TABLE OF CONTENTS: List of Illustrations xi
Acknowledgments xv
Translation and Pronunciation xix Introduction 1 - 1 The Starry Castle Opens 13
- The Surrealist Situation of the Object 13
- A Choice of Abdications 22
2 Zone 33 - Le passant de Prague 33
- This Little Mother Has Claws 44
- The Time of Ardent Reason 52
- The Hangman and the Poet 63
- Tongues Come to Life 69
3 Metamorphoses 79 - The Origin of Robots 79
- A Beautiful Garden Next Door to History 90
- Suicide Lane 99
- Franz Kafka's Dream 114
- Do You Speak German? Are You a Jew? 122
- Fantasy Land. Entry 1 Crown 130
- The Precious Legacy 137
4 Modernism in the Plural 144 - Alfons Mucha, Steel and Concrete 144
- The Ghosts of Futures Past 156
- From the Window of the Grand Café Orient 170
- Granny's Valley 183
- The Electric Century 197
- All the Beauties of the World 210
5 Body Politic 221 - The Silent Woman 221
- The Poetry of Future Memories 231
- Renaissance Ballet 242
- Beautiful Ideas That Kill 251
- Sexual Nocturne 261
- Cut with a Kitchen Knife 270
- A War Economy, Words of Command, and Gas 280
6 On the Edge of an Abyss 288 - The Beautiful Gardener 288
- The Bride Stripped Bare 298
- Gulping for Air and Violence 304
- Orders of Things 312
- L'origine du monde 324
- Dreams of Venus 331
- A Girl with a Baton 344
7 Love's Boat Shattered against Everyday Life 356 - A National Tragedy with Pretty Legs 356
- The Poet Assassinated 364
- A Wall as Thick as Eternity 374
- Didier Desroches 387
- Am I Not Right, Jan Hus? 399
- Messalina's Shoulder in the Gaslight 409
- That Familiar White Darkness 419
8 The Gold of Time 426 - The Necromancer's Junk Room 426
- The Prague-Paris Telephone 433
- The Dancing House 439
Notes 445
Bibliography 529
Index 561 Return to Book Description File created: 4/25/2013 | 
