Bullet the Blue Sky

Editor Karl Kvitko begins the introduction to Louis Bourgeois's collection of aphorisms with a defense of the form: "All writers are aphorists, to a greater or lesser degree," he states, referencing Charles Dickens, Leo Tolstoy, Shakespeare. "Go back to the beginning," he continues, "and you'll find that philosophy begins with aphorisms," such as Heraclitus, "Twice into the same river you cannot step," or Socrates and Voltaire. "Aphorisms," Kvitko explains are "short and pithy statements with a clever turn of phrase or an unexpected point of view that gives the hearer or reader a bit of a surprise, an intellectual start." The most important element of an aphorism, according to Kvitko, regardless of its subject matter, is that it be witty, "for it must have something to set it off from a flat statement of fact or opinion." And so, as Kvitko tells us, "Bourgeois has done his best...to compact his thought, polish his bullets, and shoot you dead in a way that you will find instructive, if not delightful." The question is whether the bullets bite.

Bourgeois groups his aphorisms into fourteen sections. He begins with "Destroyed Alters," which must certainly have been inspired by Bourgeois's experiences with religiosity while growing up in the Deep South, since it is full of contemplations on the nature of faith. Bourgeois examines ideas from many angles: "Memory is God, but it does not unify," he states and then, "Memory is God, but also regret." And finally, "Melancholy proves that God once existed," he states at one of his more playful moments. At times, Bourgeois seems shocking, for example, "If God did finally reveal Himself to me, I would worship Satan, just out of spite." But he also maintains a sense of humor: "If God is dead, then why are Sundays so insufferable?" His more shocking moments seem designed to shatter intrinsic belief and open up the reader to considering their beliefs, the nature of belief, i.e., to think. As Kvitko quotes in his introduction, "The urge to destroy is a creative urge."

Bourgeois moves through Christianity in the next two sections, rejecting and, at times, mocking Christian belief, while, at the same time, holding himself accountable, "I hate Christians as much as myself," he quips.

In the section, "Statements of Euphoria," Bourgeois examines a kind of reverse negative of joy. "The only love worth having is the loss of love," he begins. Bourgeois attempts to tear down a lot of preconceptions and beliefs his reader might have had. He is certainly provocative, but the question remains, in these first sections, is he witty? Is he instructive? For example, "The only truth is on the outskirts of town" implies a familiar mentality of general conformity. Bourgeois avoids the cliché of alcohol as salvation, though, with dark humor. "On the dangers of alcohol consumption," he says, "Drinking too much wine leads to prayer." About marriage, the goal most predominant in "normal" Western society, he says, "Yes, man needs a maid. But what do women want? Answer: a sustained dialogue with a tyrant." And later, he asks, "Do you not find it at all disturbing that woman is both mother and whore?"

It is when Bourgeois steps back from obvious shock that he is most effective: "You are silenced by many things, but mostly by yourself." And later, he makes a resounding statement: "Our body is our fate."

Bourgeois's next section is entitled "Autobiographia." With these aphorisms, Bourgeois balances the cynicism of the preceding sections with wit and revelation. "My mentor was right to ask: Is it evil or just silly? This is my only aesthetic concern." He continues, "I want the world to die, to go away, because I have suffered. Everyone feels this way, but few will admit it." Most of the suffering Bourgeois seems to be referring to is the "hell" that is "other people," but the reader gets glimpses of more profound emotion as Bourgeois references family and love in this section.

Bourgeois touches on politics in his...