Local Colour is a page–by–page interpretation of Paul Auster’s 72–page novella Ghosts. Ghosts concerns itself with Blue, a private detective hired by a mysterious character named White to transcribe the actions of Black, a denizen of Brooklyn Heights. As Blue reports his findings, the reader becomes more aware of the intricate relationship between Black and White, and a tactile awareness of colour spreads through the narrative.With Local Colour, Canadian conceptual novelist and visual artist derek beaulieu has removed the entirety of Auster’s text, leaving only chromatic words—proper nouns or not—spread across the page as dollops of paint on a palette. What remains is the written equivalent of ambient music—words which are meant to be seen but not read. The colours, through repetition, build a suspense and crescendo which is loosened from traditional narrative into a more pointillist construction.
derek beaulieu is the author of chains (2008), fractal economies (2006), with wax (2003) and co-author, with Gary Barwin, of frogments from the frag pool: haiku after basho (2005). His conceptual novel flatland: a romance of many dimensions was published in 2007.
beaulieu’s writing is a record of reading, a trace of absence. A writing without writing.
Local Color: 8.5" x 11", 80 pages, ISBN 978-952-215-049-3, cover art by derek beaulieu. Price EUR 20.85 + mailing costs.
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