#lectures de cafè

[whatdoesshedotothem]

: Thursday 17 May 1838

7

2

A-‘s cousin came this morning soon after nine a week too soon fine morning F56 ½° at 7 ½ am wrote the whole of the last page and breakfast at 9 ¼ in ½ hour and had talkathon with the washerwoman whom I quietly put into as much rage as she dared shew – would not pay her bill – but said I would settle it with the lady of the house or with monsieur she wanted the bill back again but this she would not give up – had just written so far at 10 10 according to the ‘almanach administratif et statistique et de la cour d���appel de Liège et de son Ressort. 43me année. 1838. Liège. Imprimerie de Jacques Desoer Libraix Place St. Lambert, no.774’ vid. p. 157 governor M. le baron Charles H. A. J. Vandensteen de Jehay, Mt. St. Martin, no.614. and vide p. 211 population de la ville de Liège 1 January 1837 = 59.363 ames – or population par quartier Sud, 18,251 ; Nord 14,817, Est 14,606 ; Ouest 11,689. and vide p. 279 to 284 inclusive account of the anniversary – p. 282 Galerie Zoologique ‘pourra devenir précieux par l’achat du célèbre cabinet de [fer] M. Schmerling’ – M. D. – took a commissionaire and George and A- and I went out (walked) at 10 35 – 1st to Collardin’s took back the 2 plans of Liège 4/. and got in exchange a German French and English vocabulary 4/. and a Belgian Livre de poste 2/50 – left these at home and then went for 10 minutes to the cathedral (St. Paul) -  neat, clean, marble skirted, handsome remarkably comfortable church – with handsome painted window east and two partly painted in the transept north and south a German had just been at the top of this church – then to St. Jacques at 11 and sent George and the commissionaire home for Oddy – old gothic church very neat and interesting and handsome founded by bishop Baldric in 1014 – the cathedral ceiling painted in a running pattern, that of St. Jacques much handsome – good deal of [?] imitating the effect of guilding – the church undergoing great repairs – the man who shewed us about said to the 300,000 francs? of which government gave 25,000 fr. but what was that – waited for the servants ½ hour – then 5 minutes longer and off to Les mineurs at 11 35 and the priests’ college adjoining the bishops’ palace – 140 etudiàns, at 400fr. per annum – In the corridors an excellent gravure of Rome, and chronological gravure of the heads and dates of all the popes, all the Kings of Spain, and all the Roma emperors – saw the dining room kitchen and lecture room – good, but very plain rooms, nothing to see – the bishops’ palace not shewn a merely pretty good private house – the church (all the same corps de bâtiment) neat clean very white and pretty and handsome enough – all the churches here less than usual encumbered with Roman catholic frippery – off from here at 1 35 – ½ hour at a booksellers in passing and bought several little things, not dear – then up to the church of St. Martin more striking in exterior and like commanding situation than worth visiting for its interior – pretty little oak-carved pulpit some pictures by Latour, and some tolerable little basso-relievo marble medallions by Delcour who sculptured the foundation (Virgin and child on pedestal water from the mouths of 4 lions into as many stone troughs) in the Place de St. Paul – from St. Martins’ went to the adjoining barrière and looked down upon the barrière St. Marguerite by which we had entered and close to which was our coal-pit – fine view on this side – but magnificent one from the garden of the cafè de belle vue looking down to the other side the hill, upon Liège and its fine river and voisinage – vineyards and gardens and long chimneys but very little smoke to be seen from houses or engines – our commissionaire said the coal of Liege did not make much smoke – true there is not much – a large 100 horse engine does not make more (as far as we have seen) than a common kitchen fire in England! How is this? – Delighted with the view – sent the servants home to dinner before 2 – ourselves back at 2 20 – got down the hill by a near little narrow way along the Derrière l’Eglise de St. Jean and soon at the theatre and at home – A- tired but lay on the sofa – made herself some tea as yesterday and seemed quite refreshed again in about an hour – I read the almanach de Liège lent us by our host and then till 4 wrote all but the 1st 5 lines of today – A- and I went out at 4 5 – bought pretty blue silk pincushion topped boite aux gants 12/. – then sauntered along the streets to the university – sought out our portière – she was with a party of French went with them to the salle (lecture room) – very large good handsome circular squared room – benches en amphithéâtre for the étudiants, and above a colonade gallery – very good effect – to the cabinet d’histoire naturelle mineralogy and geology and in the cabinet de physique et anatomie – mathematical instruments and anatomical preparation everything very nice – the cabinet of M. le docteur Schmerling not yet purchased but les administrateurs sur le pied de l’acheter – among the coal fossil vegetable remains saw one from la mine de l’espérance which it seems is at Seraing and belongs to Mr. Cockerill  and the woman as I understood said it was deeper than the houillère of Sainte Marguerite – an hour at the university then sauntered along the quai to the post the singular looking old brick building that Mt. de Piète – went up one of the several little streets (opening on to the Quai) not 4ft. wide I should guess about 3ft. 8in. wide according to my parasol returned by the marché and called on booksellers Place St. Lambert and bought the Liège almanac (vid. line 5 of today) etc. – home at 7 5 dinner about 7 ¼ in an hour – at 9 ¼ went down to see Mr. Mathiolis’ cellars, kitchen baths, and lastly his stable to see a Hannover horse (aetatis 9) that he played all sorts of coaxing tricks – with to shew how quiet it was – an hours’ business – his fruit cupboard and foyer de cuisine the best worth seeing things – A- tired – it was too much for her – fine day – F59° now at 10 ¾ pm – fine day – rain from about 8 am

the portiere at the university said how cold it was and that there was snow here on Tuesday morning at 6 am

SH:7/ML/E/21/0102

A- lay on the sofa poorly busy getting the boiler to heat water and undressing her with A- heating water or one thing or other till 12 20 – then leaving her in bed, sat looking over the books bought today till one tonight – then hearing her crying went to her and gave her some cherry brandy  she said her head and neck were bad she wants more than I can do for her  a good strong fellow

[antiartistes]

Llegint, acabant, "Gegants de gel", de Joan Benesiu. Una experiència emocionant.

[guillemjc]

Cròniques des del terrat (II) – Galvany

Plaisir d’amour ne dure qu’un moment, Chagrin d’amour dure toute la vie.

Els dissabtes al matí agafava el carrer Santaló amunt. S’aturava al Mercat de Galvany. Abans d’entrar-hi, des de la parada de l’autobús, aixecava el cap i es fixava en aquell àtic del carrer dels Madrazo. “M’agradaria viure-hi”, pensava. Els veïns d’aquell tram de carrer eren els privilegiats del barri: gaudien d’una perspectiva encomiable i de més hores de sol que la resta.

Dins del mercat, guaitava la gent comprar, observava paradistes i clients com si fossin figurants de la funció d’aquell vespre. Fitava el sostre, que l’impressionava per la seva dimensió, apuntalat pel gran esquelet metàl·lic que suportava la cúpula central. L’estructura de ferro i les voltes imprimien a l’edifici una elegància majestuosa. La llum penetrava generosa a l’interior. Les parades s’escampaven pels quatre braços de la creu grega i, al bell mig, la petita torre del rellotge s’erigia com a creuer de la nau central del temple comercial.

Travessava tot el mercat sense comprar-hi res, només pel gust de passejar-s’hi. “Quanta vida condensada als mercats de Barcelona!”, pensava. La seva àvia, de petit, se l’emportava al Mercat del Ninot. A plaça, tothom la coneixia, i la tractaven amb una amabilitat que al vailet li semblava impostada: “Que bufó, el seu nét, Maria Antònia!”. El que més recordava eren les olors: de la fruita, del peix, de la carn, de les flors. “Tots els mercats fan les mateixes olors”.

De nou a fora al carrer, badava amb la façana de maó vist i els seus mosaics amb motius daurats i l’escut de la ciutat i els alts finestrals. Aquell edifici, a mig camí entre l’arquitectura modernista i la industrial, li infonia una gran admiració i li feia pensar que la seva tímida fama no li feia justícia.

A la cruïlla amb el carrer Calaf, un mar de flors inundava el xamfrà. Pensava en París, on pràcticament a cada cantonada hi havia una floristeria. Recordava com els parisencs compraven flors, regalaven flors, veneraven les flors. Ell va encomanar-se d’aquest entusiasme quan hi vivia, i va fer-se seu el culte a les flors quan va tornar a Barcelona. Per això, quan passava per aquella cantonada sempre s’hi aturava a comprar-ne. “Aquí només sobreviuen les floristeries que són al costat d’un tanatori”, li deia el senyor Martínez. “Però aquí a prop no n’hi ha pas cap, i a vostè sembla que li vagi bé el negoci”, li replicava. “Jo tinc la sort de tenir el mercat”. A la Barcelona patrícia, les flors decoren els menjadors i els jardins de les cases.

Comprava un ram de margarides i seguia Santaló amunt. Al número 79 hi havia Casa Usher, la seva llibreria de referència, una altra parada obligatòria. O potser l’única. La porta de vidre amb el preciós marc de fusta i el nom de l’establiment –manllevat d’un relat de Poe–, imprès amb una tipografia estil·litzada de color grana a la tarja del portal, convidava a entrar tothom qui hi passava per davant. L’interior, que havia albergat un antic celler del barri, era encara més acollidor: el terra hidràulic de sanefes i flors, les prestatgeries blanques, el llarg passadís amb la filera de làmpades de bola de llum càlida que acompanyava local endins i, a mà dreta, la fabulosa estança modernista amb les parets de mosaic enrajolat, el doble mirall i la roseta del sostre. Però la joia de la corona era l’arrière-cour, un meravellós pati interior que feia les delícies dels curiosos que arribaven fins al fons de l’establiment. Un lloc de pausa, un petit oasi on seure i llegir i oblidar-se de la resta del món. 

Va conèixer la Bàrbara una tarda de principis de juny, quan la primavera començava a deixar pas als llargs vespres d’estiu, a la presentació de Fugir era el més bell que teníem, de Marta Marín-Dòmine, amb l’autora i amb l’editora, la Maria Bohigas. Aquell dia, el pati de la Casa Usher era ple de lectors entusiastes. Tothom s’adelitava amb el magnetisme de totes dues. Però ell havia quedat completament embadalit amb els ulls vellutats d’una de les llibreteres, amb el seu somriure dolç, el seu tracte servicial, la seva mirada plena de coqueteria. Aquell vespre es va sentir tan trastornat que no es va veure amb esma de dir-li res. Va marxar sense fer cap pregunta a l’escriptora, no es va esperar a saludar-la al final de l’acte, ni tan sols va comprar el llibre. Es va aixecar i se’n va anar, compungit.

Des d’aquell dia, però, cada dissabte sense excepció tornava a la llibreria, portava un ram de flors a la Bàrbara i li comprava un llibre. Ella li recomanava autores que l’havien marcada, lectures que havien definit la seva manera de veure el món i de llegir-lo. Gent normal, de Sally Rooney; Canto jo i la muntanya balla, d’Irene Solà; La campana de vidre, de Sylvia Plath; Creix un arbre a Brooklyn, de Betty Smith; Els desposseïts, d’Ursula K. Le Guin; Orlando, de Virginia Woolf. Cada dissabte, un ram de flors. Cada dissabte, un nou llibre. La literatura era l’excusa per veure-la.

Un matí que es va llevar especialment coratjós se’n va anar a esmorzar al Velódromo. Quan el cambrer li va haver servit el cafè i el croissant, va treure una llibreta i un bolígraf i va apuntar: “Turó Park”. Estava decidit a dir-li a la Bàrbara de quedar quan ella sortís de la feina. Tan bon punt va ser a la Casa Usher, li va llançar la proposta. A la Bàrbara li va semblar un oferiment atrevit i afalagador, i hi va accedir. Ell la va passar a buscar a les vuit a la llibreria i van anar caminant plegats al Turó Park. 

Li va explicar que tot sovint, sortint de la llibreria, hi anava a devorar les primeres pàgines del llibre que acabava d’adquirir. “De nen, les meves tietes m’hi portaven a jugar”, va contar-li. Hi guardava molts records d’infància i per això li agradava anar-hi a passejar, asseure’s en un banc prop de l’estany ple de nimfees, llegir, observar els nens jugar. Contemplava l’escena com qui esguarda un quadre de Monet. S’hi sentia a gust. “A principis del segle passat hi havia hagut un parc d’atraccions”, va explicar-li. “Durant molt de temps, el Turó Park va ser un dels pocs espais verds de tota la ciutat”.

“És molt elegant”, va dir-li ella. El parc, a més de l’estany, quedava esgrafiat per tot de caminets curvilinis, tenia un bosquet d’alzines amb un sotabosc de plantes enfiladisses, una praderia, parterres d’heura, magnòlies, til·lers, plàtans, llorers, rosers i arbres de l’amor. I al cor d’aquell indret, la plaça del Teatret, on molts anys abans s’hi feia teatre a l’aire lliure. 

Van asseure’s en un banc al costat de la Biga de la Font de l’Aurora i es van explicar trajectòries vitals i projectes a curt i a llarg termini. Ella volia obrir la seva pròpia llibreria i omplir les prestatgeries al seu gust. Ell somniava amb ser corresponsal i voltar per tot el món explicant històries de l’Àfrica, de l’Orient Mitjà, de Llatinoamèrica, de Rússia, de la Xina, dels Estats Units. Tots dos es veien al cap d’uns anys en un piset de l’Eixample amb sostres alts i molta llum i fent el sopar a criatures entremaliades que no volen creure. “M’imagino posant-los al llit i llegint-los un conte de bona nit”. “Quina imatge més tendra”, va dir ella. “I molt feliç”, va afegir ell. 

El següent dissabte la va convidar a casa seva. Volia ensenyar-li la seva biblioteca. Després de remenar lloms i comentar lectures, li va oferir pujar al terrat amb una copa de vi. Sabia que era una aposta guanyadora. Li va ensenyar el castell de Montjuïc, l’hotel Vela, les torres Mapfre, la torre Agbar, la Sagrada Família... des d’allà dalt es veia tot. “Fins i tot, si et poses de puntetes, podràs veure el mar”. Però la seva vista preferida era la del Tibidabo. “Quan vivia a París, des del meu petit estudi veia Montmartre i el Sacré-Cœur”, li explicava. Veure el Sagrat Cor al cim de Collserola li semblava una bonica seqüència, un nexe que inferia coherència i correlació entre les seves dues cases. 

“A París tot li queda bé. Les postes de sol, les nevades, les nits salvatges, les matinades gelades, els museus, els jardins, aquella llum. Fins i tot la pluja, les inundacions o un incendi a la catedral”, va dir-li. Ella se’l mirava amb atenció i somreia, múrria. Va fer un glop de vi i va fixar la mirada al vent. “L’aire era fresc i els núvols s’anaven esllenegant”, va dir en veu alta, “és de Rodoreda”. “Com dius?”. “La frase, és de Mirall trencat. Trobo que defineix a la perfecció aquesta escena”. Ell va pensar en fer-li un petó, però no va gosar. “Creus que es pot fixar la mirada al vent?”.

Paysage : Le Parc Monceau (1876), Claude Monet

El dissabte següent, la Bàrbara va donar-li Fugir era el més bell que teníem. “Fa per tu, t’agradarà”. Ella desconeixia que ell l’havia vist per primer cop a la presentació que van fer-ne a la llibreria aquella llunyana tarda de juny. Li va explicar que ja no es veurien cap més dissabte, que deixava la llibreria i que se n’anava a viure a París. De què fugia, la Bàrbara? De sobte, li va pesar com un plom a l’ànima el petó que mai li va fer.

La seva parella havia estat becada per treballar en un grup d’investigació de Sciences Po. I ella, que des d’aquell viatge a París amb l’institut quan l’havia trepitjat per pimer cop que hi havia volgut viure, no va dubtar ni un segon a deixar la seva vida aquí i acompanyar-lo. Es van instal·lar en una mansarda de la rue des Saints-Pères, al barri de Saint-Germain-des-Prés, molt a prop de la facultat on ell aniria a fer recerca. De seguida va trobar feina a la llibreria del barri, L’Écume des Pages. Era ideal perquè li permetia tenir certs ingressos per ajudar a pagar l’apartament, la mantenia ocupada unes quantes hores al dia, podia practicar el francès amb la clientela i, sobretot, tenia milers de llibres al seu abast.

Quan sortia de la feina baixava la rue Bonaparte fins al Sena. Hi apareixia a l’alçada del Pont des Arts. Era el seu favorit. Allà descendia a les ribes i caminava per l’empedrat del quai, resseguint la silueta del riu, fins a Notre-Dame. Els dissabtes al vespre li agradava vorejar la catedral i acabar el seu recorregut a la terrassa de La Chaumière. Es demanava una copa de vi blanc i quedava embadocada amb el trànsit de vianants del pont Saint-Louis, que unia les dues illes del Sena. 

Anys més tard, rebria una carta de la Bàrbara des de la capital de França: “A París s’hi viu molt bé. La gent estima i té cura del paisatge urbà. Hi ha parcs i jardins pertot que fan la vida a ciutat més plaent i abellidora. Alguns em recorden el Turó Park. L’esclat de la primavera és aclaparador. Els parisencs valoren la bellesa. Cultiven el bon gust als interiors i als exteriors. Aquí, a cada cantonada hi ha una floristeria. Tenies raó: a París tot li queda bé. Però trobo a faltar els terrats de Barcelona”.

[jmvidal-illanes]

Arriba un temps de mutacions on la primera frustració és descobrir que la paraula tardor no té una etimologia clara ni certa, encara que s’imposa la tesi que procedeix de l’antic tardaó, derivat del llatí tardatiōne («tardança»), el que s’explica pel fet que en aquesta època cada matí el sol tarda un poc més a sortir per l’horitzó i ens enganya, alentint el ritme dels dies, com un metrònom amb la guia alta. No sé què hi ha de cert en tot això, però cada matí observo per la finestra com el matí arriba cada dia una mica més tard mentre l’olor de cafè s’expandeix inquietament dins la cuina i el sol es resisteix a l’horitzó. #instapic #books #booker #bookstagram #jmvidal-illanes #DollDeTinta #EscletxesDeTardor #escriure #escrits #llibres #libros📚 #revistes #igers #igerspalma #igersmallorca #igersbalears #lectures (at Palma De Mallorca, Spain)

[whatdoesshedotothem]

: Thursday 17 May 1838

7

2

A-‘s cousin came this morning soon after nine a week too soon fine morning F56 ½° at 7 ½ am wrote the whole of the last page and breakfast at 9 ¼ in ½ hour and had talkathon with the washerwoman whom I quietly put into as much rage as she dared shew – would not pay her bill – but said I would settle it with the lady of the house or with monsieur she wanted the bill back again but this she would not give up – had just written so far at 10 10 according to the ‘almanach administratif et statistique et de la cour d’appel de Liège et de son Ressort. 43me année. 1838. Liège. Imprimerie de Jacques Desoer Libraix Place St. Lambert, n°774’ vid. p. 157 governor M. le baron Charles H. A. J. Vandensteen de Jehay, Mt. St. Martin, n°614. and vide p. 211 population de la ville de Liège 1 January 1837 = 59.363 ames – or population par quartier Sud, 18,251 ; Nord 14,817, Est 14,606 ; Ouest 11,689. and vide p. 279 to 284 inclusive account of the anniversary – p. 282 Galerie Zoologique ‘pourra devenir précieux par l’achat du célèbre cabinet de [fer] M. Schmerling’ – M. D. – took a commissionaire and George and A- and I went out (walked) at 10 35 – 1st to Collardin’s took back the 2 plans of Liège 4/. and got in exchange a German French and English vocabulary 4/. and a Belgian Livre de poste 2/50 – left these at home and then went for 10 minutes to the cathedral (St. Paul) -  neat, clean, marble skirted, handsome remarkably comfortable church – with handsome painted window east and two partly painted in the transept north and south a German had just been at the top of this church – then to St. Jacques at 11 and sent George and the commissionaire home for Oddy – old gothic church very neat and interesting and handsome founded by bishop Baldric in 1014 – the cathedral ceiling painted in a running pattern, that of St. Jacques much handsome – good deal of [?] imitating the effect of guilding – the church undergoing great repairs – the man who shewed us about said to the 300,000 francs? of which government gave 25,000 fr. but what was that – waited for the servants ½ hour – then 5 minutes longer and off to Les mineurs at 11 35 and the priests’ college adjoining the bishops’ palace – 140 etudiàns, at 400fr. per annum – In the corridors an excellent gravure of Rome, and chronological gravure of the heads and dates of all the popes, all the Kings of Spain, and all the Roma emperors – saw the dining room kitchen and lecture room – good, but very plain rooms, nothing to see – the bishops’ palace not shewn a merely pretty good private house – the church (all the same corps de bâtiment) neat clean very white and pretty and handsome enough – all the churches here less than usual encumbered with Roman catholic frippery – off from here at 1 35 – ½ hour at a booksellers in passing and bought several little things, not dear – then up to the church of St. Martin more striking in exterior and like commanding situation than worth visiting for its interior – pretty little oak-carved pulpit some pictures by Latour, and some tolerable little basso-relievo marble medallions by Delcour who sculptured the foundation (Virgin and child on pedestal water from the mouths of 4 lions into as many stone troughs) in the Place de St. Paul – from St. Martins’ went to the adjoining barrière and looked down upon the barrière St. Marguerite by which we had entered and close to which was our coal-pit – fine view on this side – but magnificent one from the garden of the cafè de belle vue looking down to the other side the hill, upon Liège and its fine river and voisinage – vineyards and gardens and long chimneys but very little smoke to be seen from houses or engines – our commissionaire said the coal of Liege did not make much smoke – true there is not much – a large 100 horse engine does not make more (as far as we have seen) than a common kitchen fire in England! How is this? – Delighted with the view – sent the servants home to dinner before 2 – ourselves back at 2 20 – got down the hill by a near little narrow way along the Derrière l’Eglise de St. Jean and soon at the theatre and at home – A- tired but lay on the sofa – made herself some tea as yesterday and seemed quite refreshed again in about an hour – I read the almanach de Liège lent us by our host and then till 4 wrote all but the 1st 5 lines of today – A- and I went out at 4 5 – bought pretty blue silk pincushion topped boite aux gants 12/. – then sauntered along the streets to the university – sought out our portière – she was with a party of French went with them to the salle (lecture room) – very large good handsome circular squared room – benches en amphithéâtre for the étudiants, and above a colonade gallery – very good effect – to the cabinet d’histoire naturelle mineralogy and geology and in the cabinet de physique et anatomie – mathematical instruments and anatomical preparation everything very nice – the cabinet of M. le docteur Schmerling not yet purchased but les administrateurs sur le pied de l’acheter – among the coal fossil vegetable remains saw one from la mine de l’espérance which it seems is at Seraing and belongs to Mr. Cockerill  and the woman as I understood said it was deeper than the houillère of Sainte Marguerite – an hour at the university then sauntered along the quai to the post the singular looking old brick building that Mt. de Piète – went up one of the several little streets (opening on to the Quai) not 4ft. wide I should guess about 3ft. 8in. wide according to my parasol returned by the marché and called on booksellers Place St. Lambert and bought the Liège almanac (vid. line 5 of today) etc. – home at 7 5 dinner about 7 ¼ in an hour – at 9 ¼ went down to see Mr. Mathiolis’ cellars, kitchen baths, and lastly his stable to see a Hannover horse (aetatis 9) that he played all sorts of coaxing tricks – with to shew how quiet it was – an hours’ business – his fruit cupboard and foyer de cuisine the best worth seeing things – A- tired – it was too much for her – fine day – F59° now at 10 ¾ pm – fine day – rain from about 8 am

the portiere at the university said how cold it was and that there was snow here on Tuesday morning at 6 am

SH:7/ML/E/21/0102

A- lay on the sofa poorly busy getting the boiler to heat water and undressing her with A- heating water or one thing or other till 12 20 – then leaving her in bed, sat looking over the books bought today till one tonight – then hearing her crying went to her and gave her some cherry brandy  she said her head and neck were bad she wants more than I can do for her  a good strong fellow

[antiartistes]

Llegint, acabant, "Gegants de gel", de Joan Benesiu. Una experiència emocionant.

[antiartistes]

Llegia a la cafeteria el passatge del “Born to Run”, les memòries de Bruce Springsteen, on reflexiona sobre el seu moment de cruïlla emocional que va viure durant el seu viatge amb cotxe i un amic a Califòrnia, acabat el disc “Nebraska” -un disc fet de’especulacions i projeccions del seu Est natal més que de la contemplació real dels grans espais de l’Oest-. Llegia envoltat del soroll d’un local atestat, amb moltes criatures petites, pensant com jo he viscut la vida inversa a la de Bruce. Ell havia fugit de la vida familiar, de la vida- segons ell mateix-, a canvi d’una forma de control que era la seva actuació als estudis de gravació i als escenaris. ¿Una vida a l’aparador que era una il·lusió per no enfrontar-se a la vida real? Jo somiava en una vida similar, abans dels trenta-i-pocs que tenia Bruce quan es plantejava tot això. Una vida d’artista, sota el focus, com a escriptor, fins i tot com a músic -la meva gran frustració: no saber treure més enllà del cap els sons que dins sí sonaven-. Però en lloc d’això vaig derivar cap a una vida familiar i la lluita per una feina i una llar estables. Les nostres direccions, però, s’havien anat apropant en un munt de transaccions que avui no ens fan tan diferents, salvant totes les enormes distàncies que la seva mundial fama com a artista imposen.

Al costat meu, una  jove parella amb dues criatures petites gaudia d’un esmorzar de dia extraordinari de vacances. Era notori. També era notòria la manera relaxada amb què sabien manejar la comprensible agitació dels nens. Ja fa molt temps que ha passat per a mi aquesta obligació d’estricta vigilància de l’activitat dels fills -no encara, és clar, el seguiment ni la preocupació, que no ens abandonen mai, als pares-. Era una estampa familiar agradable, envejable sens dubte. I malgrat tot... alguna cosa amb un parell de mirades que he creuat amb el pare m’ha fet intuir que, tal vegada, encuriosit i secretament envejós, aquell home jove hauria canviat per un moment la seva vida amb la meva. I la meva era, en aquell moment, la que Bruce Springsteen m’explicava tan lúcidament des de les pàgines del gruixut llibre que tenia al costat del cafè.

[whatdoesshedotothem]

: Thursday 17 May 1838

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2

A-‘s cousin came this morning soon after nine a week too soon fine morning F56 ½° at 7 ½ am wrote the whole of the last page and breakfast at 9 ¼ in ½ hour and had talkathon with the washerwoman whom I quietly put into as much rage as she dared shew – would not pay her bill – but said I would settle it with the lady of the house or with monsieur she wanted the bill back again but this she would not give up – had just written so far at 10 10 according to the ‘almanach administratif et statistique et de la cour d’appel de Liège et de son Ressort. 43me année. 1838. Liège. Imprimerie de Jacques Desoer Libraix Place St. Lambert, n°774’ vid. p. 157 governor M. le baron Charles H. A. J. Vandensteen de Jehay, Mt. St. Martin, n°614. and vide p. 211 population de la ville de Liège 1 January 1837 = 59.363 ames – or population par quartier Sud, 18,251 ; Nord 14,817, Est 14,606 ; Ouest 11,689. and vide p. 279 to 284 inclusive account of the anniversary – p. 282 Galerie Zoologique ‘pourra devenir précieux par l’achat du célèbre cabinet de [fer] M. Schmerling’ – M. D. – took a commissionaire and George and A- and I went out (walked) at 10 35 – 1st to Collardin’s took back the 2 plans of Liège 4/. and got in exchange a German French and English vocabulary 4/. and a Belgian Livre de poste 2/50 – left these at home and then went for 10 minutes to the cathedral (St. Paul) -  neat, clean, marble skirted, handsome remarkably comfortable church – with handsome painted window east and two partly painted in the transept north and south a German had just been at the top of this church – then to St. Jacques at 11 and sent George and the commissionaire home for Oddy – old gothic church very neat and interesting and handsome founded by bishop Baldric in 1014 – the cathedral ceiling painted in a running pattern, that of St. Jacques much handsome – good deal of [?] imitating the effect of guilding – the church undergoing great repairs – the man who shewed us about said to the 300,000 francs? of which government gave 25,000 fr. but what was that – waited for the servants ½ hour – then 5 minutes longer and off to Les mineurs at 11 35 and the priests’ college adjoining the bishops’ palace – 140 etudiàns, at 400fr. per annum – In the corridors an excellent gravure of Rome, and chronological gravure of the heads and dates of all the popes, all the Kings of Spain, and all the Roma emperors – saw the dining room kitchen and lecture room – good, but very plain rooms, nothing to see – the bishops’ palace not shewn a merely pretty good private house – the church (all the same corps de bâtiment) neat clean very white and pretty and handsome enough – all the churches here less than usual encumbered with Roman catholic frippery – off from here at 1 35 – ½ hour at a booksellers in passing and bought several little things, not dear – then up to the church of St. Martin more striking in exterior and like commanding situation than worth visiting for its interior – pretty little oak-carved pulpit some pictures by Latour, and some tolerable little basso-relievo marble medallions by Delcour who sculptured the foundation (Virgin and child on pedestal water from the mouths of 4 lions into as many stone troughs) in the Place de St. Paul – from St. Martins’ went to the adjoining barrière and looked down upon the barrière St. Marguerite by which we had entered and close to which was our coal-pit – fine view on this side – but magnificent one from the garden of the cafè de belle vue looking down to the other side the hill, upon Liège and its fine river and voisinage – vineyards and gardens and long chimneys but very little smoke to be seen from houses or engines – our commissionaire said the coal of Liege did not make much smoke – true there is not much – a large 100 horse engine does not make more (as far as we have seen) than a common kitchen fire in England! How is this? – Delighted with the view – sent the servants home to dinner before 2 – ourselves back at 2 20 – got down the hill by a near little narrow way along the Derrière l’Eglise de St. Jean and soon at the theatre and at home – A- tired but lay on the sofa – made herself some tea as yesterday and seemed quite refreshed again in about an hour – I read the almanach de Liège lent us by our host and then till 4 wrote all but the 1st 5 lines of today – A- and I went out at 4 5 – bought pretty blue silk pincushion topped boite aux gants 12/. – then sauntered along the streets to the university – sought out our portière – she was with a party of French went with them to the salle (lecture room) – very large good handsome circular squared room – benches en amphithéâtre for the étudiants, and above a colonade gallery – very good effect – to the cabinet d’histoire naturelle mineralogy and geology and in the cabinet de physique et anatomie – mathematical instruments and anatomical preparation everything very nice – the cabinet of M. le docteur Schmerling not yet purchased but les administrateurs sur le pied de l’acheter – among the coal fossil vegetable remains saw one from la mine de l’espérance which it seems is at Seraing and belongs to Mr. Cockerill  and the woman as I understood said it was deeper than the houillère of Sainte Marguerite – an hour at the university then sauntered along the quai to the post the singular looking old brick building that Mt. de Piète – went up one of the several little streets (opening on to the Quai) not 4ft. wide I should guess about 3ft. 8in. wide according to my parasol returned by the marché and called on booksellers Place St. Lambert and bought the Liège almanac (vid. line 5 of today) etc. – home at 7 5 dinner about 7 ¼ in an hour – at 9 ¼ went down to see Mr. Mathiolis’ cellars, kitchen baths, and lastly his stable to see a Hannover horse (aetatis 9) that he played all sorts of coaxing tricks – with to shew how quiet it was – an hours’ business – his fruit cupboard and foyer de cuisine the best worth seeing things – A- tired – it was too much for her – fine day – F59° now at 10 ¾ pm – fine day – rain from about 8 am

the portiere at the university said how cold it was and that there was snow here on Tuesday morning at 6 am

SH:7/ML/E/21/0102

A- lay on the sofa poorly busy getting the boiler to heat water and undressing her with A- heating water or one thing or other till 12 20 – then leaving her in bed, sat looking over the books bought today till one tonight – then hearing her crying went to her and gave her some cherry brandy  she said her head and neck were bad she wants more than I can do for her  a good strong fellow

[antiartistes]

Els tres fonaments de Miquel Bauçà ("El canvi")