# Peace: non ho capito *The Urth list — 4 messages, 3 voices, 23 Aug 1998* > Exported from an unofficial mirror of a public mailing list. Copyright > in each message remains with the person who wrote it. > Email addresses are obscured as `user at host`, the form the original > archive published. This file was rebuilt from parsed fields rather than > retained headers, so it is faithful in content but not byte-exact. --- ### CRCulver *23 Aug 1998, 05:37* Friends, I've just recently returned to my home from a vacation to the southern states. While there, I read _Peace,_ and I have no idea what it was about. Is Alden Dennis Weer a time traveller? Is he dead? Who is the woman who some readers think he killed? About the only thing I did understand about _Peace_ are the many references to and borrowings from Jorge Luis Borges. Any help on understanding this difficult tome would be appreciated! Christopher R. Culver http://members.aol.com/crculver/index.html ------------------------------------------------ "The darkest dreams are the ones that come true." -Warren Defever --- ### Jason Voegele *23 Aug 1998, 08:29 · follows CRCulver* Whoa there! That's a BIG can of worms. We had quite a good discussion of PEACE early on in the list, so you should be able to get some good info from the archives. For starters, it does appear the Weer is dead from the outset of the book--many have noted that the falling tree disturbs his grave. On other theme in the book that I'm fond of (though I've had little luck convincing anyone of this) is solipsism. Weer's universe seems to exist solely in his thoughts, but his relating of the stories of the dead breathes new life into those old bones. Also note the "Rest in PEACE" theme, in that by telling the stories of the dead, their souls may finally R.I.P. See Clute for a good discussion of this work. Also, someone on this list (was that you, Damien?) has written an excellent essay on PEACE, which can be located in the archives. Jason Voegele -----Original Message----- From: CRCulver at aol.com To: urth at lists.best.com Date: Sunday, August 23, 1998 1:45 AM Subject: (urth) Peace: non ho capito |Friends, | |I've just recently returned to my home from a vacation to the southern states. |While there, I read _Peace,_ and I have no idea what it was about. Is Alden |Dennis Weer a time traveller? Is he dead? Who is the woman who some readers |think he killed? | |About the only thing I did understand about _Peace_ are the many references to |and borrowings from Jorge Luis Borges. | |Any help on understanding this difficult tome would be appreciated! | |Christopher R. Culver |http://members.aol.com/crculver/index.html |------------------------------------------------ |"The darkest dreams are the ones that come true." |-Warren Defever | works --- ### William H. Ansley *24 Aug 1998, 00:15 · follows Jason Voegele* > We had quite a good discussion of > PEACE early on in the list, so you should be able to get some good info from > the archives. I am not sure if I am thinking of the same discussion of _Peace_ that you are (although I remember only one) but if I am then "good" is perhaps overstating it. What I remember is a lengthy discussion (which I started) about what Weer knew about Napolean's hand. It reached no definitive conclusion. No wait, that's wrong. I am just remembering that there was also a discussion about whether Weer killed everybody else in _Peace_, long before I joined the list. I just looked it up. The original _Peace_ discussion was in the Urth Mail Archive Volume 1. The "Napolean's Hand" discussion, which also has its points of interest was split over Volumes 10 and 11. Here is a long interview with Wolfe that includes info on _Peace_: . I got the URL from this Wolfe page (check it out for many other good Wolfe links including more interviews) which I got from the Whorl web page . William Ansley --- ### Jason Voegele *24 Aug 1998, 01:35 · follows William H. Ansley* |I am not sure if I am thinking of the same discussion of _Peace_ that you |are (although I remember only one) but if I am then "good" is perhaps |overstating it. What I remember is a lengthy discussion (which I started) |about what Weer knew about Napolean's hand. It reached no definitive |conclusion. | |No wait, that's wrong. I am just remembering that there was also a |discussion about whether Weer killed everybody else in _Peace_, long before |I joined the list. Yes, this is the one to which I was referring. OK, maybe "good" was overstating it some, since we barely scratched the surface, but there were multiple posts covering multiple subjects, so at least a good start to a good discussion has been set in place. |I just looked it up. The original _Peace_ discussion was in the Urth Mail |Archive Volume 1. The "Napolean's Hand" discussion, which also has its |points of interest was split over Volumes 10 and 11. ---