Robert Musil, The Man Without Qualities. 1930–1943. Trans. Sophie Wilkins (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1995).
The country is “Kakania,” a name of Musil’s devising. From the novel: “On paper it was called the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, but in conversation it was called Austria.” “Everything and every person in it . . . bore the label of kaiserlich-königlich (Imperial-Royal) or kaiserlich und königlich (Imperial and Royal), abbreviated as “k.k.” or “k.&k.” Yes, suggesting kaka.
Related reading
All OCA Musil posts (Pinboard)
Friday, August 9, 2019
“It was an intelligent country”
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"here is what the ants are saying
ReplyDeleteit wont be long now it wont be long
man is making deserts of the earth
it wont be long now
...
dear boss i relay this information
without any fear that humanity
will take warning and reform
archy"
Do you know archy's [Don Marquis's] "what the ants are saying"?
I'd picked up archy & mehitabel for my sister's birthday in June, because our parents liked the poems, but I'd never read them---I read what the ants say, and,
as with your quote in this post, I was stunned by how well the poem fits today.
http://donmarquis.com/home/2011/10/26/what-the-ants-are-saying
I know of Don Marquis but have never read him. Yes, that poem, too, sure fits.
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