W or the Memory of Childhood by Georges Perec

Author:Georges Perec [Perec, Georges]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
ISBN: 9780099552352
Google: 5-F0GT54pOcC
Amazon: 1567921582
Publisher: Godine
Published: 1988-09-06T22:00:00+00:00

TWENTY

From the very founding of W it was decided that the names of the first victors should be maintained piously in men’s memories and be attached to all their successors on the podium. The custom took root at the second Olympiads: the winner of the 100 metres was given the title of Jones, the 200 metres champion was dubbed MacMillan, and the 400 metres, 800 metres, marathon, 110 metres hurdles, long jump and high jump medallists were entitled, respectively, Gustafson, Müller, Schollaert, Kekkonen, Hauptmann and Andrews.

The custom spread quickly and the same system was soon used for designating the winners first of the Spartakiads and selection trials and then of the local championships and ranking heats. In the end, the runners-up who, to begin with, were distinguished by the adjunction of the honorifics “silver” and “bronze” to their names, were likewise accorded titles which were the names of the first-time winners of their places in their respective event.

It was quite obvious that it would not be long before these titles, as proudly flaunted as medals, as symbols of victory, would become more important than the Athletes’ names. Why say of a winner: “His name is Martin, he is the Olympic 1,500 metres champion” or: “His name is Lewis, he came second in the triple jump in the W vs West-W locals,” when all you need to say is: “He is the Schreiber,” or: “He is Van den Bergh.” The discarding of proper names was entirely within the logic of W: Athletes’ identities were soon indistinguishable from the catalogue of their performances. On this simple foundation – an Athlete is no more and no less than his victories – was built an onomastic system as subtle as it was precise.

Novices have no names. They are called “novice”. They are distinguished by having sewn onto the backs of their tracksuits not a W, but a large triangle of white material, the apex pointing down.

Practising Athletes have no names, they have nicknames. Initially the nicknames were chosen by the Athletes themselves; they referred to distinctive features (Skinny, Broken Nose, Harelip, Gingernut, Curly), or to character traits (Crafty, Hothead, Plodder), or to ethnic or regional origins (the Frisian, the Sudeten, the Islander). Subsequently, almost totally arbitrary denominations were added on, deriving from Red Indian naming systems no doubt by way of their Boy Scout imitations: Buffalo Heart, Fleetfoot Jaguar, etc.

The Administration has never looked kindly on the existence of these nicknames which, being very popular amongst the Athletes, jeopardise the status of title names. Not only has it always refused to recognize nicknames (officially an Athlete is designated – apart from the names he may have gained by his victories – only by the initial letter of his village, followed by a serial number), it has managed, on the one hand, to restrict their use to home villages, thus avoiding the risk of their popularity spreading through the stadiums, and, on the other hand, to forbid the introduction of any new ones. The nicknames

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