Thus the title of the next and most likely the last selection from my Residua. I have yet to start working on it, and it may take me many years before I complete it, but the book’s title has come to me today out of the blue. This is a worthy start, anyhow. As is only appropriate, it is an echo of the title of Giuseppe Mastruzzo’s book that I had helped publish years ago: Who Is Art?[1] In it, he is calling for “an art which does not look for its author’s glory.”[2] More, he is calling for an art in which the author qua author does not figure at all. Not surprisingly, I have written about my friend’s poignant book already (“Two Roads,” November 5, 2000). When I stumbled upon this piece today, I immediately realized it would figure prominently in my selection on yoga. Art and yoga as I understand them have quite a lot in common, at any rate.

Addendum I (November 28, 2008)

In response to this piece, which I sent him via electronic mail, my old friend Giuseppe has these words: “Whenever his old friend Ranko quotes his authorship, Fra’ Peppino, the castigator of all authorship, is extremely pleased.” This nickname of his has stuck ever since his monastery bout several years back. And in response to his response, I have a single word: “Bravo!”

Addendum II (June 20, 2013)

Nearly five years later, what is going on with the promised book? It is getting bulkier by the day, but it is far from finished. The way I am going, it may take me as many more years to complete it. If I ever manage to do it, I hasten to add. For the last selection from my magnum opus will be a book to remember. One way or another, it will provide a new beginning for this ancient art. The art of making oneself. Enough boasting, though. The proof will be in the pudding rather than my lambast. In the meanwhile, be patient, dear reader. Luckily for you, every step in my progress is in plain view. My Residua website is the place to be. And relish.

Addendum III (November 20, 2015)

Well, my book is almost finished. Almost! Having spent a few weeks on it, I believe most of it is in place. The pieces I have selected so far are a joy to see in one place. Or between the same covers, as it were. Although it is always possible that I will find a few more pieces from my magnum opus to add to it, the only pieces that are still missing have not yet been written. It may take me a few months to get there, but I surely will in time for my seventieth birthday next year (“The Present,” October 7, 2015). Silly as it sounds, I am sure of it. Which surprises me no end, for the end of a book like this one is hardly a joke, but the assurance is still there. Whence this addendum, it goes without saying. The best I can do at present is to report my own amazement at my prodigious self-assurance.

Addendum IV (February 7, 2016)

Self-assured as I was only a few months ago, when the last addendum to this piece was written, I was still a bit confused by my strong feelings. But no longer. My book about yoga is finished well ahead of my seventieth birthday. And today is the auspicious day, for I just finished writing the postscript that seals it forever. Minus the addenda, I hasten to add, which I will keep writing till my last day. At any rate, I am done with this world. I go thoughtless whenever I will, and I remain thoughtless as long as I wish. Farewell, world! Only keep out of my way, if you please.

Footnotes

1. London: Hereford Salon, 1997.

2. Op. cit., p. 18.