Write a post in the style of (or simply inspired by) a favorite author.
Photographers, artists, poets: show us HOMAGE.
Anyone ever read The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka? Probably the fewer amongst
us. Kafka is not every man’s thing. On my quest for learning something about
the literature of other countries I decided to see what this Kafka was all
about. Perhaps I am especially honoured to be able to read Kafka in original
German, although he was born in Prague, Czech Republic, so most probably he was
not writing in his mother tongue.
Anyhow I started with The Castle and got my first taste of strange; a castle
governing the surrounding village with beaurocracy. The main character in the
book wanting to arrive at the castle. His ways followed many paths, but did he
get to the castle? To be quite honest I am not sure, but I do not think he did.
So is Kafka, full of unanswered questions. Then I decided to read The Process.
A man accused of a crime, although what the crime was is still shrouded in
mystery for me. He was subject to a process and found guilty and I think, am
almost sure, he faced a death sentence at the end of the book. Sorry for being
a little uncertain, but Kafka has a way of uncertainties. The Verdict had about
six different endings. Either Kafka could not make up his mind, left the end
open, or a few other authors tried to conclude the novel. Actually I quite enjoyed
the book, but it was an exhausting experience.
I am not a wise reader, just enjoy reading and Kafka is an adventure in itself.
Now to my favourite book written by Kafka which is such a favourite that I read
it twice to make sure I did not miss anything. I am now returning to The
Metamorphosis. A man, Gregor Samsa, awakes one morning and finds he is laying
on his back in bed. Nothing strange, but Gregor awakes with six spindly legs.
Overnight he has become a sort of beetle. His human body has undergone a
metamorphosis. He eventually manages to turn his body after many strenuous
attempts, landing on his legs. He hides from everyone. What will mum and dad
say? What will anyone think?
Of course Kafka is not just telling a tale of mystery and horror. He is showing
what happens when you are an outcast, no-one wants to know you, let us just
ignore him and he will go away. The story takes many twists and turns. The only
person that bothers about this transformed human body is Gregor Samsa’s sister.
She brings him food, looks after him, but even her patience is eventually
exhausted. At one stage in the story Gregor becomes the victim of assault. An
apple is thrown at him and embeds itself in his armoured back. Needless to say
this does not help. Eventually Gregor is left alone in his room, the sister
abandons her brother and he dies, shrivels into a dried insect, still with a
rotting apple wedged in his back. The End – Kafka was never known for happy
endings.
This is not a homage to Kafka and if I could write in his style I would have
received my Booker/Nobel/Pulitzer prize many years ago, plus selling movie
rights to the films of my books. Even Kafka has been filmed. Generally in black
and white which fits the bleak subject matter of his writings. The Trial was
filmed with both Anthony Perkins and Anthony Hopkins in the leading role. The
Castle was a German production with the late Ulrich Mühe, who is probably not
known by most of the readers.
Metamorphosis is a book that left an insect trail of tiny footprints in my
mind. I just love the strange and mysterious. So if you go to bed in the
evening and think tomorrow is going to be just another day, think about Gregor
Samsa. You might awake to be someone different. Just remember all the people
you know that are different, perhaps isolated, ignored, like Gregor Samsa.
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Write a post about anything you’d like — in the style of your favorite blogger. (Be sure to link to them!)
When I saw the title of this challenge, I had to shake my head a bit. I do not have a favourite blogger. Blogging is a hobby of mine. I enjoy writing about this and that so where do I start. I do not copy, but can be inspired. Over the years I have been blogging starting with good old Yahoo 350, and then Multiply which dies today, I have written many blogs and read many blogs. Now I have arrived in Blogger and WordPress. I have learnt over the years that a backup is always good, but now I don't have a backup in that sense any more. I just have two places.
Pondering over the subject of this blog, Mr. Mad came to my mind. Now who is Mr. Mad. He was the first Blogger colleague I had, starting on Yahoo 350 and then via Multiply. I loved his blogs, they were amusing in a sort of satirical way. His main character was Mr. Tiddleywinkles, his cat who of course spoke fluent human language and really kept Mr. Mad up and running.
Mr. Mad inspired me to start blogging about my own three cats (they have their own site on WordPress). I even started a series in the sense of Mr. Mad called "Reservoir cats", but the writings now only exist in a few blogs that still exist. Hier is a link to one of my parts Reservoir Cats 3.
I did not know Mr. Mad personally. He was english, from North England, and starting writing his blog as a bet for a case of beer (so was Mr. Mad). He had to write for three months. At the end of his three month writing session he got his beer but became so popular that we were all calling for more, and we got more, for at least three years. Mr. Tiddleywinkles was killed in the meanwhile, but he had three brothers, also known as Mr. Tiddleywinkles, so they would take over one by one. They all belonged to the Kittykat club, based in Manchester, who fought against crime. Mr. Mad had a hard time keeping Mr. Tiddleywinkles under control, but we were all part of his fan club.
The stories gradually did not come so regularly and we realised that Mr. Mad did have some health problems. One day he found it was time to stop writing. Perhaps he might return, he would have to think it over.
A few months later one of my blogging colleagues in Multiply informed that Mr. Mad was no longer with us. He had died a few weeks after his last entry. He probably felt what was going to happen. We all missed him terribly and he was and remains my favourite blogger. I am not going to attempt to write in his way, but here is an original that I found still on Internet. Today Multiply dies on the socal side of things and the blogs will probably die with the site. I have managed to rescue this one, the first he wrote, in memory of Mr. Mad and his writings, may he rest in peace.
"A Totally ruined Week-end
As you all know the Haggis Hunting Season started yesterday, me myself and Mr Tiddlywinkles were all prepared and ready to hit the Scottish Highlands.
I had my sturdy brogues set out as well as a decent pair of Plus Fours, tweed jacket and not forgetting my deerstalker hat, and my home made bow and arrows, ( I used to have a double barrelled shotgun, but the police took it off me because they said I was mad, well of coarse I'm Mad that's my name I just wonder sometimes if my name was Sane, would I have been allowed to keep it.
I believe it was Friday night when the shit hit the proverbial well you know what it is, Mr Tiddlywinkles says all of a sudden, I'm not going, WHAT, I had everything prepared, train timetables everything, even a guide to show us the best vantage point's, it cost me an arm and a leg. I even bought Mr Tiddlywinkles a new sack to put the Haggis in.
Now myself and Mr Tiddlywinkles have been living together for a few year's now, and this has never happened before, WOW,WOW, before any of you get the wrong impression, let me explain something to you all.
Mr Tiddlywinkles is a cat ( CAT ) so stop that snickering, I will explain how we met that fateful day. I was outside having an argument, with a neighbour, (now you all know me well by this time , and the last thing I want to do is have an argument with anybody ) after this said argument I turned around to go back into my humble abode, and sat on the doorstep was a cat, I snarled at it as I was pretty wound up at the time, the cat just snarled back at me, then walked in my house and jumped on my favourite chair, what could I do, I said SHOO KITTY, get out , but no nothing, that was about 4 year's ago, and he's still here, we often sit up till the wee hour's of the morning discussing thing's like world politics, the problem's that beset us all, and we have sorted them all out, but who listens fucking nobody, ( sorry about my French )
So the weekend was totally ruined, and with it being Friday, Mr Tiddlywinkles demands his Friday treat which is, fresh salmon steaks, poached in fresh cream with a side dish of mice and rat escalopes, and what do I have, pig's trotter's boiled in vinegar, a bit of tripe ( that's cows stomach ) followed by a nice Bury black pudding with strawberry jam.
My God look at the date."
Wordpress Daily Prompt Imitation/Flattery
