandfurther.Healsoprovidesamaxim(whichIdaresayBenjamin

theglimmerofabeginning.’”41

“WemustalsoconsiderIdeaofHappiness.42”TheStorytellersaidwithawistfullookin

hereye,“ThatisoneofAgamben’sfairytales,abrieffable,‘ineverylifethereremains

somethingunlivedjustasineverywordthereremainssomethingunexpressed’,43soit

beginswithaBenjaminianaphorism,anodtothementor,theimplied‘onceuponatime’.

Astoryofalifecycle:frombirthtodeathintwomereparagraphs.Languageisthehero-

ine,thecharacterofhumanity;thedamselindistress,anddeathintheformofthegrim

reaperisourclownishvillaincheatedfromtheprize.Fewwordstoevokemuchthought;

inaworldofexcesssuchrestraint.”

“Itissaid:Theartofstorytellingistokeepitfreefrominformation44”,theStorytellerwas

excited,“inIdeaofProseandTheComingCommunitythepresentationofthestoryoften

offers little explanationbeyonda sometimescryptic aphorism,as in ‘Pseudonym’45, a

pieceofprosewherelanguageself-consciouslyplaysastarringrole.Astoryofbetrayal,

wherelanguageisusedasameremachinebutthenredeemedandplacedinareferen-

tialplacewhereeventhoughitisimpossibletotrulyexpresssomethingusinglanguage

apparatusinthePenalColonyanditendsinthedelicateunderstatedoptimismofaWal-

snerquote‘fascinationofnotutteringsomethingabsolutely’,46thedistrustoflanguageis

turnedintoasenseofwonderandmodesty.47

Withinthispiecethereisastory,nothandedtousshotthroughwithexperience,but

delicatelycraftedsowemustreadbetweenthelinesandabsorbthemintoourselves,

changingaswetaketimetounderstandthedialoguewithin.”

Ibid.,86.

IdeaofProse,31.

IdeaofProse,36.

Ibid.,39.

Ibid.

Illuminations,89.

TheComingCommunity,transl.M.Hardt(Minneapolis:UniversityofMinne-sotaPress,1993[1990]),59-60.

Ibid.

Ibid.

38 CriticalStudies

“So,itwouldseem,theonlysenseinwhichmykindaredeadordying,”saidourStory-

teller,withsomeindigenceandalittlerelief,“isthesenseinwhichIamaprotagonist

inthisstory,thisstorywhichcanbenomorethanaDeathMaskforunpennedworks.”48

So, in thedifferentialmarginbetweendiachronicandsynchronictime,theStoryteller

Theunwrittenworkhere49isthestoryoftheriseoftheStoryteller.Itbeginsintheworld

now;peopleareunfamiliarwiththisdialogue,separatedfromandfearfulofdeathand

experience.Itisaplaceofwhitenoise,technologymovingfasterthanourcomprehen-

sion,transmissionsthatsaynothingandmodesoftransmissionthattransmitnothing.50

Althoughthestorytellerexists,whohastimetolisten?Whereisthespaceforexperi-

encetoberegained?Willthetranslations,bytheirunfamiliarsoundsinknownlanguag-

es,pushattheboundariestoelevateandtodrawattention?Orwilltheyperplexand

ostracisethroughtheirobscurityofform?Eventhen,ifthestoryitselfinthemoment

isheard,itisperhapsbutaninterruption.Itisnotthismomentormanymomentsof

hearingthataretheendgoal;theyarebutthebeginningandopeningupofthepotential

forbeginnings.

Wemustseekablurringandreductionofthemarginsthathavebeencreatedtokeepus

fromthetruthofexperience.WhenAgambensetsoutatthestartofInfancyandHistory

hespeaksofthedenialofexperiencewithahintofoptimism,“[p]erhapsattheheartof

thisapparentlysenselessdenialtherelurksaseedofwisdom,inwhichwecanglimpse

the germinating seedof futureexistence”,51 in this placeof germination thenew text

begins.

Therehesitatesaheadunwrittenwork,whichgleansanewunderstandingof therole

ofradicalthinkersandwriters,ashavingaplaceinthedifferentialmarginbetweenthe

StorytellerandtheTranslator,andbetweenpoetryandprose.Perhapstodaywecanat

constructedas itcurrently isasaplace for themostbasicand ineptof translators, a

placeforinterpretingthepresented-as-obviousuncritically.Webrokeintotheworldof

languageasstorytellersandbecauseofthisitisalwayswithus.Thatbreakistheroot

ofourcuriosity,ourdesiretoreturnandunderstandthatwhichisbeyondthetoolsof

language. Itdrives the creationof translationupon translationuntilanoriginalvoice

breaksthroughintoanewstory.

TheperceiveddeathofthestorytellerbyBenjaminispartofaprocess;itistakentothis

limitaspartofadialecticalstruggleattemptingtorescueusfromisolationfromourown

experience,byandthroughlanguage.Thisprocessreachesaheadofuspre-emptinga

realisationwheretheonlywaywecanplacethestorytellerbackinthecentreofsociety

istorekindletheimagination,speakinginalanguagethathasarrivedclosertothetruth

ofexperiencethroughitsmultipletranslations.


Ibid.

Ibid.,162.

Ibid.,17.


AsAgambentranscendshisroletointerrupttheroleofstorytellerwiththeroleofthe

translator,sothenthetranslatorwiththestoryteller,writingbetweenpoetryandprose

insuchbooksasTheComingCommunityand IdeaofProse. Theplayfulworkbreaks

an ‘interdisciplinarydiscipline’52 andchallenging the “vulgar conceptof timeasa53whichdistancesusfromaprimaryexperienceof

timeandhistory.

Farfromstorytellershavingdiedoff,theyarebeingrebornattheedgeoflanguageand

itsuse.Intherealmsandinthebodyofthephilosophicaltranslator,theserolesareinter-

dependentandperpetuatetheexistenceofeachother.Betweenritualandplay,poetry

andprose,attheedgeoftranslationandlanguage,thestorytellerisrebornandstrives

towardsthecentretoreinstatetheauthorityofexperience.

[email protected]

Ibid.,164.

Ibid.,165.

and translator

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