Awaiting oblivion te Fook) Mautice Blanchot Translated by Jobn Gre Univesity of Nebraska PratContents,Translator’s introduction LA Fo, published ia 96, occupies v spec place in MaoriceBlinehots ovane, beng ht most experimental nem. te combine eo xy erent, contradictory, and agua in compathle modes of wating: ataion and fenton. The tment alliance ofthese two forms may go a long way towne pling wy the work as rccved 4 il iil atention! To the perplexing qietion of owt clase at belong toa tcl gene, thee ett response be given, olin thece vid and wel formed readers of Blinehot (One cold ange, does Roger Laporte, thst Ata Paul is “Ranchos last mareaie work” Ina review in the Nawal eos Frana on te ocexsion of the books publestion, howeve, Michel Deguy propon second salto, whi sks eae butmoreevnive shan that of Laporte, by saggsting ht At Fab occupies ome on of mide ground between pilovophy nd fon. Daguy notes that “the bepoing ofthe book appeacs te place within the naa tion," bathe ale points othe ‘wor’ aphoritic content, excerpt of which appeted te yees Pot toe poblcszon, na fesxehnf in honor of Hegeer seve bit? A ti pos the one pt forth byMichel Foucault, who would prefer act os onan opoion chat philosophy and fton inorder to carci thelangsage DF Ate eb “The dsineson beseen "aves oxtives! sd ‘cic’ & progscsvly weskened in Blanchot unt, in Alwate ob ngage sone is alowed to speai—sbat is 0 nett nether feton nore Benin nather steady sid nor never yeti Foucault sccrstely Hence the te baie rps of texts ‘bat ae up Blinchors aco the elaborate novels of the 94 the pared dowa sarives (it) ofthe hte 428 and the 19998, which ae comprised of moments that read Uke dalsions of ‘ie scenes ound in he novel and thecal esas that pan his eae careet, Moreover, Fone corey seat that the trjecny fllowed by Blinchots erry hiory as le him ‘he witing of woks that excape genes clasicaton and whose fle sto contest the bovadaies bought to eparte excites of Firion and resin, ce eal reading and creative wring, ico two cles defined dicpines.‘The apportion berwees the Alscouses of phosophy and ction that Deguy ses asthe mos ant ete of Lande bb he Foca view as ving teen bypassed thus aoc new optical otis work On the conta the tension betwen these two discos ees athe ‘ryt of Blanchot ence Berry enterprise ‘Wit the pssibe exception of Letts hisbooks of ti ay het ery tne egmentry ia ha ey ae made up of ests tha were fs writen fr pubeation in pedal. ‘Bao: Pa (94) the most elec of these ealletion, contains ent say ales that ginal appeared i the dally Jura! ‘de Dib The robs of these pees, inspired by the est tele of cia tues, tandation, poet and Beton, range from ds Vins Nothin andthe Freach baroque poet to Gioooe rention of Maly Di nd Carat Frame His second book firey econ, La Podf (194 Te Wik of Fr 2995, ‘conti half as many essays 2 the fast Te these longer pies tgnaly pelahed ia Lnle and Cin, Baochot rests ‘acto writes of the nietenth and went cetaie—with the exception of Pascale ia ther there begins to emege & Lindt pantheon of exemplary wes o whom hewlncessnty retun in his discussion ofthe ace of reading and wring in year and books to come: Mallarmé, Katia, Chat, Halden yt His next four books of ecm, Lae its (935 he Spe of Liman, 19), Le Live & sve (939), L-Emttion ‘nie! (96, The inte Conran, 29), a Ant (579, se compte almost exelately of contibutons he side to {he Nove Rew Frama on a rgae basso 1933 0 1968 Am losly esrb Fs Pt st Lo ot dao unr o8 itis «hetrogencousealleeton of pecs weiten Between 29}2 sod 1970 The other tie tes the other hand, conse the core of Blanch theory of litera, and akg they sze complions of previously poate cay, they posses & ‘heme unity that his ratte collections do nt the books te Alivided ito sections that have dies and an imple thread of segment ix theae nections rogetherin ch wy tha tee stained, progressive development thoughout. [et if, however, dings fom the sw books tit imei receded ity wine fis sic vey, fort contains at oly ‘conventional ets bat ala nlogoe and genta ets Tae malic of forms, LE ii proigtes Bl ‘oth ext (and ast) 140 jor books, which ae Segment Le Pes aml (a3; The Sep Nat Bnd 1992) anh Eon acre (8 The Win of te Dita, 586). Like L'Atet Pv, these works ate cnfinble which otto a howeret tha 0 Aerenee exit among the the, Because possi cartes, ‘setingand stay Hine (lthough hese clemencs are redsced 02 ‘ninman), 1A ube ndoabedy mote ofanaretive workfan theese Le Parad however also ontsinen acai dimension fritcompeseenoonysphorsmsandlenghier pose prssages of a eflectve or phlosphial hent but als dialogues td vgnestes tha oul be excerpts fom x preparatory shichet for his ftion, Moreones, specifi alsons to oter wstes and tinhers are fw ane far between. "Entre du dar, on te other band, exits fewer aus of wien thete ae oly two Unlgues snd no sattatve fgets. Curiously, given the wide range of topics dhcused fom the sence of eymesogy to the FHolveaust, for exnpl-andelange number of waters whom Bluchot refers wien dicusng thee sabes this book comet exo 4 istot cousin of is eater eel erpilations the Aierenee being hat dhe ena hat ban replaced by the conse ‘el nore concent fon ofthe fagmes The setsog of nang Ono as bon anos completly sep of any reference o conezete zen favor ofa in imme sive hoe oon spare fared wih 3 be, ames anda tbl where everything aks place, What takes pce has sls Been reed 1 the Bare ezenale The basi stony fine copeerns the elaonsip beeween a man and» womun Who spent an incalable amount of me together talking 8 they tlernatebeswen waiting fr something to happen to then tat ever does and vainly tying to emember someting ha may thea hve happens tthe. The aura cig language, ard ot of nang ON show how fr Bachot has come fan, his poruaa of the panicatichen cin is did now, Tre Haat (8; Te ot Hh 196) which sboundsn charter,