Here at The Artist’s Bookshelf, we’re gearing up for Thursday night, in which we plan to dissect and illuminate the illustrious manuscript commonly referred to as American Gods.
We will focus our evening on the book’s thematic links to current Walker gallery offering: Heart of Darkness. (A special tour will take place at 6 pm.) Those links will undoubtedly prove to be as numerous as they are varied, and promise to serve as a great springboard for yet another lively discussion.
Reading the book has been one of those reality-bending experiences in which “ real life” becomes hopelessly intermeshed with the fictional reality of the book. Right now, for example, I’m sitting in my office already dressed as Frankenstein, realizing that the green make-up dripping down across my keyboard will undoubtedly make the tech-guy very unhappy.
Of course, after sitting in the upper deck of the Dome witnessing grown, beer-infused men in purple weeping over last night’s torturous Vikings’ loss, and standing one night earlier on the main floor of the X-cel, albeit 45 rows back, listening to the immortal Bob Dylan snarl out “ Masters of War” with all the passion and conviction of a doomed soldier of peace, I can’t help but wonder if author Neil Gaiman isn’t on to something, when he asserts that we are surrounded by angry, displaced gods and they’re fighting for our souls.
For more insights to Mr. Gaiman’s mind, check out the following link:
http://www.powells.com/authors/gaiman.html
And for his recent Halloween thoughts:
Op-Ed Contributor: Ghosts in the Machines
See you Thursday.
Get Walker Reader in your inbox. Sign up to receive first word about our original videos, commissioned essays, curatorial perspectives, and artist interviews.