There are many Ed Bakers in USA and when I googled against that name, I found a lot of persons including both male and female and interestingly enough all are claiming as artist,poet and writers.
The Ed Baker, I am telling here was born on Washington, D.C. April 19,1941 and now resides at Takoma Park , Md .Passed his BA in English/History from University of Maryland, 1967 and MA degree from Johns Hopkins University in 1971 , has published a poetry book The City from Red Ochre Press, 1974 .But after a stroke his writings were dropped out from 1975 to 1998 and after that he erupted with his art AND poetry .He published Restoration Poems Country Valey Press, 2007, Hexapoems 1, 1972/2008 Stone Girl E-pic 5 volumes (tel let 2003, book 1, and 2)Full Moon (10,000 haiku re: "full moon) tel let, 2001Wild Orchid (Sumi-e Fay Chin, poems, Ed Baker) tel let 2002 .
My latest novel THE DARK ABODE is a collage presentation with Ed's sketch book Uma . where the publisher has chosen 23 sketches . Both my novel The Dark Abode and Ed's Uma is on sexual power of woman and it is obvious we both think about the topic in same line .Ed is also cover artist of my two books The Dark Abode as well as Waiting for Manna
It is interesting for me to know that Ed, who thinks himself as a "self-taught" or Outsider 'artist', has dreamt once the sketches and he knows very little about Eastern Philosophy of sexuality . This gives me a support to build my ideas on sexuality and creativity .
Here is a conversation between me and Ed .
Q How did this idea of Uma come to your mind?
A I don't know. It begins in a dream and then an image is born. I am not aware of that image until my pen/brush/crayon puts it onto paper. The image -- here, Uma is a symbol of many things of a life/pleasure-giving nature – well, I just wait for 'her' to 'get into the way' and I just do as 'she' bid and produce images of her.
How do the images, thoughts, etc. come into my mind? I just don't know. Magic? I just watch and wait for something to happen…and something always does.
Q Do you have any idea about the 'Prakriti/Purusha' concept of the
Samkhya Philosophy of India?
A I begin from an 'emptiness of mind.' What is this? I will have to look them up in a book or on the internet.
'Prakriti' and 'Purusha' as you call them are new names to me. Maybe this image of Uma is at the bottom a universal and basic human manifestation? The goddess of regeneration, etc.
Q What is the relation of 'sexuality' with art?
A I don't think in terms of an absolute definition. Just describe or produce a poem or a piece on paper or in stone/wood/clay and then, and only after the fact can I have a conversation with what is in my mind that I could otherwise have and make love for/with/to "her."
As far as sexuality in art? Well, male and/or female do 'art,' – yang/yin as one…
As Picasso frequently said, "All art is erotic." Are sexuality and eros the same? I cannot separate this 'thing' out of my mind so my imagination leaps. What it is...in the moment and just-as-it-is is adequate? 12,000 images of Uma and all the different manifistations/names/images/positons of "her."
Q Don't you think that sex is a private matter for an individual and it
should not be discussed either in art or in literature?
Well, 'make love, not war.'
Religions and Politics have made sex a dirty word or have made copulation, both inside and out, a sin. This is done for several reasons: power, greed, anger, ignorance. Well, do you know the No. 1 industry in the entire world is now pornography, which is not what we are here either discussing or doing? What is it that is most viewed on the 'net? As if anything virtual is real.
Q What is your idea on 'shakti' and do you think this 'shakti' should be
adhered to sexual energy?
A 'Shakti' is the other side of the male principal [not sure of where he's at here, sorry] as he is manifested in 10,000 forms/images/symbols…undifferentiated.
After all, everyone is here because a male and female had sex – in private…in public!
When he/she wants to be born…asks to be born (or reborn), the sperm gets to the proper egg via a moment of pleasure…our human condition also.
2 comments:
thanks for doing the translation and including Ed's "goddesses"
looking forward to reading/holding this book
best, [..]
Today I have got an opportunity to go through well acclaimed Novel “The Dark abode” of this year. This book was firstly ordered to be purchased from Bhubaneswar Books-Fair about which I was communicated by Indian Age Publication. It is my luck that Mr . Anil Das who is not only one of my favorite subordinate but also a young neophyte poet of Orissa, purchased the same book along with two another novels in Oriya- your old creations from District Book Fair, recently organized in Jharsuguda Mahostava .This book was highly awaited by me since last one year. Although I could not learn original novel , but the English translated version of it by M K Dash was,too, successful to make me absorbed into it without any break.
Kuki, the central character of novel, is a wife of Aniket, An IIT ian working in ‘Mumbai’ and drawing very good salary but she was not emotionally and physically satisfied with him due to his short tempered nature. This loneliness diverted his wife to fall in love with a Muslim Artist from ‘Pakistan’ named Safik through Cyber-media. The long series of love conversations between Safik and Kuki was mostly a fantasy. The acceptance level of feminine psychology of Kuki was so high that she took him as ardent life partner. In spite of her knowledge that Safik was a lascivious and lecherous person who had made contact with variety of 52 women but, still Kuki was very assertative about the artist. Moreover, being mother of two children, she was very happy to make a Cyber relationship with ‘Safik’. Indeed, the novel portrayed the relationship between different religions, different countries with different background even bitter relationship and animosity made by transgression and obsession.
In chapter-16, it was tried to reflect the fundamental of Osho’s theory. In my adolescent ages, I had gone through Osho literature , mostly a revolutionary volumes “SAMBHOG SE SAMADHI KI AUR”. Even I have attended one meditation camp organized by Osho devotees at “JODHPUR”. It is my personal experience that ‘Sex’ can be an originator of great ecstasy that was illustrated by naked idols of ‘Konark’ and “Khajuraho’. In Hindu mythology, the “Shivalingam” worshiping is a fastidious example about the sacro-sanctity of ‘sex’ as a creation of universe.
This novel learnt me a lesson to give a due diligence and respect to the sentiments of my counterpart. Till date I was teemed with a manlihood psychology to suppress the feelings of women. But, now I discovered that feminine psychology elaborated from your novel reflected that it is always vacillating in nature. To ignore these sentiments means it may lead to devastating results . Also, it is pertinent to make the relation fresh and juvenile between couple, there is a prime requirement to understand female physiology and psychology.
In chapter-V a reflection of love towards art,(louver art gallery) made us to think that microscopic views towards any artistic value assuaging the basic need for human requirement even to satiate any perversion. Some sobriquets of the novel such as “Perversion goes hand in hand with genius, be it Einstein or Flaubert, it boosts creativity” are pragmatic and ruminating. Your this novel recapitulated my memory towards some of previous famous novel such as “ Company with women” by Khuswant Singh as well as “Cosmic love” by an English author. The theme of these novels was also revolving around the same ‘pith’ of your novel. But your novel is a precious jewel due to its very simple, lucid and vernacular languages used at sometimes such as “Impotent, My Baby, My Goddess e.t.c.” This made the novel more interesting to explore another imaginative arena.
This novel is most relevant in present scenario to mitigate terrorism and state sponsored anarchism through soft heart of “Kuki”. It is universal truth that most of Pakistanis are terrorist and threatening another part of the world in name of “Jehad”. If you can vent off the the inner sentiment of Abdul Rehman Kasab, only alive terrorist of “Mumbai attack”. If some Indian girl fall in love with him, Perhaps he could not do such heinous crime of man-slaughter. Hence, love is only an entity to save humanity of world irrespective of cast, creed, race, belief, religion, nations and even by crossing geographical boundaries.
No word I have to panegyrize your esteemed effort, labor, pain and struggle to construct such original, creative and prolific novel. I hope certainly this novel will meet the interest of laureates, vociferous readers and academicians from all corner of the World.
I am fully convinced that our ancient history reveals about our same origin. In fact, we all are the clans of Indus civilization .Hence any category of humanity in different nomenclature ,say, Muslims , Hindu, Christian , Jain,Sikhs is bound with common philosophy of life.
But it is a matter of great regret that conversion of religion forcibly has not only separated /isolated but created genetically a great animosity among us .The massacre of “Kandhamal” is an burning example when Hindu sage is murdered by any Christian antisocial element. Then preponderance Christians are ravaged by Hindu extremities.
Similarly , if I recapitulate the scene of film “Border” in which an Indian Sikh ( Sunny Deol ) adored a Muslim girl ( Amisha Patel ), I visualize ,first of all , for getting their marriage, the religion of bride-groom was converted into Muslim. Afterward he was drastically tortured to make blasphemous remarks against our Nation, saying Hindustan Murdabad ! Hindustan Murdabad !! . On denial both lovers were publicly shooted to death. The significance of above is to exemplify my own views , “Safiks are very few but the Musarafs are most predominant in Pakistan”
The religious fervor had made them so blind and barbaric that they could not understand sentiments of any innocent human being .
I opined that Military Junta of Pakistan, as a political gamut, acted as abettor of Terrorists such as Dawood Ibrahim and associated other camps of Laskar-e –Toiba etc. and to wash out their gloomy face ,their own innocents persons like “Safik” are entangled.
One more question sometime arises in my heart that genology of Mugal emperors reflected cruelty , barbarism , and in-sensitiveness , but Aryan emperors were very sympathetic ,philanthropic and God- fearing personalities. If Aryan were converted into Muslim during attack of Mugal, was it possible that their unambiguous fundamental properties deteriorated gradually ?
Certainly your novel has tantalized me upto innermost and I pray that this novel will bring peace among India and Pakistan. It is a matter of great rejoice that “Indian Kukis” are sentimental and ready to help secular “Pakistani Safik” personalities. If this novel is published in Pakistan, the rift between two countries will be filled up to some extent .
Dinesh Kumar Mali
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