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Luminous Debris

by Gustaf Sobin

Luminous Debris Cover

 

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

Interpreting vestige with the eloquence of a poet and the knowledge of a field archaeologist, Gustaf Sobin explores his elected terrain: the landscapes of Provence and Languedoc. Drawing on prehistory, protohistory, and Gallo-Roman antiquity, the twenty-six essays in this book focus on a particular place or artifact for the relevance inherent in each. A Bronze Age earring or the rippling wave pattern in Massiolite ceramic are more than archival curiosities for Sobin. Instead they invite inquiry and speculation on existence itself: Artifacts are read as realia, and history as an uninterrupted sequence of object lessons.

As much travel writing as meditative discourse, Luminous Debris is enhanced by a prose that tracks, questions, and reflects on the materials invoked. Sobin engages the reader with precise descriptions of those very materials and the messages to be gleaned from their examination, be they existential, ethical, or political.

An American expatriate living in Provence for the past thirty-five years, Gustaf Sobin shares his enthusiasm for his adopted landscape and for a vertical interpretation of its strata. In Luminous Debris he creates meaning out of matter and celebrates instances of reality, past and present.

Synopsis:

"A wonderful, addictive book. Gustaf Sobin's prose combines descriptive precision with evocative power, calling to mind the poetic-scholarly writing of Barthes or Bachelard. As he records and links the scattered fragments, some infinitesimal, of a regional past, Sobin offers wonder, regret, and often a sharp critique of contemporary society."--James Clifford, author of Routes: Travel and Translation in the Late 20th Century

Synopsis:

A collection of contemplative essays on the deep history of Provence by a poet and amateur archaologist.

Description:

Includes bibliographical references (p. 223-232) and index.

About the Author

Gustaf Sobin's books include Voyaging Portraits (1988), Venus Blue: A Novel (1991), Breaths' Burials (1995), By the Bias of Sound (1996), and Towards the Blanched Alphabets (1998). A novel, The Fly-Truffler, set in Provence, is forthcoming this year.

Product Details

ISBN:
9780520222458
Author:
Sobin, Gustaf
Publisher:
University of California Press
Location:
Berkeley :
Subject:
History
Subject:
Anthropology - Cultural
Subject:
Ancient - General
Subject:
France
Subject:
Archaeology
Subject:
Antiquities
Subject:
Languedoc (france)
Subject:
France, Southern
Subject:
Archaeology and history
Subject:
Provence
Subject:
Languedoc
Subject:
France, Southern Antiquities.
Subject:
Archaeology and history - France, Southern
Subject:
Ancient & Classical
Subject:
World History-Ancient History
Edition Description:
Trade paper
Series Volume:
105-393
Publication Date:
20000131
Binding:
TRADE PAPER
Grade Level:
Professional and scholarly
Language:
English
Illustrations:
Yes
Pages:
256
Dimensions:
8.02x6.00x.73 in. .86 lbs.

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Luminous Debris New Trade Paper
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Product details 256 pages University of California Press - English 9780520222458 Reviews:
"Synopsis" by , "A wonderful, addictive book. Gustaf Sobin's prose combines descriptive precision with evocative power, calling to mind the poetic-scholarly writing of Barthes or Bachelard. As he records and links the scattered fragments, some infinitesimal, of a regional past, Sobin offers wonder, regret, and often a sharp critique of contemporary society."--James Clifford, author of Routes: Travel and Translation in the Late 20th Century
"Synopsis" by , A collection of contemplative essays on the deep history of Provence by a poet and amateur archaologist.
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