Monument Maker

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History shapes our lives. And what we do with our lives can shape history”. So reads the first sentence in Monument Maker. It is easy to ignore, either honestly or selectively, the monuments erected by our ancestors. A statue is as much a monument to past beliefs of who deserves to be idolized as it is the subject of the statue itself. In the news, you will hear of Confederate leaders and figures, their statues pulled to the ground in a effort to remind us that not everyone we physically look up to deserves that. On the flip side, statues like the one of John Henry in Talcott, West Virginia have been abused by racists for decades. No matter who it is you honor, someone will object. And much as statues have been called into question over the years, biographies of statues have been the subject of much scrutiny. You won’t find much to debate with any of the multitude of children’s books about the creation of the Statue of Liberty, but what about Mount Rushmore? In that case you have land taken from the Lakota people by the U.S. government without their consent. So often, these books about famous statues and monuments are cheerleading sections for America. Yet only the smartest authors think to include moments that hat tip problematic elements in their creation. Engravings of musical instruments, including guitar, piano, harmonica, brass instruments, and others, as well as musical symbols or notation.

David Keenan is one of today’s most exciting, fearless, and entertaining writers. Monument Maker is his most daring book to date. For cost savings, you can change your plan at any time online in the “Settings & Account” section. If you’d like to retain your premium access and save 20%, you can opt to pay annually at the end of the trial. The IdeaBook lists a variety of headstone models, from customary, classic styles to more modern designs: I love the Lincoln Memorial. I love the walk up to it beside the Reflecting Pool. I love the pearly steps and the magnitude. I love looking out from the top, seeing the Washington Monument, a full panorama of the National Mall, and the Capitol beyond. It's one of my favorite destinations in D.C. Yet until this book, I had never heard of Daniel Chester French, the man who made Lincoln larger than life.I began work on it in 2008 but stopped after a year. It started to worry about my mental health. I was losing who I was and wondering if David Keenan even existed. It was like looking into the abyss. I was suffering from a kind of psychos."

French lived in amazing times. (He also carved a figurine of lovely-dovey owls that I am all about.) The events that took place in his lifetime, his name-drop-worthy neighbors (May Alcott! Ralph Waldo Emerson!), the people who mentored his tremendous vision--what a remarkable existence. Occupational images. Representations of a life’s work, including tools, union logos, fraternal crests and shields, work scenes, and other images. Keenan makes his writing sound like spiritual visions expressed through acts of literary exorcism; William Blake meets Linda Blair. Such was his all consuming obsession with his book it put his mental health in danger. The IdeaBook’s collection of customized gravestones, monuments, and tombstone designs includes images that depict the most essential interests, beliefs, connections, and work to represent what departed loved ones were most passionate about. IdeaBook images feature themes that convey aspects deeply related to the history of the departed, including: CHEERIO Don't read it. Smoke it. Snort it. Swallow it. It's not a novel. It's an acid trip. A freaky, feverish dream set in print. Baroque and bizarre, Monument Maker is a literary cathedral designed by Mad King Ludwig II, with help from Burroughs and Arthur C. ClarkeI wondered how Keenan is going to follow a ten-year-in-the-making novel like Monument Maker? Is he burnt out? Does he need a break? No way. Keenan has three new novels all finished and awaiting publication. Keenan hasn’t really got much sense of pacing or scene craft; most of his writing is a kind of rambling discourse, sometimes of a pseudo-philosophical nature. He seems particularly interested in the relationship between art and life, along the lines of Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18, where the artwork preserves the object of the poet’s love. Here, for instance, is the nameless Scottish narrator:

Is it possible for books to read? For books to dream within books?’ David Keenan’s fifth novel attempts to answer this, through genres, and eras, and references to past work sure to please the avid Keenan reader. Monument Maker is a book within a book that spans hallucinatory historical epics through future-visioned histories of the world narrated by a British soldier made prophetic by depths of suffering. An epic written over 10 years, it’s a meditation on art and religion, and what it means to make a monument. Read two excerpts below.

Their manifesto, Two Way Mirror, is translated by one of Keenan’s narrators, a nameless Scottish man, who also spends a great deal of time recounting a sordid summer love affair with a woman called Flower, whom he met whilst touring the cathedrals of Ile de France. This book is absolutely fantastic and essentially beyond my powers of description. Although there is a lot I can say about it, this book’s great value is bound up in the experience of reading it. In my view, Keenan is phenomenally successful in his stated (paraphrased) aim to create a space and/or narrative that is outside of time or something that is not/not of oneself. There wasn’t a single time, in the week that I devoured this book, where I did not very actively look forward to my next frolic through Keenan’s clouds and meadows of language. You may change or cancel your subscription or trial at any time online. Simply log into Settings & Account and select "Cancel" on the right-hand side. Patten’s IdeaBook offers a nearly limitless number of artistic combinations for you and your family to consider for your loved one’s custom mausoleum, gravestone or memorial. Its goal is to help you create a compelling, lasting image that perfectly captures the life and memories of the departed. Custom Headstones for Generations of Memories Arranging for a memorial is a difficult task. The emotions of saying goodbye to departed family members, partners, friends, and loved ones are made harder by the decisions we have to make on how to commemorate them for future generations.