What Is Dada? And Other Dada Writings

by Theo van Doesburg, I.K. Bonset, Michael White (Translator, Introduction)

This volume collects together the Dada writings of Theo van Doesburg, the celebrated De Stijl architect. Apart from the title lecture these texts appeared under the pseudonym of I.K. Bonset and were generally published in Van Doesburg’s magazine Mécano (four issues 1922-23). Also included is his “novel” The Other Sight.

Michael White’s introduction describes the Dada tour of Holland undertaken by Van Doesburg and his friends at the beginning of 1923.

95 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1923

About the author

Theo van Doesburg (born Christian Emil Marie Küpper) was a Dutch artist who practiced painting, writing, poetry and architecture. He is best known as the founder and leader of De Stijl.
He also wrote under the pseudonyms I. K. Bonset and Aldo Camini.

Reviews

[Nate D · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mostly pseudonymous dada writings from the founder of that other early modernist movement, de Stijl. Besides some Schwitters, I've yet to be really drawn in by any dadaist poetry, which makes up much of Van Doesburg's output, and his theorizing occasionally annoys (his analysis of why there are no female artists or thinkers, for instance -- really? This even ignores other dadaists). Yet, as a collection and recollection of his time and place (the excellent introduction covering the Dada Tour of the Netherlands, and his diary of the Weimar conference) this is interesting and irreplaceable. And finally, in several of the more cogent segments of his serialized "novel", The Other Sight, he actually hits some moments of fantastic absurdist-surreal storytelling. The Savinio-esque chapter proclaiming ARTIFICIALISM after a strange hotel stay, in particular. Overall, this one may be of more historical interest to me than literary, though, admittedly.

[Marlies · Rating 2 out of 5]

and yet I still don't have a good answer....apart from total chaos.