David Antin lecteur de John Cage: improvisation orale, silence et récit

Abstract

This essay deals with the work of the American poet David Antin, in particular his talk poem inspired by John Cage’s music. I study the role of silence in Antin’s oral narrative and its improvised character. Silence reflects the intense relationship betwen John Cage and nature, as well as his extatic and spiritual experience in the perspective of zen buddhism. Silence, here, stresses the human need for hearing oneself as well as the other. The syncopated and non-linear discourse of Antin creates the common narrative space of contemplation, outside of usual social time.