keskiviikkona, elokuuta 17, 2005

Opening lines of famous novels in the form of hay(na)ku IV

He
speaks in
your voice, American

This is the line that opens Don DeLillo's magnum opus, Underworld, or, to be more specific, these are the first six words of the novel's lengthy prologue. The prologue recalls the legendary game between the Giants and the Dodgers, played at the Polo Grounds on Oct. 3, 1951, that ended in Bobby Thomson's game-winning home run, also known as the "Shot Heard 'Round the World." Thomson's homer decided the National League pennant, but that day there was also history in the making. During the game, J. Edgar Hoover, who sat in the stands with pals like Frank Sinatra and Jackie Gleason, got the word that the Soviet Union had just detonated their second nuclear bomb. As for DeLillo's opener, I think it's one for the ages.