Infinitum Nihil.....

After posting this morning, I began, as usual, to think about my next blog. I like musing, planning and posting because it takes me away from the realities of the day - housework, or work-work, grey skies, cold...the list goes on.

So you can imagine my dismay when I couldn't think of anything, nothing, nada!  I had decided earlier that if and when I reached my nadir, I would write a post about "nothing" - you know the "void" the absence of anything and that would be it - my swan song or post.

I was desperate, the internet with its vast array of everything, held nothing, at that moment, I could relate to (to which I could relate). I began researching the void!! This was not easy, so I took a break and read the morning paper. There was all the usual news - happy, sad, indifferent - almost too much to comprehend and definitely too much to distil into a small blog post.

I was about to give up when I came across an article about Woody Guthrie, written by Sylvia Tyson. Given that I am a great fan of folk music, I read the entire article. In addition to being a singer and composer, Woody Guthrie was also a novelist. The article was about a book that he had written in 1947 which had never been published, that is, until now. The reviewer suggested that the novel probably would have been censored, at the time, because of two very graphic passages, the first a 20 page description of sex between the husband and wife and the second a detailed account of the birth of their first child.

Those who know Woody Guthrie would understand that neither scene was included in the novel to either shock or titillate, as Sylvia says. In fact she goes on to say that the first scene was "so intensely personal, yet so rawly poetic and metaphorical, that it takes your breath away." The novel is titled "House of Earth" and it will be published by Johnny Depp!!! or at least his publishing company - Infinitum Nihil, under the umbrella of Harper.

Depp established "Infinitum Nihil" to be a home for "authentic, outspoken, and visionary ideas and voices from authors both celebrated and unsung." Depp has a deep (no pun intended) interest in American mavericks, as well as roots music. As an actor, he has brought to life many a folk hero, now his publishing company will give life to manuscripts that may also have been forgotten.

The video is a poem written by Bob Dylan as a tribute to Woody Guthrie. One of the first contracts for Infinitum Nihil was "The Unravelled Tales of Bob Dylan" by Douglas Brinkley.

Infinitum Nihil means "Nothing is Forever." Imagine being rescued by Johnny Depp!!