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Mandelbrot Has Died

A genius of mathematics - the literal visionary who allowed us all to see the world anew - Mandelbrot has died.  Fractals inspired countless writers, artists, as well as scientists.  Here is a link to Alice Fulton's essay on Fractals in poetry.




The Death of Mandelbrot

Within shape the shape in-widens its own owning of imagination the slice of ginger gingerly slid off a knife as each blade is the lawn, as fern informs infernal logic, fanning out sloughing green.  Lightning makes its mark marking sky-light. Snow flakes off snow to make and break ice small and right, hot at heart with the thump of delight – each jag and messy turn or spin a boomerang that bangs back the yin.  I think I cannot understand how all spreads: peacock's flamboyance, shell's hard-luck contours, a brilliant argument of whorls – contains its own brand making as the hand made
fingertip's twirling private name speaking breaking into bigger complications that turn small and smaller, snick down. Unnatural how nature sna…
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Grass, and Higher Maths

In the last few days, several major English-language writers, like John Irving, have come to praise G. Grass, ex-Waffen-SS soldier, and novelist, for doing the right thing, and admitting to having once been 17 and harbouring urges to join the most infamous and criminal gang of war criminals known to history.

These literate advocates observe that the Nobel prize-winner (never shy of publicity) has been the conscience of post-war Germany; figured thus, anything he was to say, or do - or to have said, and done - is both apt and exemplary - and supremely literary. It seems Grass has not only mastered the art and craft of fiction - but of shaping reality, as well.

Meanwhile, other Nazi-sympathizers, such as Ezra Pound, have never been brought in from the cold, presumably because they never admitted to having joined the wrong side, or never wrote about themes of guilt - though, of course, Pound is by far the greater writer of the two. It seems not all 17-year-olds are to be forgiven - Mao wil…
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