Because I abhor the “general reader” equally as much as I abhor “success,” I have decided to bypass the marketplace. This selection of short pieces is intended for friends only. Let the marketers indulge in their bestsellers—cookbooks and manuals.

I have always insisted that chronological order is the only order conceivable to me. This, together with addenda that I continue to write, makes reading difficult, to say the least. Reading is not supposed to be an easy task, however. I therefore reject all philistine objections on this score beforehand.

With all the arrogance I can muster at present I can declare that I do not understand the short pieces presented here. I do not know why I write them, and I do not know why should anyone read them. Nevertheless, because I am compelled to write them, I believe that there exist some people who will be compelled to read them. And that is all.

Addendum I (November 12, 1988)

Again, if it is true that “true thoughts are those alone which do not understand themselves,”[1] how are they—our poor thoughts—to distinguish themselves from mere gibberish? Would it not be better to say that “true thoughts may be found among those alone which do not understand themselves”? For would it not be useful to distinguish the necessary from the sufficient condition buried in Adorno’s original claim?

Addendum II (March 21, 2016)

It is a joy to read the first sentence of this piece. How proud I sound! Bypassing the marketplace is not an easy tack in this world of ours that is nothing but one huge marketplace, where everything has a price. As of late, most of my ten selections from Residua are available for free on my Ca’ Bon Gallery website (www.cabongallery.org). Nowadays, the World Wide Web is a boon for those who write for friends only. Looking back, though, I cannot but feel a bit contrite on account of so many of my selections that came to light with the help of publishers. Out of ten of them so far, no less than four actually went through the accursed marketplace. Three of these selections I have managed to take over from publishers, but I am still struggling to get my hands on the last one. This accomplished, I will make sure to bypass the marketplace forever.

Footnote

1. Adorno, T.W., Minima Moralia: Reflections From Damaged Life, London: Verso, 1978 (first published in 1951), p. 192.