Mysterious activities
It’s my Ph.D. again, blocking all normal activities. I got the manuscript back from the publisher, and just have to go through it one more time to make sure everything is A-OK. It’s one day’s work, maximum.
Too bad I just want to do silly stuff like superimpose the sephiroth on a map of Berlin and marvel at the fact how IT ALL MAKES SENSE. All you have to do is to rotate the Tree of Life 90 degrees clockwise (the crown has to point towards the east, ex oriente lux of course) and presto. It’s all the more impressive since I didn’t even resize or distort the random map and sephiroth images that I googled.
Now you could ask if I have gone cabbalistic or even meshuggeh, but it’s a fun idea for a Berlin story that has been ripening in my mind for some months. There was a lot of weird political, criminal and occultist activity going on in Germany in the early 1920’s, and it was reflected in the popular arts of the time (movies like Der Golem, Alraune, Nosferatu, Dr. Mabuse, der Spieler and Das Kabinett des Dr. Caligari spring to mind). I have been toying with the notion of a right-wing secret society (à la Thule-Gesellschaft) that would attempt to destroy the evil city with the help of nature, the German Oak. The mythical origins of Germany (der Stammbaum!) would be reclaimed by changing the Hebrew letters in Cabbalist magic to Germanic runes and painting them all over town. Of course, all kinds of tentacular terror would be unleashed…
Our friends would mix it all up with their conflicting theories about the origin of the problem and the right solutions for it, e.g. Falco wants to follow the example of St. Boniface, Andy wants revolution, Goldie focuses on mitzvot and arguing with fellow Jews, Mochi wants to preserve the tree for purposes of canine communication etc. … Meanwhile Mayann and Lou make some useful friends at the local cabarets. All that’s missing is a murder story.
Too much ideas, too little time.
October 9th, 2008 at 1:45 am
I will be so incredibly happy if you produce this. I’m obsessed with Weimar Berlin and Nazi Germany… the study thereof is basically the ultimate intersection between history geekdom and Jewish neuroses.
Good luck with all the stuff which is keeping you busy!
October 9th, 2008 at 7:40 am
Start working on THAT fantastic idea! Skip the dissertation! :)
October 10th, 2008 at 6:56 pm
I say “go ahead”! It´s fantastic to be able to use your imagination in that way. :D