Monument Maker

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Book two stylistically follows the format of a diary-style historical epic about Khartoum. Later, Keenan departs planet Earth. “I travelled to the moon, illegally, to join a protest against the building of a second spaceport in the Sea of Tranquility,” he writes. “There was the promise of riots of some good bands on the bill, which is what every adolescent dreams of.” BOOKMUNCH Adventurous readers, devil-may-care readers, readers who are in it for the long haul - roll up

History shapes our lives. And what we do with our lives can shape history”. So reads the first sentence in Monument Maker. It is easy to ignore, either honestly or selectively, the monuments erected by our ancestors. A statue is as much a monument to past beliefs of who deserves to be idolized as it is the subject of the statue itself. In the news, you will hear of Confederate leaders and figures, their statues pulled to the ground in a effort to remind us that not everyone we physically look up to deserves that. On the flip side, statues like the one of John Henry in Talcott, West Virginia have been abused by racists for decades. No matter who it is you honor, someone will object. And much as statues have been called into question over the years, biographies of statues have been the subject of much scrutiny. You won’t find much to debate with any of the multitude of children’s books about the creation of the Statue of Liberty, but what about Mount Rushmore? In that case you have land taken from the Lakota people by the U.S. government without their consent. So often, these books about famous statues and monuments are cheerleading sections for America. Yet only the smartest authors think to include moments that hat tip problematic elements in their creation. Pictures commemorating beloved dogs, cats or other pets, or wild and larger animals to convey affinity for other living beings. Is it possible for books to dream? For books to dream within books? Is there a literary subterranea that would facilitate ingress and exit points through these dreams?It’s not a novel. It’s an acid trip. A freaky, feverish dream set in print. Baroque and bizarre, Monument Makeris a literary cathedral designed by Mad King Ludwig II, with help from Burroughs and Arthur C. Clarke. The book spins the reader through the rectum of history and dumps you in the mosh pit of heaven. Oops. Sorry about that. I got a bit carried away. I blame Keenan. His incantatory story telling makes the standard language of literary profiles and interviews seem so puny and prosaic you have to pump up the volume and go weird to convey the wonders of his fictional world. But even that’s inadequate. Asking what this novel is about is the wrong question. A better one is: why did Keenan dedicate his book “To the glory of God”? Options are classified by the type and size of the grave: single, double, children, or family estate. You can browse images for custom monuments and headstones in grid or gallery view. You can also designate custom grave marker designs as “favorites” for easy access and viewing on repeated visits to the IdeaBook. Personalized Elements Is it possible for books to read? For books to dream within books?’ David Keenan’s fifth novel attempts to answer this, through genres, and eras, and references to past work sure to please the avid Keenan reader. Monument Maker is a book within a book that spans hallucinatory historical epics through future-visioned histories of the world narrated by a British soldier made prophetic by depths of suffering. An epic written over 10 years, it’s a meditation on art and religion, and what it means to make a monument. Read two excerpts below.

Monument Maker, which was originally titled The Tomb of Song, was reportedly begun in 2008. Keenan initially put it to one side after feeling he was falling into an abyss. He embarked on an unconscious mission to find his great-aunt’s husband, William Ferguson, who disappeared during the second World War. His great-aunt clung to the belief that William was still somewhere in Europe, having lost his memory, and couldn’t come home. When the Keenans went on holiday to Crete, they searched for a memorial to him. In the absence of finding any monument, Keenan maintains that his great-aunt began to believe that William was still alive. MONUMENT MAKER straddles genres while fully embracing none of them, a book within a book within a book that runs from hallucinatory historical epics through future-visioned histories of the world narrated by a horribly disfigured British soldier made prophetic by depths of suffering; books that interact with Keenan's earlier novels, including a return to the mythical post-punk Airdrie landscape of his now classic debut, THIS IS MEMORIAL DEVICE; whole histories of art and religion; books that are glorious choral appendices; bibliographies; imagined films; tape recorded interviews; building to a jubilant accumulation of registers, voices and rhythms that is truly Choral. Rustic and boulder. Headstones cut to have a “natural,” rough finish around the edges, resembling stone or a boulder. From there we move to Africa, to Edinburgh... and this is only the beginning. But it is clear from the start that, despite the great detail, Keenan is not primarily concerned with people or place. There’s something else going on.This book is absolutely fantastic and essentially beyond my powers of description. Although there is a lot I can say about it, this book’s great value is bound up in the experience of reading it. In my view, Keenan is phenomenally successful in his stated (paraphrased) aim to create a space and/or narrative that is outside of time or something that is not/not of oneself. There wasn’t a single time, in the week that I devoured this book, where I did not very actively look forward to my next frolic through Keenan’s clouds and meadows of language. If you do nothing, you will be auto-enrolled in our premium digital monthly subscription plan and retain complete access for 65 € per month.

Inset photographs. Pictures or illustrations of the departed, including individual, couple, family or group photographs. I loved this biography about a kid who didn’t know where he fit. Daniel’s journey is inspiring for not only artists but for anyone who is looking for their passion. I loved the support Daniel’s family provided and the unique setting of Concord, Massachusetts at the time that Daniel was growing up among men such as Ralph Waldo Emerson and Louisa May Alcott’s family. The illustrations are amazing and contribute to the feel of the sculptures. Great history and human-interest story. Linda Sweeney remedies that in this fascinating book the combines a biography of sculptor Daniel Chester French with an excellent explanation of the process of creating the memorial. She marries the two stories very well with interesting and informative writing. Sweeney tells both stories in language that will be easily understood by young readers and yet manages at the same time to craft both a complicated technical process and a real sense of this remarkable artist and his artistic journey. I really appreciated the introduction of the other artists who were involved in the monument. Specific design elements on headstones can convey different ideas and suggestions about the lives they honor. Shapes that follow traditional construction styles can represent modesty, strength or common values. Alternate tombstone designs can support other, more personal meanings, like individuality, diversity, or unique ideas.I liked it. I liked how he made that statue, how he sent them in pieces because I've never heard of that. I felt all the feelings [while reading]. I felt angry because of the war and sad that Lincoln died. David Keenan has become one of the most prolific and innovative new literary stylists of the last five years . . . At this stage of his game Keenan can make his books do pretty much anything . . . Keenan's most ambitious and accomplished book yet. He has has built a monument, turning history to dust in the process, and delivering a hefty instalment of a literary career where literally anything is possible

These are some of the questions posed by David Keenan’s Monument Maker, an epic romance set in an eternal summer, and a descent into history and the errors of the past; a novel with a sweep and range that runs from the siege of Khartoum and the conquest of Africa in the 19th century through the Second World War and up to the present day, where the memories of one summer and an unforgettable love affair unravel. The IdeaBook lets you choose custom gravestones from a broad range of styles. For each memorial you choose, you can enter text, images, and information that best represent the life you’re commemorating. Patten’s IdeaBook gives you the chance to visualize an infinite number of possibilities for creating the perfect memorial, and lets you save as many custom combinations as you wish. Styles of Custom Monuments and Headstones Keenan says, “I think literature should show us how spectacular, miraculous and unique existence is. I wanted to thank God for the moment, for the miracle of life. So many books these days are just dreary critiques. I wanted a book that said YES! A book that was grateful to the glory of beauty and love and art.” Since the publication of This Is Memorial Device in 2017, a fictional oral history of the post-punk scene in his native Airdrie, Keenan has become one of the most prolific and innovative literary stylists of the past five years, garnering favourable comparisons to David Foster Wallace and Alan Warner. Now he publishes an epochal epic that asks whether books are capable of dreaming, echoing Roberto Bolaño’s 2666 in terms of sheer ambition and scale. I love the Lincoln Memorial. I love the walk up to it beside the Reflecting Pool. I love the pearly steps and the magnitude. I love looking out from the top, seeing the Washington Monument, a full panorama of the National Mall, and the Capitol beyond. It's one of my favorite destinations in D.C. Yet until this book, I had never heard of Daniel Chester French, the man who made Lincoln larger than life.

By (author) David Keenan

French lived in amazing times. (He also carved a figurine of lovely-dovey owls that I am all about.) The events that took place in his lifetime, his name-drop-worthy neighbors (May Alcott! Ralph Waldo Emerson!), the people who mentored his tremendous vision--what a remarkable existence. Patten’s IdeaBook helps visitors conceive the ideal, everlasting monument to the deceased family member, loved ones and friends. With an expansive array of styles, designs, images and placement options, the IdeaBook gives you the chance to try several memorial combinations until you find the perfect arrangement. Gravestones with angled, curved or special cuts reflecting more diverse, less conventional design elements. Sports and leisure activities. Images that depict a lifetime love of individual and team sports and recreation, including golf, basketball, baseball, football, fishing, hiking and more.