Obituary: Fredric Jameson 1934-2024

by Rjurik Davidson

The King is dead, long live the King!” This ancient French phrase, dating to at least the Fifteenth Century, is the kind that might have set Fredric Jameson on one of his extended, languorous, alternately dense and playful, intellectually demanding examinations. Marxism’s preeminent cultural critic for more than fifty years, Jameson was the foremost proponent of dialectical thought, in which two seemingly contradictory phenomena were shown to be united by some underlying logic.

Fathers and Sons: Nikos Papastergiadis on John Berger

I once met Edward Said early on in my Phd candidature. I told him about my research and he extolled the virtues of John Berger, but then added: “Whatever you do, just don’t go to visit him there. There are pigs and shit everywhere.” I said, “it sounds like my father’s village.” It was not a turn off to me. Once I got there, I didn’t see any pigs. The pig sty was empty. It later became a storeroom for all the books that John published. John, himself did not even keep copies of his books.

The Secret of John Mayall

by Peter Beilharz

Transatlantic bluesman John Mayall died in California July 24 2024. He was ninety.

What’s the fuss? The record is well enough known. Mayall was a player, musical organiser, entrepreneur and publicist for blues music over six decades. He was champion of JB Lenoir, Sonny Boy Williamson 2, and Elmore James, all of whom he wrote songs for; the Kings, especially Albert and Freddie; Otis Rush and Spann. He was the platform provider for a bevy of brilliant guitar talent, Clapton, Green, Taylor, later Mandel, Trout etc. etc

Article: On the 50th Anniversary of La Révolution du langage poétique

by John Lechte

This year, 2024, marks the 50th anniversary of the original French edition Julia Kristeva’s epoch-making volume, La Révolution du langage poétique. L’avant-garde à la fin du XIXe siècle: Lautréamont et Mallarmé (1974) (Revolution in Poetic Language. The Avant-Garde at the End of the XIXth Century: Lauréamont and Mallarmé). The work was originally defended in 1973 in Paris as a doctorat d’état ès lettres. On the panel were Jean-Claude Chevalier (supervisor), Henri Lefèbvre, Pierre Albouy and Roland Barthes. The thesis was awarded the highest honour: mention très bien avec félicitations du jury.

Ian North, AM, 1945-2024

by Peter Beilharz

Ian North was a major shaker in the Australian art world. Not that you would guess on meeting him – mild mannered, soft in style, a gentle man who could nevertheless change the way you saw the world with a wink, a raised eyebrow or a single phrase. His personal style was minimal, and this helped make him lovable as well as determined.