A playful and erudite look at the origins of language In the beginning there was one language―one tongue that Adam used to compose the first poem; an elegy for Abel. “These days; no one bothers to ask about the tongue of Adam. It is a naive question; vaguely embarrassing and irksome; like questions posed by children; which one can only answer rather stupidly.†So begins Abdelfattah Kilito’s The Tongue of Adam; a delightful series of lectures. With a Borgesian flair for riddles; stories; and subtle scholarly distinctions; Kilito presents an assortment of discussions related to Adam’s tongue; including translation; comparative religion; and lexicography: for example; how; from Babel onward; can we explain the plurality of language? Or can Adam’s poetry be judged aesthetically; the same as any other poem? Drawing from the commentators of the Koran to Walter Benjamin; from the esoteric speculations of Judaism to Herodotus; The Tongue of Adam is a nimble book about the mysterious rise of humankind’s multilingualism.
#414419 in Books Robert Antelme 1998-12-09Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x 1.20 x 6.00l; .97 #File Name: 0810160617298 pagesThe Human Race
Review
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful. Humanity is not enoughBy Buenoslibros.es"Weg! -get the hell out of the way! -he said to me in a rasping voice. I shrugged it off ... but I still existed; and I shrugged it off ... the insults of these people are no more able to reach us than they are able to get their hands on the nightmare we have become in their brains: for all their denying of us we are still there." (p. 51)These victimizers could live next to you; could walk by you any given day on the streets; they are not German; they are human of any nationality; in this case Spanish: "Sometimes the SS man laughs and jokes with the doctor. And yet; before he was given the job; the SS used to beat him. But now he wears a white coat; he sleeps in a small heated room; he doesn't have to go to roll call; and he eats; and he's pink ... the Spanish doctor rapidly turned into a particularly good example of the kommando's aristocracy." It makes one ashamed to be Spanish; human. And there's no such thing as sin; they say.It's a hard read because of its sadness; hellish misery; absence of what well-intentioned people call humanity but is nothing but sin and evil. The author cries his soul out; pours his deepest self in words of sorrow; in pages that seek comprehension; but from whom? The author does not say. If its from his readers no help can be given him now.This is the best account of the experiences of a man in a nazi prison camp during the European Holocaust. Buch better than the popular Primo Levi book. This is a deep; slow-paced; intellectual; thinking-man's guide to survival in Holocaust Europe. There are detailed descriptions of ways of feeling; of sentiments and relationships that are tacit; hard to describe; but which the author in his characteristic French style achieves perfectly.I strongly recommend to read this book; with a little patience. It takes its time to get into it fully; to grasp the implications and all the meaning of what's going on physically -but specially- psychologically. The book is not spiritual; because there's no spiritual faith. But if humanity is not enough to account for the gravity of the things told here; then who or what to appeal to? If we trust in man alone; and man does these things; then who are we to appeal to? It would be an useless exercise of intellect.4 of 6 people found the following review helpful. The Human RaceBy DeanoThis is a very interesting story about men in a German Concentration Camp; during WWII. The story in a large part describes what the prisoners thought about; as well as how they were treated. It allows the reader to get into the mind of a captive of Germany; and relive his experiences as he see's them.1 of 3 people found the following review helpful. A heavy but uplifiting readBy Leland SpencerI am very interested in this period of history; and this book adds to my knowledge. I am not an intellectual; and the author tends to spend a lot of time on the psychology of why all this is happening to him; and in my opinion over-analyzes it. Still a very uplifting story from a person who seems to show no bitterness.Leland Spencer
