The fruits of Serendip.
In the course of looking for a snarky quote on Lessing’s Canopus in Argos: Archives for an earlier squib (not that I’ve read it myself, mind; though I enjoyed The Good Terrorist lo these many years ago, I’ve yet to go through a serious Lessing phase, much as I haven’t gone through the Russians, or Dick; anyway, Canopus is famously held to be monumentally turgid in some circles, and I’m getting rather off-topic here) I stumbled over an interview with Thomas Disch, in which I learned the following (we join a conversation on his kids’ books already in progress):
TD: Yes, and others. And others still in the works. I’ll tell you one of my favorite ideas that I haven’t found a taker for yet—maybe there’s a publisher out there who wants me to write it for them—a book specifically for young girls titled So You Want To Be The Pope. It would resemble a career guide, explaining that, well, yes, nowadays girls aren’t yet allowed to be the Pope, but so many other barriers have fallen: so here is your plan for how to set about becoming the first female Pope. A perfectly serious book on the subject, that would talk about the history of the papacy. . . [laughs]
DH: I can see why some publishers might be a little wary.
TD: . . .and talk to a sensible, ambitious, idealistic young girl who would want to be the Pope. I think it would be a wonderful book.
Well, hell. I’d buy it in a heartbeat. —Until then, we should maybe add it to the Invisible Library..?
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Dear reader,
working on a theatre play with serendipity in mind I'm searching for the full story of the princes of Serendip, but it's nowhere to be found. Do you, by any chance have the story for me
(including the seven tales)
Thank you!
Kees Wennekendonk,
Utrecht,
Holland