Wittgenstein's Mistress by David Markson

Clearly, she is trying to do what we all do as humans, to put some sort of order into her life, in this case more her cultural life than the rest of life and, like most of us, she stumbles badly, making connections that, at least to us, seem odd and, in many cases, she is unsure of where the connections are. Memories, whether you are the last person left on Earth or not, are fluid, unsure, changing. She talks about both as though she is familiar with them and then denies having read the book or met the man. For example, has she read The Recognitions and/or met William Gaddis? Maybe.

However, the memories may not be memories because she frequently suggests that she may not actually have the right memory. Many of the memories are literary and/or artistic ones. The style of the book is short, one- or two-sentence paragraphs of the survivor reeling out her memories. She does not, however, talk about how and why the Earth ended, if indeed it has, but dredges up her memories. There is nothing in the book to suggest either possibility. The blurb implies that she is not the last person left alive but merely thinks so. It is ostensibly a memoir of the last person left alive on Earth. Many people, apparently, said that the book was brilliant and ahead of its time but could not publish it as it would not get past the sales people. I can, however, understand the publishers’ plight. He also claims this is a record but I sincerely doubt it.

Markson claims that he was turned down by fifty-four publishers before the Dalkey Archive Press published this book. Home » USA » David Markson » Wittgenstein’s Mistress David Markson: Wittgenstein’s Mistress

Wittgenstein's Mistress by David Markson