John Banville 2

[smurfieboo]

You don't have to be profound for the sake of the profound: Death. In its real essence, death is the most boring topic.

[G9GQ]

such long, articulate-looking comments !

[dunngar]

looks like bernie Madoff

[AngelH91]

He is a writer. He explores in his mind, the world around him. He cannot help but think about the day when he will die. But he takes it one step further and wonders that after he has left this world, that he is able to find such beauty on a cloudy day, he can't help but wonder what will happen.He would love to live forever to experience the world, he doesn't want to leave. To not be in this world seems to be a terrible thought to him. I have thought the same thing, which isn't that surprising.

[bitrot66]

Angel - so he would like to live forever, to enjoy beauty and relish experience ad infinitum. There is a disturbing psychology here for a man in his sixties. I see you are 18 - perhaps you may see it differently when you have more years on you. My Nosferatu quote confronts the narcissism of the kind exhibited by JB.

[AngelH91]

How is it disturbing? There are more disturbing thoughts out there.

Your quote is from a 'vampire that cannot die'.

That quote is how they see mortaliy, a vampire from what I understand is limited to the amount of 'living' they can do, being considered 'undead'. Vampires really have a purpose in order to 'live' on where as JB would like to live forever to watch the world develop and change. His is purely a personal experience and development. Vampires are fictional, JB is in the real world.

[martinnolan88]

That is not what he meant at all you buffoon.

[reelingit]

I disagree. This is spontaneous, not his long-thought-out take. Criticism of this piece as "woefully lacking in profundity of thought or eloquence of expression" is silly. It's just Banville talking about death. Read his books if you want profound or eloquent prose.

[bitrot66]

No it's not spontaneous. A camera crew doesn't just show up at one's door unannounced. This program was scheduled months in advance. An outline is planned and agreed upon with author and production crew (the editing is RTE's purview). This link was described elsewhere as an "eloquent meditation on mortality". I disagree, it's commonplace rambling. If you're going to be holdling forth on Death on the airwaves, strike the right note. One thinks of Yeats......... ;-)

[zootyfiend]

Does one think that one is perhaps a bit of a twat?

[bitrot66]

No - because unlike you I'm not British.

[AngelH91]

Yea it is planned but do they tell him the sort of questions they will answer? Why bother if he is given months to think about every answer for every question. You might think its complete rambling, but what exactly are you doing? Hmm looks like your rambling with 8 lines. Pot calling the kettle black perhaps?

[bitrot66]

As a meditation on mortality, I find it woefully lacking in profundity of thought or eloquence of expression - in fact it's annoyingly banal. I expect more than a "great party" analogy from a serious full time writer. Contrast JB with the exquisite ennui from Nosferatu, the vampire who cannot die: "Time is an abyss. Profound as a thousand nights. Centuries come and go. To be unable to grow old is terrible. Can you imagine enduring centuries? Experiencing each day the same futile things?"

[bitrot66]

Centuries come and go - indeed they do, as do the utterances of all but a few Great Ones.

[27106204]

I think that anyone whose Youtube account favourites includes both 'Tie a Yellow Ribbon' and Britney Spears needs to check 'embarrassment' in the OED. And then that individual should fuck off. That is what I think.

[Nesapstar]

What the hell is your point? This is an embarrassingly silly comment.

[Pangloss2020]

type in the name of any other fine living author working today and up come 10-20 odd interviews, plus clips of their resolutions, their averments and pontifications. john banville, though? practically nothing. surely irish television provides rolling coverage of his pronouncements, surely!

in short, could you upload everything of his that you have? i would appreciate this very much. thanks.

[SnamhDaEan]

Well this clip is from last year's wonderful hour-long documentary entitled "Arts Lives: A Day in the Life of John Banville". Though RTÉ (irish tv) are usually good with their online content, you can't find this anywhere on their site. They often replay these documentaries without any prior advertisement on Sunday mornings or somesuch every year or two. No such luck with this one as of yet however.

[SnamhDaEan]

"Arts Lives: Being John Banville", that is

[Nesapstar]

You would think that, but Irish TV hardly had anything on Banville prior to the Booker and most people in the country had no idea who he was.

[israelth21]

I'm trying to read to Banville since time ago, but his books in Mexico are very expensive.

[27106204]

Bud - I don't the first thing about you but take my advice: start drinking heavily.

[uiscebot]

well said