Kenneth Goldsmith's 'Uncreative Writing' Published in French

The French translation of Kenneth Goldsmith's 'Uncreative Writing: Managing Language in the Digital Age' has been released by Jean Boîte éditions, translated by François Bon. Goldsmith, known for founding Ubuweb.com and serving as the first poet-in-residence at MoMA, argues that the internet is killing literature in a positive way, akin to photography's impact on painting. His book challenges traditional notions of creativity, advocating for plagiarism, copying, and literal restatement as creative acts. It explores how digital technology transforms language into plastic material, featuring works by Shigeru Matsui, the Flarf collective, and Christian Bök's Xenotext Experiment. The book also discusses the ethical implications of appropriation through Vanessa Place's use of court transcripts. Goldsmith traces avant-garde literary history from Gertrude Stein to Oulipo, concrete poetry, and Guy Debord, and revives Roland Barthes' concept of the death of the author. The translation includes marginal notes by Bon and is part of a series of Goldsmith's works published by Jean Boîte éditions.