Constellation of Genius: Modernism Year One by Kevin Jackson

An awful lot happened in 1922 in the world of art, literature, politics, film, international relations. So much so, that a book such as the ‘Constellation of Genius’ is needed to track the daily highlights from this wonderful year. Structured as an almanac recounting the major events on a day by day basis, ‘Constellation of Genius’ really helped me appreciate how remarkable this year was.

1922 saw the publication of the two fundamental landmarks of Modernism — Ulysess and The Wasteland. Ezra Pound recognised the importance of the Wasteland, so much so he christened 1922 as year One of a new era.

Ezra Pound is one of many of the cast of characters who appear in the ‘Constellation of Genius’. The cast is immense including everyone from Lenin to Proust from Hitchcock to Wittgenstein from Freud to Kafka. What is best about this book, is seeing how major figures in this year reacted to the cultural and historical events as they happened. Reading about Virgina Woolf’s virulent feelings about Ulyssses and her growing appreciation of Joyce’s genius gives a greater insight into the novel and of Woolf as a writer. There are countless moments such as these when great figures come into contact with one another. It is at these moments I wish I had access to a time machine. What exactly did Proust and Joyce talk about at their only meeting at dinner party in Paris (which also included Picasso, Diaghilev, Stravinsky as guests?) Did they get round the piano and have a sing-song as Stravinsky palyed a tune, did they share a Ferrero Roche? Who knows but this book goes some way to creating links and filling in some blanks about some great people in an extraordinary year.