Roberto Calasso's 'La Littérature et les Dieux' Traces Mythologies in Literature

Roberto Calasso, author of 'The Ruin of Kash' and 'The Impure Fool,' publishes 'La Littérature et les Dieux' with Éditions Gallimard, translated from Italian by Jean-Paul Manganaro. The essay examines how gods have been introduced into literature up to the early 20th century, arguing that every era feels the need to create mythologies. Calasso discusses the 'absolute literature' concept, exploring works by Baudelaire, Mallarmé, Lautréamont, and Nabokov. He highlights Baudelaire's 'L'École païenne' and the triad of gods, parody, and absolute literature. The final chapter, 'Littérature absolue,' questions how absolute literature declares itself. Calasso references Novalis's 1798 Monologue, where literature is recognized by a self-sufficient 'vibration.' He cites Gottfried Benn's description of a 'tragic, hybrid, and final style.' The essay also touches on contemporary writers like Enrique Vila-Matas. Calasso defines absolute literature as knowledge accessible only through literary composition, seeking an absolute, detached from social obedience.