[lit-ideas] Geary's obituary of Claude Levi Strauss

MEMPHIS. The Memphis Metaphysical Ministry has circulated the obituary of  
Claude Levi Strauss written by the center's director, Mike Geary. "Levi 
Strauss  was 101 years old and has just died -- he died where he was born, -- 
well, not  exactly. In Paris, in Europe. He never visited Memphis, neither of 
them: neither  the Memphis of Egypt or the Memphis of the USA. He grew a 
beard most of his  time. His father was related to the Levi Strauss that 
Americans know via  trousers, etc. They were from the same Jewish family, like 
me. 
Garyson. Claude  showed from an early age an interest in the 'natives', 
especially Brazilians.  "The fact that they are so UNLIKE the French makes me 
laugh", he would say. His  father sent him to Brazil to study the natives. He 
returned and founded The  Musee de l'Homme in Paris. This musee comprises 
not just studies on the homme,  but la femme as well. Levi-Strauss was 
fascinated by incest and kin terms.  "Mere", "Pere", these terms in French, he 
said, possibly mean the same thing in  Brazilian. But the 'uncle' sometimes, in 
Brazil, plays the role of the 'father'  (or f-cks the sister-in-law). It 
gets all very complicated. Levi Strauss wrote  mostly in French, since his 
English was not very fluent. I heard him on radio  once and had to turn to a 
Mississipi station to listen to some blues, since his  strong accent was such 
that I could not decipher what he was saying. On the  other hand, French 
came naturally to him. The rolled r and the other sounds of  French he could 
produce with ease. He had a dog and a cat. He will be survived  by ... -- what 
do you expect at 101? None!"
 
JLS

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