The title of Paul Veyne's last book, Foucault, Sa pensée, sa personne (Albin Michel, 2008), is not the most elegant, and, more than anything else, is misleading. The essay is mainly a discussion of Foucault's thinking (which is fine, after all he was an intellectual), making abundant references to Dits et Écrits (ed. Defert et Ewald, Gallimard, 1994, 4 vol.), the posthumous volumes of all texts besides his books published during his lifetime by the philosopher. I will not even attempt to quote, in English translation, some of Veyne's views: his sharp and rhythmic prose is by moments difficult to follow and the references he makes often exceed my expertise. He is not always convincing though, for instance when he tries to justify some of Foucault's political and activist involvements like his support for Khomeini and the Iranian Islamic Revolution... The TLS will no doubt soon publish a review of the book. Only the last chapter is specifically dedicated to his personal memories of Foucault. We would have liked more of that captivating material. Veyne who was 4 years younger, had known him since he was a student at the prestigious École normale supérieure and Foucault already a teacher. He was a member of the inner circle who gathered around him at 285, rue de Vaugirard, his apartment in Paris fifteenth arrondissement. Foucault had awarded him the title of Honorary Homosexual, not without adding somewhat disapprovingly: "How can a man like you, open, well-read, prefer women?"
Foucault was a Skeptic. Humans at any time period in history are like gold fish in a bowl: their world is restricted but only the outside observer realizes it, writes Veyne. “Skeptics are double-edged individuals. When they are thinking they stand outside the bowl, and watch the fish making circles. Then, because life must go on, they join their fellow fish in the bowl to decide whom to vote for in the next election (without claiming that their choice is the truth). Skeptics are both observers outside the bowl which they dismiss as suspicious, and gold fish. This dualism is all but tragic.” (my, far from optimal, translation…) Because he used his pen as if it were a sword, Veyne likens Foucault to a samurai, borrowing the image from J.-Cl. Passeron. As he concedes in the introduction he could have titled his book Le Samouraï et le poisson rouge (“The Samurai and the Gold Fish”). It would have been a great title.
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Part mystery, part coming of age novel, part love story, Half-Life is a noteworthy first novel. I came upon it by chance. The book was given to me by an internet hookup. Our encounter happened to be a total flop. He had arrived before me at the West Village bar where we were supposed to meet. I recognized him thanks to the picture (not the most recent though…) he had traded with me. He joined me at a table in the back. John (as I will call him) told me he had already had a shot and a beer. He was fed up with his day at the office. We chatted while sipping our drinks. We realized we both liked reading... He seemed very happy about it. He had another beer and left to go smoke a cigarette outside, but not before taking a book from his briefcase and handed it to me. It was Half-Life, a novel published several years ago, by an author I had never heard of (Aaron Krach, Alyson, 2004). John came back, we continued discussing, he drank another beer and went to smoke another cigarette. This time he was gone for a long time and I started reading the novel. When he resurfaced I understood he had been laid by someone at the bar. I told him I had to leave. He insisted in my keeping the book. In fact he did not like it and he seemed embarrassed by the situation.
Half-Life is written in short sections, in a cinematographic style, with a good dose of humor, especially in the dialogs. The story is set up in Los Angeles and spans two weeks in June 1999. Adam and Jeff are two well adjusted gay men. Jeff is a 38 years old police officer living by himself with a young black lab. His favorite pastime is surfing on the ocean. Adam is a smart kid, just about to graduate from High School. He is eighteen and is living with his divorced chronically depressed father and a younger sister. The novel main thread is the sudden attraction between Jeff and Adam, despite their age difference, when their lives come across each other, right after the latter is confronted to his father's death.
2008.03.30
