The history of the devil

239 Pages·2014·0.985 MB·English

by  Vilém Flusser, Siegfried Zielinski (editor)

Vilém Flusser
The History of
the Devil
Translated by Rodrigo Maltez Novaes
Flusser Archive Collection
Edited by Siegfried Zielinski
Univocal

THE HISTORY OF THE DEVIL
VILÉ M FLUSSER
translated by Rodrigo Maltez Novaes
Edited by Siegfried Zielinski
UNIVOCAL
A História da Diabo
-published by Editora Martins, 1965 -
© Copyright Miguel Flusser and the Flusser Archive
Translated from Portuguese by Rodrigo Maltez Novaes
as The History of the Devil
Edited by Siegfried Zielinski
First Edition
Minneapolis © 2014, Univocal Publishing
Published by Univocal
123 North 3rd Street, #202
Minneapolis, MN 55401
www.univocalpublishing.com
This book has been published with support from the
Brazilian Ministry of Culture / National Library Foundation.
Obra publicada com o apoio do
Ministério da Cultura do Brasil / Fundação Biblioteca Nacional.
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,
recording or any other information storage or retrieval system,
without prior permission in writing from the publisher.
Thanks to Edith Flusser, Dinah Flusser, Miguel Gustavo Flusser,
the Vilém Flusser Archive at the Universität der Künste Berlin,
Daniel Irrgang, Jamie Allen, Annie Goh, and Jon Thrower.
Cover design by Jason Wagner
Distributed by the University of Minnesota Press
ISBN 978-1-937561-57-4
Library of Congress Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress
Table of Contents
TRANSLATOR’S INTRODUCTION..................................XI
INTRODUCTION...........................................................1
THE DEVIL’S CHILDHOOD........................................11
1.
2.1. HIS BIRTH..............................................................11
2.
2.2. PLAYING WITH A SPINTOP...................................15
2.3. PLAYING WITH CUBES.........................................19
2.4. PLAYING OF COMPOSING ELEMENTS................24
LUST............................................................................37
3.1. LIFE.......................................................................38
3.
3.2. THE CELL..............................................................43
3.3. THE ORGANISM....................................................45
3.4. MAN......................................................................56
3.5. SEX........................................................................63
3.6. NATIONALISM.......................................................72
3.7. LOVE FOR THE MOTHER TONGUE.....................79
3.8. LOVE FOR READING AND WRITING...................82
WRATH.........................................................................95
4.1. FREEDOM..............................................................96
4.
4.2. THE LAW.............................................................101
4.3. CHANCE..............................................................106
4.4. WRATH REVISITED.............................................110
GLUTTONY................................................................113
5.1. THE MECHANISM...............................................115
5.
5.2. THE PROGRAM....................................................118
5.3. RAW MATERIAL...................................................119
5.4. THE PRODUCT....................................................123
5.5. THE INSTRUMENT..............................................126
5.6. THE FEAST...........................................................129
ENVY AND GREED...................................................131
6.1. SOCIETY..............................................................133
6.
6.2. RETRIBUTION......................................................136
6.3. JUSTICE...............................................................141
6.4. CONVERSATION.................................................143
PRIDE.........................................................................153
7.1. LANGUAGE.........................................................157
7.
7.1.1. POETRY......................................................157
7.1.2. MUSIC AND CONCRETE POETRY............160
7.1.3. PAINTING..................................................163
7.1.4. SCIENCE....................................................166
7.2. PINCERS OF THE WILL......................................170
7.2.1. SCIENCE AS YOGA...................................171
7.2.2. YOGA AS SCIENCE....................................174
7.3. CONTRITION......................................................179
SLOTH AND THE SADNESS OF THE HEART........187
8.1. THE VOICE’S AURA...........................................191
8.
8.1.1. STRUCTURE..............................................193
8.1.2. REENCOUNTER........................................196
8.2. THE IVORY TOWER............................................201
8.2.1. HONESTY...................................................206
8.2.2. THE PURIFICATION BATH......................208
8.2.3. LET US NOT SPEAK ABOUT THAT...........209
8.3. INVERSION........................................................211
8.4. THE BRONZE GONG.........................................213
8.5. LUST ONCE AGAIN.............................................214
POST SCRIPTUM......................................................217
9.1. THEY ABOUND....................................................218
9.

Uxori omnia mea
Gott ist ein lauter Nichts, ihn rührt kein Nun noch Hier: Je mehr
du nach ihm greifts, je mehr entwird er dir.
- Angelus Silesius