"The Principles of Uncertainty"

[fiefoe]

Maira Kalman is a wonderful colorist, and many of her interior paintings in the book remind one of Matisse. Amazingly, she also embroiders as well as she draws.

Her list of 'meaningful distractions' includes:

• her adoration of jaunty hat wearers
• the EXCELLENT united pickle tag lying on the sidewalk
• the candy-striped water tower
• her favorite obituary of a Scottish woman who spent her life making exquisite flies
• her collections of empty boxes, sponges from around the world, things that fall out of books
• superlative tassels
• a girl balancing a hanger over her head
• Henri Cartier-Bresson's photograph of children and tutus and enchanted light
• "KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON" poster

For 'hapless, heroic us':

• How are we all so brave as to take step after step day after day? .. Why do I feel so sorry for everyone and so proud?
• The realization that we are ALL gong to die and the attending DISBELIEF - isn't that the central premise of EVERYTHING?
• Washing dishes is the antidote to confusion.
• The dust floats so slowly in the sunlight. So sunny. And so precarious.

__ Dostoevsky even borrowed money from Turgenev. And he HATED Turgenev.
__ Toscanini would not let his daughter Wanda sing because her voice hurt his ears.
__ Goethe loved candy.
__ Three of Wittgenstein's four brothers killed themselves.
__ 'Kitty Carlisle Hart is 96 and still performing FOR GOD'S SAKE! She dated George Gershwin FOR GOD'S SAKE!'

Deyrolles - 46 rue du Bac