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

P.S.  I met Levi Strauss once while sauntering down the Champs Elysee.  I was 
very disappointed that he was not wearing Levis.  Never read another thing of 
his.  Such is life.

Mike Geary
Memphis
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Jlsperanza@xxxxxxx 
  To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
  Sent: Tuesday, November 03, 2009 10:00 AM
  Subject: [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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