READY TO PROOF Letter to D

Book Title/Author: Letter to D: A Love Story by Andre Gorz

Publisher/Year Published: Polity Press, 2009

How I got this book: I bought it

Why I read this book: The inner romantic in me!

Rating: 5 stars.

“You’re 82 years old. You’ve shrunk six centimetres, you only weigh 45 kilos, yet you’re still beautiful, graceful and desirable. We’ve lived together now for 58 years and I love you more than ever. I once more feel a gnawing emptiness in the hollow of my chest that is only filled when your body is pressed next to mine.”

These are the opening lines of ‘Letter to D’, a remarkable letter that the famous French philosopher Andre Gorz wrote to his wife Dorine as she lay on her deathbed. Andre Gorz was married to his wife for fifty-eight years. He wrote this letter to her in an attempt to truly understand his relationship with Dorine, and how his life has been changed by it. In September 2007, Andre and Dorine took their own lives. Neither wanted to live without the other.

The letter begins by describing how Andre and Dorine met in France in 1947. He was enchanted by the beautiful, English-born Dorine, and he instantly fell in love with her. Eventually he worked up the courage to ask her out, and they instantly became inseparable. He describes the qualities that attracted him to her; her quick wit, her intellect, her confidence, and how he could completely forget himself around her. Like any relationship, things didn’t always run smoothly, and she said she would break up with him as he wasn’t certain about marriage. In that instant, he realized that he could not be without her, and they got married.

In the early days of their marriage, money was scarce and they did what they could to make ends meet. Eventually things began to look up when Andre got a job editing a daily evening paper. As the years went by, their marriage began to change also. Dorine no longer let herself be challenged by the “intellectual arrogance” of her husband, and began to question his ideas and put forward her own. Her confidence in her own views grew. He recognised that she was always right, and he loved her even more. As the years went by, they eventually moved to the French countryside. Dorine was diagnosed with arachnoiditis and cancer, and her health rapidly declined. Gorz retired from work and focused entirely on what was most important in his life: his wife. The letter ends with Gorz stating that he does not want to live without her. On the 6^th of June, 2006, Andre and Dorine took their own lives. They couldn’t bear to be separated.

This is one of the most touching books I have ever read. With divorce rates so high, it’s pretty incredible to see that is actually possible for two people to stay in love for almost sixty years. It was never meant to be published; Gorz wrote this letter for his wife only, which gives it a raw honesty. It was fascinating to read the complex relationship that Gorz had with his wife, and also with himself. I expected that I would feel sad at the end when I read of their deaths. I didn’t at all. They were incredibly lucky to experience such love, and I Instead I found myself rejoicing that love can last, that falling and staying in love is actually possible. It is a truly wonderful book.

Postsecret

I absolutely love, love LOVE postsecret! (www.postsecret.com) I love checking the new secrets every Sunday. The secrets are jaw-droppping,scary, hilarious,heartwarming, and of course sometimes someone sends in a secret that you also have. These are some of my favourites....

Extract from Expect Resistance by Crimethinc

I would like to be someone with whom no one would be ashamed of any part of themselves. I would like to be able to regard the actions of others without feeling threatened or becoming defensive, even when they are defensive with me- to see others in the context of their lives, not my own. I would like to know how to set the right limits on how far I trust others, so I never risk losing my respect for them or my ability to trust. I would like to be able to look those adversaries who should be allies and say Like it or not, this is who I am. This is what the world has made of me, and we must all live with the consequences. I can't change the decades of life behind me that have wrought this, only take responsibility for what I am and what I do. I don't want to compete with you for moral high ground or anything else. Unless you're prepared to kill everyone who doesn't live up to your standards or else endure this impasse indefinetely, you're going to have to accept me on my own terms, as I hope to accept you. You are responsible as I am for making what goes on between us positive for us both- or for the world of strife we will suffer in otherwise.

Reclaim the Streets

The strangest thing happened recently! I just happened to be wandering up Shop Street when I saw that people were setting up Food Not Bombs, a Really Really Free Market, and having loads of fun & games on a really busy pedestrianised street. Intriuged, I offered to help out.

People were playing Twister in the middle of the street, there was capoiera going on close by. Chalk was distributed for people to write their own messages on the street. People wrote things like 'I've learned to live with a little money and I'm happy', 'You are beautiful', and 'Leave us be'. People showed great creativity. There was also big canvas sheets where people drew stuff on with markers. There was lots of people around just chatting, eating food, and skipping. I was helping out with Food Not Bombs, and it was great seeing the look of astonishment on peoples faces when you told them that yes, the food was free, perfectly edible, and there was no strings attached. Unfortunately after a while the "authorities" arrived. They didn't like that we weren't on the street to buy stuff and to make corporations richer. They really didn't like that we were actually having fun, and insisted that we pack up and leave. Eventually it started to rain, which was actually great because loads of people, me included, began dancing in the rain!

It lasted for several hours, and I think a message got out there. Feck money! These are our streets, not the corporations, and the streets do not exist solely to consume. Another world really is possible.

Dublin

I was up in Dublin recently to visit one of my closest friends. I had a great time in Dublin. The weather was nice (which was good because Dublin is HORRIBLE when it is raining). Normally I hate Dublin. It is a frickin' horrible, ugly city thats all grey and with a stupid spike (sometimes called the Spire) in the middle of it. The only time I like is when I'm up there with friends, going to see gigs, usually in Eamonn Doran's in Temple Bar. This was one of the few times I liked being in Dublin. We wandered around the city, catching up on each others news. We went to St. Stephen's Green, and sat there for ages. I hadn't been in there since I was 11. Strange, I'd forgotten how beautiful the place is...

1. There is some pretty cool graffiti in Temple Bar.

2. Love is blind- it was on a wall of the Liffey. It's true...

3. My friend N. and I spent ages in St. Stephen's Green.

4. Cool dumpster in Temple Bar.