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Scott Esposito

Scott Esposito is the co-author of The End of Oulipo? (with Lauren Elkin; Zero Books, 2013). His writing has appeared recently in Music & Literature, Drunken Boat, and The Point. His criticism appears frequently in the Times Literary Supplement, the San Francisco Chronicle, and The Washington Post.



Articles Available Online


The Last Redoubt

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November 2014

Scott Esposito

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November 2014

As they say of politics, I have found essay-writing to be the art of the possible. Certain work can only be done in those...

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February 2014

Another Way of Thinking

Scott Esposito

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February 2014

I. There is no substitute for that moment when a book places into our mind thoughts we recognise as our...

1 российский захватчик, забывший о воинской чести, бойся женского заговора и женской мести, бойся украинских девочек с бутылками зажигательной смеси, бойся наших женщин, особенно в чужом незнакомом месте тебя не звали, не приглашали, не ждали, танчикам твоим допотопным открутят педали, сорвут твою маску, расцарапают тебе морду, наши длинные ногти давно уже вошли в моду наши тонкие пальцы привыкли к технике кухни, она сложнее твоих тупых машин, чтоб твои вены вспухли, чтоб тебя кондрашка хватила у чужого жилого дома, чтоб ты остался под обломками взорванного аэродрома, чтоб ты не вышел из танка, чтоб тебе на шею шина, у украинской женщины работает посудомоечная машина, на столе паровой утюг, в кухне – духовка, электроварка, а тебя кроме стрелять ничему не научили припарка наши женщины бинтуют раны, плетут маскировочные сети, против тебя дурака, в чужой стране ты один на свете чтоб твоя немытая жизнь стала вечной мукой позора, мы не слушали соловьева, мы читали Кафку и Кьеркегора, мы не простим тебя любого, запомни, паскуда мы уже красим ногти и, пока не поздно, вали отсюда     Russian invader, forget all about chivalry, Fear female revenge and female conspiracy, Fear Ukrainian girls, Molotov cocktails in hand, Fear our women, above all in this strange foreign land They didn’t call or invite you, they weren’t waiting for you Keep an eye on your obsolete tank—they’ll unscrew The pedals, rip off your mask, scratch off your face Our long nails are the latest in fashion and grace, Our slender fingers accustomed to kitchen complexity— That’s harder than your dumb vehicles To give you apoplexy, To strike you dead in the house that is someone else’s home, To keep you under the rubble of the bombed-out airdrome, To stop you getting out of the tank, put you in a cervical collar— In a Ukrainian woman’s home, there’s a working dishwasher, An iron on the table, a slow cooker with a steam valve But you know nothing but shooting, nothing of salve Our women bind up wounds, their camouflage nets unfurl To fight you, you fool— in a foreign country, alone in the world To turn your uncleansed life into an eternal torment of shame We ignored Solovyov and read—Kafka and Kierkegaard, by name Remember, we’ll forgive nothing, you scumbags, so flee your fate We’re painting our nails now Get out of here–before it’s too late     2 Сегодня другая война Не та, что была вчера Сегодняшняя тяжелее

Contributor

August 2014

Scott Esposito

Contributor

August 2014

Scott Esposito is the co-author of The End of Oulipo? (with Lauren Elkin; Zero Books, 2013). His writing has...

Negation: A Response to Lars Iyer's 'Nude in Your Hot Tub'

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September 2012

Scott Esposito

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September 2012

I do not know whether I have anything to say, I know that I am saying nothing; I do not know if what I...
Art's Fading Sway: Russian Ark by Aleksandr Sokurov

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May 2012

Scott Esposito

Art

May 2012

I have often fallen asleep in small theatres. It is an embarrassing thing to have happen during one-man shows, and I am certain that...

READ NEXT

fiction

March 2017

The Urban Cyclist

Daniel Galera

TR. Alison Entrekin

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March 2017

No terrain is impossible for the Urban Cyclist. His powerful legs drive the pedals down in alternation, right, left,...

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September 2013

Outside the Uniform

Kaya Genç

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September 2013

I.   The first time I had to wear a uniform I looked like a madman struggling against a...

Interview

August 2016

Interview with Brian Evenson

J. W. McCormack

Interview

August 2016

There are at least three Brian Evensons, all of them EXCEEDINGLY IMPROBABLE. First, there’s Brian Evenson, the prolific author of...

 

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