Chronicles From The Future: The amazing story of Paul Amadeus Dienach

Regarding the pride they felt about Markfor, he told me that it had as much to do with the beauty and wealth of this megalopolis as it had with the soul of the city; Markfor had grown exclusively because of its intellectual life.

In fact, I remember him telling me that the populations of the production centres in the neighbouring Ragrilia, in southern France, was a lot bigger. “But those are production centres”, he said.

“All you have to do is think about your Oxford with the population of your New York or your London.”

I noticed that Stefan avoided comparing Markfor with the big cities of the North that were also dedicated to the intellect. But the story of the North was old and different. Markfor was born from the intellect; it wasn’t constructed on the ruins of an old industrial and commercial centre.

There was, however, a significant difference between Markfor and Oxford that made Stefan’s comparison inaccurate: in our time, those who went to Oxford were almost exclusively students, while today, all those who come to Markfor are normal, everyday people. They don’t study the spirit and the intellect; they live it!

It must be over a month now that the permanent population has come back from their summer holiday along with thousands of travellers from the southern states and all the auditoriums, halls, museums and venues have opened to host poetry competitions, sculpture and painting exhibitions, festivals and conferences for art lovers and music events. This is their daily routine!

They told me that in their meetings and symposiums they don’t have a single bite and that in their festivals no music that even slightly resembles the Italian music of the 19th century is heard. Opera is not really their cup of tea… In the theatrical plays, however, which are countless, they play everything from Shakespeare, Schiller and the great dramatists of New Göteborg to Evelyn Cornsen and Borodin’s trilogy The Ethereal Paths, inspired by the astonishing Valmandel’s work

Prayer Among the Stars’ Golden Spheres. I heard many people speak with respect about this oratorio that is described as being an entire “musical universe” in itself.

Foreign thinkers hardly ever come to Markfor to teach anymore. This gigantic state has its own maîtres, half of whom are born and raised in the city and extremely proud of it. You may happen to run into some of them on the street, walking by themselves, undisturbed, without anyone bothering them with excessive effusiveness. The good old notion of discretion governs this city that knows how to recognise and respect the intimate moments of a person and not bother them by taking it further than calling out a cordial greeting. And I’m talking about names unknown to us, yet very famous nowadays, real stars! Stars that have not risen in the night sky of our times…

Here is where Axel Engelmeier, the mathematics philosopher, has worked all his life and still teaches now, at a very old age. Here is where Kershey does his winter courses on the philosophical approach to culture. Thousands of people gather every night in the temple of Lysborg in Altona for the religious sermon of the beloved Knut Dieter, with the snow white hair and the soul of a child, to hear him recite so exquisitely the “Love thy neighbour as thyself” commandment and listen to his speech on the Mount of Olives. And the list is very long; Rudelin, Brigita Luni, Lestrem and Kirsten Nymark. The latter is famous in the field of history of art. Her annual schedule is this: four months of travelling and studying, four months in isolation, writing and doing research and four months giving lectures. She says that this alternation of time and occupation is enough for her to rest.

My old teacher Jaeger is the only “interpreter” of the work of Alex Jenefelt, who now lives in the Valley. I was very disappointed, though, one day when I went to listen to his lecture. I hardly understood a thing. Granted, Jaeger himself had told me only to go to the lectures of Lain and Astrucci, because there I would understand more.

I understand the phrases and expressions, because I am now very well used to their corrupted Anglo-Saxon, but I can make no sense of them whatsoever. Very well then, I’ll go to Astrucci’s class, to see what this educator of the future has to say. Or better yet to Lain’s. That’s what I’ll do. I just have to make sure that Silvia doesn’t find out and starts crying again for the fall of Andreas Northam...