Point Omega - Don DeLillo

Omega Point : describe a maximum level of complexity and consciousness towards which he believed the universe was evolving, says the description. A word coined by  French Jesuit, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin , says the universe is moving towards a point of supreme complexity and consciousness at all the time. Don DeLillo, reversing the words order, trying to tell us that there is no evidence of a super consciousness, but in the 'time, space and substance' triangle its the chaos that reign. “Consciousness is exhausted. Back now to inorganic matter. This is what we want. We want to be stones in a field.”

Richard Esler, a defence scholar and consultant, worked with the CIA in the days prior to the Iraq War, is now retired and living an isolated life in the deserts of California, in an attempt to find possibly the 'point omega', a spiritual life, in search of himself and the wisdom of self awareness. Jim Finley, a small time film maker, wants to direct a documentary film about Richard Esler, and to gain insights to the world of military intelligence and war. Tracking him down the desert, Jim attempt to get Esler talk, wanting to record his film in a natural free flowing monologue, as and when and how the reluctant  Esler like to do it.  In the pages that follows is the high level of intellectual setting, where two confront each other and lift themselves to the level of complexities regarding the various aspects of life and war. Esler, was to conceptualize the war as a haiku. "I wanted a war in three lines...".  Eslers, daughter joins them a few days later, adding to the overall setting in the isolated desert, being sent by her mother( estranged wife of Esler) in order to get her out of the influence of a possible stalker( lover?). The otherwise, slow sparse narrative takes a definite turn with the disappearance of the lady and the following search in the vast desert for possible clue.

The novel starts with an anonymous entry of a movie screening of the '24-hour psycho' where a man leaning against the wall is watching ( continuously for the 6 days, the exhibition was running) the various people coming and going in the hall. As he observe the slow 2 frame per second psycho unfold on the screen, we see various specimen of the society walk in and out , which supposedly include people that resembles Esler and Jim , Eslers daughter, who gives him her contact without revealing her name among others. There are different readings into the anonymity chapters, which can in a way initiate ( in the first) and solve the overall puzzle of the disappearance and there after.

Typical to DeLillo's writing, the words are sparse, the sentences are crisp and moulded in the high intellect and complexity. There isn't strong story line to say. The interpersonal conversations are generally tense and had uneasy space in between. The silences and omitted sentenced ( I dont know if that is the right way to put it) are often provide the connection. The language and the prose are very lyrical and attractive. But, the air of uncertainty, unclear nature continue to torment the readers, especially in the middle pages where every thing is vague, directionless, pretentious and very artificial.

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Point Omega ( 2010 )

Don DeLillo

Scribner

117 Pages
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Wiki , Shigekuni

Underworld - Don DeLillo

The day Bobby Johnson hit a home run to win the National League title for Giants against Dodgers, USSR successfully detonated the second Nuclear Bomb. Don DeLillo's master piece starts at this moment, with the match description and the boy who managed to collect the ball that went into the crowd, which his alcoholic father sells to an enthusiast for 23 Dollars.

The united states in the second half 20th century, the war is won and after the nuclear bomb is dropped in Japan. The imminent threat of USSR are looming in the air, the world is getting divided between the Socialists and Capitalist economies. USSR is building capabilities to compete with the mighty US. The explosion of the Nuclear Bomb is one of their signal to the other world of their intention. Cold war between the nations are at the peak. The Cuban Missile Crisis, the McCarthy era, nuclear proliferation and the rest of the events that was prominent in the 50 years since the World War. The common lives in the US is deeply influenced by the effects of cold war. The anxiety, the fear resulting in various precautionary measures. Children are brought up with emergency measures. These realities of the new world is the back drop of DeLillo's novel.

However, DeLillo construct his mammoth book around Nick Shay, a garbage and waste collection and disposal expert ( who incidentally now owns the baseball that was hit for the home run in 1951. Nick with a past of an accidental murder, being in juvenile retention center before beginning his new life at a Jesuit Reform School. Most of the events revolve around Nick and his immediate surroundings, his wife who harbors an illicit relation with his close friend, his brother, other friends and colleagues. Structurally told in reverse chronological order fro the 90s to the 50s through it various incidents rebuilding the life during cold war.

With these loosely held narrative, he builds the modern American society under the influence of the economic and political scene. However, this book is not much of a plot, a character development or a story. Its about writing. May be that is why the experience is in reading. Its too intelligent to the reader. Its is too perfect from the construction and the formation of words , sentences and paragraphs. In its effect to retain the medium at its prime, the rest are not given much importance. The world continue to discuss this as a literary phenomenon ( as the greatest American Novel of 20th century and all that) is precisely comes from this ambiguity that he build around his own world. The controlling hand of the writer is omnipresent often hindering the smooth reading. Which is why even after reading this mammoth book, one can not warm up to it.

The reaction within me was contradictory. Glorious at times, Boring and pretentious at places, engaging and interesting at places, yet dull and dragging at other times. Its massive, by size and accomplishment. Its definitely not an easy read and not easy to fully comprehend. I think he manages to bring out the frustration, fear, anxiety and related major events during the cold war years. At the end, its a sense of relief after you are through with 830 pages.

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Underworld ( 1997 )

Don DeLillo

Picador

827 pages
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Wiki Entry, Guardian, Review and Responses, The New Canon

The Body Artist - Don DeLillo

Rey Robles, an unsuccessful film director, dies in his first wife's apartment one morning. He and his current ( third) wife, Lauren HArtke, are living in an isolated house near the coast, away from the New York City. Their day began as routinely as always, with them having the breakfast, he stirring his coffee and the newspaper, she opening and closing cabinets opening and closing taps.

"I want to say something, but what".. he said, "About the house. This is what it is, ..something I meant to tell you".. but she wasn't listening.

That was the last morning of them together. Same morning he committed suicide, in the Manhattan apartment of his first wife, shooting himself.

Alone, in a large house, whose tenure is another couple of months far, Lauren returns back to her life of uncertainties. A celebrated body artist, who defies the limits of the physical body elevate herself to a performance level, Lauren now has to find her way all by herself. Often loosing herself in her thoughts and through the question of her own existence. She consciously isolate herself from the rest of the world and her only interaction with the external world is during her routine shopping trip for essentials.

It does not remain so for long, when she realises a there are noise and footsteps on the top floor. She finds an unusual looking young man, short and skinny, retarded, possibly living there since they have moved in. He seldom speaks and the only sound escape his mouth is those once spoken by Ray himself. Now her existence has a definition, through this unknown creature living with her, often missing and reappearing. Lauren now, re-live her live with Ray, through the recorded conversations on the tape and those spoken by her unknown companion apart from the birds which perks on her window.

Is he real ? Is he a ghost (of Ray , refusing to leave her) ? Is he a creation of Lauren's troubled mind ? There is no definite answer. Was he there long enough hiding from the couple and listening to their conversations , which he now repeats ? Or is he an alien trapped in her house? DeLillo does not give any definite answer, but play the scenes through her mind. Neither does the writer gives us any indications of their life together and the circumstances of their marriage, the only references of her life is through the 2 random notes, one by her friend and an obituary.

A short novella by the master novelist, his first in the new millennium, is surrealistic and tricky. The metaphoric use of birds and the possible symbolism using nature ( the trees, leaves , see along with birds) and covers up for the lack of depth in the story. The narration develops itself, with some tactical use of style and language.

Its a strange and cunning novel, very seductive and moving. This might not represent the best of Don DeLillo, but an interesting work of fiction, nonetheless.

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The Body Artist ( 2001 )

Don DeLillo

Scribner Paperback
126 Pages

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