Discover more from The World of Tosh Berman
Like the iconic and cliche saying about peeling an onion, and each layer has a separate meaning or taste, so does the work of Tony Duvert. "District" is a 40-page book with ten sections/chapters and an introduction by the translators S. C. Delaney and Agnès Potier. While reading the book this early afternoon, I immediately thought of the text along with the photos of Eugène Atget, who took early images of Paris and its life before Paris became modernized in the late 19th century. Duvert covers an unnamed city (one can presume it's Paris, but who knows?) and writes about that area in detail in a poetic view or prose. One sees he's a loner observing life as it happens but not participating in what happens before him. It's a gem of a small book that leaves a significant impression on me. I have always been fascinated with writing that deals with a specific space, such as in various writers who were part of or influenced by Situationists. Duvert's "District" can follow that direction of such groupings, but also a touch of the "nouveau roman."
Jonathan Swift comes to mind while reading Tony Deuvert's "Odd Jobs." The set of stories takes place in a village, and all focus on particular occupations in this village. Or is it even the same village? Nevertheless, occupations include 'the snot-remover,' 'the wiper' (he cleans your ass and collects your poop), and 'the fondler' who skillfully jerks off boys, and so forth. If you try to locate this specific village, it may not be easy. Therefore we're lucky that we have Tony Duvert to lead us to a world of his own making and, beyond that, a savage satire on family culture and practices. Duvert is a writer who is very sensitive to the concept of family and how cruel that system can be on individuals and, more likely, children. A controversial writer in France, the late Duvert reminds me of Fassbinder, the filmmaker, in that he, too, attacked systems that eventually oppressed a class or the public. A social commentator, as well as a very dark humorist, "Odd Jobs" is a remarkable piece of work. Like his "District" (also published by Wakefield Press), that book is a fantastic (although not necessarily) companion to "Odd Jobs."