On Mondays I typically work extended hours, leaving less time for my personal work. I have always kept Sunday as an “off day” for additional meditation and contemplation, but due to the demands of my job I have since extended that into Monday, though with fewer restrictions. I allow myself to read, jot down the odd line or two, and occasionally translate the work of others. I just don’t force myself to work the 1-3 hours I usually do the rest of the week.

Today after work I have let myself embrace the work of Fernando Arrabal. I initially fell for Arrabal’s writing through his association with the game of chess. Growing up I played quite often in tournaments. I was not that great and did not have the patience to become great, something I am actively trying to change now, 15 years later. Arrabal’s griping stories of playing chess with the likes of Samuel Beckett (whose novel Murphy includes an utterly absurd game, and whose play Endgame is rife with allusions to the game) and the great Marcel Duchamp (a professional player in his own rite) always intrigued me. To this day Arrabal, who turns 92 in August, plays a 10 minute rapid game each evening and a 20-person simul each year.

Eventually Arrabal’s chess led me to his theatre, his novels, and his poetry. I was hooked. His work of course led me to ‘Pataphysics, The Panic Movement (that he founded alongside Alejandro Jodorowsky and Roland Topor, both immense influences on my life and work), and countless other with whom he’s collaborated over the years. I certainly would not have spent as much time in the theatre if it weren’t for Arrabal, Jodorowsky, and Jean Cocteau.

Here is a small portion of my works by Arrabal. Maybe I will update this post with the rest once I rescue them from storage.

This evening is also being occupied with the thought of a potential new addition to my family. My wife and I visited a local cat cafe on Saturday and applied to adopt a cat. I have owned many cats in my life, but she has not, and this will be our first together. If we’re approved I’m sure I will share a nauseating number of photographs of sweet little Marceau (our proposed name).

While I daydream of this new cat and dive into Arrabal’s The Tower Struck By Lightning for the first time in nearly a decade I would love to hear what authors have really had an impact on you and your work. Be sure to comment below or shoot me a message privately.