Jonathan Safran Ed. Foer - A CONVERGENCE OF BIRDS Original Fiction and Poetry Inspired by the Work of Joseph Cornell

A CONVERGENCE OF BIRDS

Original Fiction and Poetry Inspired by the Work of Joseph Cornell

Edited by

JONATHAN SAFRAN FOER

PENGUIN BOOKS

PENGUIN BOOKS

Published by the Penguin Group

Penguin Books Ltd, 80 Strand, London, WC2R 0RL

A Convergence of Birds: Original Fiction and Poetry Inspired by the Work of Joseph Cornell (c) 2001 by D.A.P. Distributed Art Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. Works of art by Joseph Cornell are (c) The Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Emory Bird Hands Birds (c) 1999 by Barry Lopez and printed by permission of Sterling Lord Literistic, Inc. First published in San Francisco Magazine, May 2000. Reprinted in Light Action in the Caribbean (Knopf, October 2000). Rowing in Eden (c) 2000 by Erik Anderson Reece. It Generally Leads a Solitary Life or Lives in Pairs (c) 1999 by Rick Moody printed by permission of Melanie Jackson Agency, L.L.C. The Box Artist (c) 1999 by The Ontario Review, Inc. and printed by permission of John Hawkins & Associates, Inc. Showing an Episode (c) 2000 by Diane Williams. The Cursive Example (c) 1999 by Howard Norman and printed by permission of Melanie Jackson Agency, L.L.C. Construction (c) 2000 by John Burghardt. Boxed In (c) 2000 by Paul West and printed by permission of John Hawkins & Associates, Inc. Nine Boxes (c) 2000 Siri Hustvedt. The Grand Hotels (c) 2000 by Robert Coover and printed by permission of Georges Borchardt, Inc., for the author. For Brother Robert (c) 2000 by Bradford Morrow and printed by permission of Melanie Jackson Agency, L.L.C. Magic Musee (c) 2000 by Martine Bellen. The Appearance of Things (c) 2001 by Dale Peck and printed by permission of The Wylie Agency, Inc. Slide Show (c) 2000 by Joanna Scott. Of a Feather (c) 2000 by Diane Ackerman and printed by permission of The Writers Shop. Bookmark, Horizon (Emily Dickinson) (c) 2001 by Ann Lauterbach. Because I Could Not Stop For Death (c) 2000 by Mary Caponegro and printed by permission of Georges Borchardt, Inc., for the author. Grid Box (c) 2000 by Rosmarie Waldrop. Song (c) 2000 by Robert Pinsky and reprinted from the book Jersey Rain. The Impetus was Delight (c) 2001 by Lydia Davis. Poem in Which a Bird Does Some of the Talking (c) 2000 by John Yau. If the Aging Magician Should Begin to Believe (c) 2001 by Jonathan Safran Foer.

First published in the United States by D.A.P. Distributed Art Publishers, Inc. 2001p>

First published in the United Kingdom by Hamish Hamilton 2006

Published in Penguin Books 2007

The moral right of the authors has been asserted

Production Manager: Craig Willis

www.penguin.com

CONTENTS

BARRY LOPEZ

ERIK ANDERSON REECE

RICK MOODY

JOYCE CAROL OATES

DIANE WILLIAMS

HOWARD NORMAN

JOHN BURGHARDT

PAUL WEST

SIRI HUSTVEDT

ROBERT COOVER

BRADFORD MORROW

MARTINE BELLEN

DALE PECK

JOANNA SCOTT

DIANE ACKERMAN

ANN LAUTERBACH

MARY CAPONEGRO

ROSMARIE WALDROP

ROBERT PINKSY

LYDIA DAVIS

JOHN YAU

JONATHAN SAFRAN FOER

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Rowing in Eden

It Generally Leads a Solitary Life or Lives in Pairs

The Box Artist

Showing an Episode

The Cursive Example

Construction

Boxed In

Nine Boxes

The Grand Hotels

For Brother Robert

Magic Musee

The Appearance of Things

Slide Show

Of A Feather

Bookmark, Horizon (Emily Dickinson)

Because I Could Not Stop For Death

Grid Box

Song

The Impetus was Delight

Poem in Which a Bird Does Some of the Talking

If the Aging Magician Should Begin to Believe

A {miniature} BIOGRAPHY

NOTES ON THE CONTRIBUTORS

ILLUSTRATION CREDITS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

THIS BOOK WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE without the tremendous knowledge and generosity of Jennifer Vorbach at C&M Arts, John Mason and Margaret Richardson at PaceWildenstein, Mary Anne Orszag at the Des Moines Art Center, and Geraldine Aramanda at the Menil Collection, all of whom bent over backward to make sure we were provided with what we needed (and didnt even know we needed). Their assistance was always prompt, thorough, and downright charitable. It is absolutely no exaggeration to say that this book would not have been possible without them. Robert Lehrman has been the epitome of givingas a collector and enthusiast nonpareil, and as a friendand for this I am extremely grateful. Similarly, Lindy Bergman, the wonderful Lindy Bergman, deserves to have her name sung very loudly from some high place. Thanks are also due to Russell Banks for his early encouragement and help, to James Seawright, for introducing me to the art of Joseph Cornell and for reminding me of the urgency of needing to know how things work, to the Greensfelders and Segals for giving me beautiful places to work and make phone calls, to DG, KE, MS, SC, KJ, JJ, MJV, JK, and RF for insisting on intangibles, and to the good people at D.A.P.particularly Sharon Gallagher, Avery Lozada, and Craig Willis, who are nothing less than heroes (and virtuosos) of contemporary publishing. I could never give enough thanks to all of the writers who contributed to this book. Their faith in the project was as extraordinary as the stories and poems they wrote for it. I hope that they are pleased with the results. And I can only hope that this book would have pleased Joseph Cornell. His art has dramatically changed my life, given me a sense of purpose and directed joy, and shown me that certain feelings can be given certain embodiments. Thank you is not enough, so I hope to give more. And finally, I thank my parents and my brothers, who continue to teach me that laughter is not secular, and that imagination is life.

Joseph Cornell

UNTITLED {HOTEL DE LA MER}

c. 1950-53

19 x 12 x 4.5 in.

Glass-paned, stained wood box with drawer, chromolithographic cutout, mirrors, postage stamp, plastic ball, and steel rod and string.

RESPONSE AND CALL

LETTERS WERE WRITTEN. Stamps were licked, envelopes addressed, mailboxes fed like starving animals. CHILDRENS PREVIEW of the exhibition JOSEPH CORNELLCOLLAGES AND BOXES. It was to be his first museum show dedicated to children, and the last show of his life.

Hundreds went that spring, 1972. Many were entranced by Cornells works (which were displayed only a few feet off of the ground), and many by the chocolate cake that was passed about on plastic platters. Some cried, some fell asleep on the parquet, and some left with party favorscomplimentary posters, signed by Cornell.

Fifteen years later, a young woman received one of these posters in the mail. It was from an ex-lover she hadnt thought about since college. Just above Cornells signature he had written: I love this. You will love this. When the young woman died in a car accident the following summer, the poster was rolled up and forgotten about.

1992: The young womans brother asked a friend (who would, years later, become a friend of mine) if he would help him sift through a roomful of boxes in an Upstate storage facility. It was time to save what was worth saving and part with the rest. He couldnt do it alone. When they came upon the poster, both were surprised: the friend because of the rare artifact of his favorite artists life, the brother because above the two pieces of handwriting (Cornells signature and the love note), was a thirdin shaky blue ink: This belonged to Beatrice. He didnt know if it had been written by his father, or mother, or by his sister herself. And because he was alonehis parents having passed away the previous winter, within a month of each otherthere was no way to find out.