The Novel as Performance: The Example of Raymond Federman

Year 1996, Issue: 3, 75 - 93, 01.04.1996

Serpil Oppermann Michael Oppermann

Abstract

Raymond Federman defines his novel Double or Nothing 1971 as a constant movement in language, as one long and incessant improvisation LeClair and McCaffery 130-31 . Federman's statement points to a basic resemblance between a jam session and the act of writing. It underlines a certain aspect of his work, namely its apparently spontaneous, performatory nature. Especially his poetry finds a new dimension in a live performance with German avantgarde jazz combo Arte De Fakt; a jazz session appears to be an almost ideal framework for Federman's masterful explorations of the musical qualities of language, as it is also demonstrated by his recording of Playtexts 1 and 2 1992 for Bayerischer Rundfunk. The use of one and three jazz musicians respectively results in a brilliant fusion of a poetry recital and a jam session. By referring to Double or Nothing as an incessant improvisation, Federman deliberately annihilates any borderline between his poetry and his novels.

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