Toby Olson's 'La boîte blonde' weaves Duchampian mystery through time and space
Toby Olson's book 'La boîte blonde', released by Éditions Passage du Nord/Ouest, blends fictional elements with the life of Marcel Duchamp. Taking place in 1949 in Courbet, Arizona, the spirit of Duchamp navigates the Sonora Desert and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Olson, who was born in Illinois in 1937, co-established the Aspen writing workshop and served as a professor at the University of Philadelphia starting in 1975. His notable works include 'Changing Appearance' (1982), 'Seaview' (1993), and 'La Femme qui échappa à la honte' (2004). The story begins with a quote from Jean Suquet, as protagonist Tut Handsfree discovers an Arabic term related to a murder in Snowflake, Mexico, before the plot shifts to 2069 at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, concluding with the enigma of 'Étant Donné'.
Key facts
- Toby Olson's novel 'La boîte blonde' is published by Éditions Passage du Nord/Ouest.
- The story begins in Courbet, Arizona, in 1949, with Duchamp's ghost.
- Olson co-founded the Aspen writing workshop at Long Island University.
- He taught at the University of Philadelphia from 1975.
- His novel 'Seaview' won the Pen/Faulkner Award in 1993.
- The novel opens with a quote from Jean Suquet: 'The machine only works with words.'
- A murder occurs in Snowflake, Mexico, involving Rosa Palomino.
- The Philadelphia Museum of Art holds a Courbet retrospective with works from the Arensberg collection.
- In April 1949, Duchamp traveled to California and stopped in Sedona, Arizona.
- The novel's structure is based on key words from Duchamp's work.
Entities
Artists
- Toby Olson
- Marcel Duchamp
- Gustave Courbet
- Robert Coover
- John Barth
- David Barthelme
- Jean Suquet
- Henri-Pierre Roché
- Colson Whitehead
- Roberto Bolaño
- Antonio Ungar
Institutions
- Éditions Passage du Nord/Ouest
- Aspen writing workshop
- Long Island University
- University of Philadelphia
- Les Belles Lettres
- Le Serpent à plumes
- Philadelphia Museum of Art
- Arensberg collection
- Arcades-Gallimard
- Bourgois
- Les Allusifs
Locations
- Courbet
- Arizona
- United States
- Sonora Desert
- Philadelphia
- Pennsylvania
- Illinois
- Snowflake
- Mexico
- Sedona
- California
- New York
Sources
- artpress —