Triffids Beard 2 - The Bearded Triffid
Triffids Beard 2 - The Bearded Triffid
Triffids Beard 2 - The Bearded Triffid
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Introduction<br />
Some of these essays were originally published in Phlogiston under the generic title of <strong>The</strong> <strong>Beard</strong>ed<br />
<strong>Triffid</strong>. <strong>The</strong> triffid's concerns wandered through many highways and byways, veering between science<br />
fiction, literature and life. <strong>The</strong> essays were sometimes serious, sometimes less so; the one constant was<br />
a reverence for art and intellect and an aesthetic appreciation of the skills of the wordsmith.<br />
Later I branched out and a companion series started to appear in Phoenixine as What I read on my<br />
Holidays (though later the title changed slightly!). Originally the Phoenixine essays were intended to be<br />
little more than a record of my reading, but other things kept intruding. <strong>The</strong> artistic ideas that the triffid<br />
espoused kept peeking coyly between the paragraphs. Some of the essays were merely observations on<br />
the foibles of life; some were deeply felt (though lightly phrased) polemics. And some were just plain fun.<br />
<strong>The</strong> spectrum spanned by this collection is enormous. I am astonished by the number of concerns (and<br />
the ephemera) to which I gave my attention. But I seem to see a pattern that unites it all. If I may be<br />
pretentious for a moment and state my theme clearly, I think I see a request for open eyes, for<br />
scepticism, for thoughtful acceptance of art (and message, should it be there) rather than merely a<br />
simple emotional reaction to it. Art must appeal to the intellect as well as to the emotions. If it doesn’t, it<br />
is only the equivalent of a mobius strip - it has only one side. I need more dimensions than that in my life.<br />
An insult to the intellect leaves an emotional vacuum. High art transcends boundaries, but crossing<br />
those boundaries takes more than an overt bribe to the border guards. Hence so many appeals in these<br />
essays for simple skills as well as for intellectual rigour and emotional honesty. <strong>The</strong>se are high ideals and<br />
are rarely met with, but that is no reason to stop trying.<br />
I had a lot of fun writing these essays. I've enjoyed exploring my aesthetic ideas and I hope you find the<br />
journey as rewarding as I have found it. As Bill and Ted might have remarked, I've been pursuing<br />
excellence.<br />
Does anybody want to help me nail my jelly to a tree?<br />
Alan Robson<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Beard</strong>ed <strong>Triffid</strong>