Scholarly discussion of the music of John Cage.

[Ian Mikyska <>]

Dear Silence List,

first, let me preemptively express my thanks for your help – I am honoured to contact this mailing list, which is, incredibly, as old as I am!

Now for a brief summary of the situation with which I need help:

Jaroslav Šťastný (alias Peter Graham), a renowned composer, researcher, and lecturer from the Czech Republic has spent years writing an extensive essay on Cage which is called Usměvavý Frankenstein in Czech ("The Smiling Frankenstein"/"The Amiable Frankenstein"). You can read it in Czech here, but the abstract is in English and reads as follows: 

Abstract: The first part of a larger study on John Cage and his ap- proach to composition. The vari- ous aspects of his work are dis- cussed in separate chapters, concerning his position in musical world, his role as a symbol of avant- guarde, his use of chance, and the impact of his ideas on contempo- rary dance and theatre. Also dealt with are his Oriental influences, the transformation of Nature in his work and also the problems of un- derstanding his aesthetics and compositional aims caused by the contradictory nature of his activi- ties.

Keywords: John Cage, avant-garde, chance operations, zen, contemporary dance, contempo- rary theatre, aesthetics

The situation is the following: the Czech Music Information Centre is open to financing the translation of this essay into English. NAMU, the publishing house of AMU, the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, is open to publishing the work, but they lack an international distribution network, so what they've proposed is that we find a co-edition partner abroad to help with distribution.

And that's where I need your help. I would be very glad for any proposals for publishers – both academic and otherwise – who you think might be interested in co-publishing this work. It's really more about the distribution network than anything else – we could probably put together the requisite funds for the translation, editing, and printing on our end. 

I will be grateful for any and all help you might be able to offer.

Many thanks in advance for your help and advice. I look forward to learning more about the work and thought of John Cage through this mailing list.

All best from Prague,

Ian Mikyska

www.ianmikyska.com