The Summersby Confession appeared on YouTube on October 28, 2013, one day before the official release of “S.” It appears to be canonical because Doug Dorst’s own Texas State University credits him with its authorship. However, Jen’s comments in the marginalia at the top of p48 challenge that (Thanks, @Pitty_Moraes).
Here is a transcript in both English and French.
Most of the word is murder and blood.
Strike the deal and keep running.
Running, always running.
Tired is what it comes down to.
Spent, drained, empty.
Time to end this business.
Won’t say I won. Won’t concede either.Whether any other writer will pick up the work – the fight – I can’t say.
Everyone’s got too many reasons not to.
That’s the beauty of Straka – he didn’t.
He had nothing but reasons to fight.
Straka – even now I’m saying his name and not “I.”
So I’ll tell you again, whoever you are, by him I mean me.
Got it? Let’s have no doubt. There’s your mystery – solved. Voila.I was Straka. Straka was me.
Maybe it’s odd. Maybe you think
Sommersby’s a hack. He can’t write like Straka. He can’t be Straka.
Huh. Every writer worth one damn is more than one voice – more than one self.
Okay Ekstrom helped with Braxenholm, so there’s a little of him in Straka, too.
I’m all about miracles. You want real miracles?
It’s a miracle Ekstrom wanted to teach a nobody how to tell a story.
A miracle I had the sense to listen.
A miracle anyone read the damn thing.
And then a monkey wins the Bouchard Prize. Biggest miracle of all.
Good man, Ekstrom. Heh, heh – hell of a mustache.Anyway, Straka – me – this our final words.
No reason to lie. Maybe I’m not the one you wanted.
For that, you have my apologies. So, here I am. Here I am.
Next time I go up on deck will be my last.
Every story needs an ending after all. Straka’s no different.
’S the way to go, both of us. Go like we lived.
I think we try as long as we can to keep our heads above the waves.
What begins at the water shall end there, and what ends there shall once more begin.French Version
(Source)L’essentiel du mot représente meurtre et sang.
Donner la mort et courir encore.
Courir, toujours courir.
Fatigué, on en est réduit à ça.
À bout, épuisé, vide.
Il est temps d’en finir.
Sans dire que j’ai gagné. Sans non plus m’avouer vaincu.Si d’autres auteurs poursuivront le travail — le combat — je ne puis le dire.
Tout le monde a bien trop de raisons de refuser.
C’est toute la beauté de Straka : il ne l’a pas fait.
Il n’avait rien d’autre que des raisons que de se battre.
Straka — même à présent je dis son nom et pas « Je ».
Donc, je vous le répète, qui que vous soyez : par lui, j’entends moi.
C’est bon ? Qu’il n’y ait aucun doute. Votre mystère est résolu. Voilà.J’étais Straka. Straka était moi.
Peut-être est-ce bizarre. Peut-être pensez-vous que
Summersby est un écrivaillon. Qu’il ne peut écrire comme Straka. Qu’il ne peut être Straka.
Hum. Tout artiste digne de ce nom est plus qu’une seule voix — plus qu’un soi.
(Inaudible) Ekstrom a donné son aide pour [Miracle à] Braxenholm, il y a donc aussi un peu de lui dans Straka.
Je ne suis que miracles. Vous voulez de vrais miracles ?
C’est un miracle qu’Ekstrom (inaudible) [n’ait appris à personne] comment raconter une histoire.
Un miracle que j’aie eu le sens de l’écoute.
Un miracle que quelqu’un ait lu ce foutu truc.
Et puis un singe gagne le Prix Bouchard. Le plus grand de tous les miracles.
Brave Ekstrom. Hé, hé – sacré moustache.Enfin bon, de Straka — moi — ce sont nos derniers mots.
Aucune raison de mentir. Peut-être que je ne suis pas celui que vous espériez.
Pour cela, je vous demande pardon. Et donc, m’y voilà. M’y voilà.
La prochaine fois que je monterai sur le pont sera ma dernière.
Toute histoire doit s’achever, après tout. Celle de Straka n’est pas différente.
C’est la meilleur façon d’agir, pour nous deux. Partir comme nous avons vécu.
(Inaudible) autant que possible. Nous avons essayé autant que possible. (Le son s’éloigne)
Ce qui commence dans l’eau s’achèvera là, et ce qui s’achève là recommencera.
geekyzen said:
Thanks for doing this, Mystimus. It is very enlightening.
Captain said:
Another red herring.
Brian Shipman said:
Red herrings can be like Navajo eagles – scarce but worth a second look.
Captain said:
Well done. Bracegirdle would be pleased and he’s dead isn’t he?
Captain said:
Check Richard Bracegirdle and what he wrote and what Doug said in an interview with JJ.
One bead + tile 🙂
Dallas said:
A bead indeed! A cryptographic novel about a lost letter by a British spy who was trying to kill Shakespeare? http://seattletimes.com/html/books/2003653166_gruber06.html
Dan said:
I suggest two corrections:
Line 4: Tired is what it comes down to.
Line 5: Spent, drained, empty.
Brian Shipman said:
Dan, thanks. I think you are right on both counts. Changes made.
danymous said:
May I suggest for line 2:
Strike the deal and keep running.
I keep thinking that the first line would make for sense as
Most of the _world_ is murder and blood
Yet the recording sounds 100% like the word “word”.
Most of which word? How can a word be murder and blood? All words, ultimately, are the foundation for murder and blood? (Yes, perhaps that is true, at any rate.)
geekyzen said:
Not sure if this significant bu in the Grimshaw review: “All of this might be forgivable if Ship of Theseus succeeded in delivering a modicum of entertainment to this reader (who’s full name I will conceal and represent simply as “I.”)” Summersby says “Straka – even know I’m saying his name and not “I.”” I just think it is interesting they both say that “I.” Exactly in quotes and also at the end of the sentence so a period follows it.
Brian Shipman said:
Corrected all of the missing/garbled sections thanks to @anabramsfan.
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KreeNoh135 said:
I love the way the clip sounds. It reminds me of The Twilight Zone.
frfly said:
summersby confession –
Maybe I’m not the one you wanted.
eric margin note 377 –
maybe not the guy you or i or even filomela wanted him to be.
this is also the B. Traven story, the guy that emerged did not fit the hero in the stories and as a result many people discounted him for years.
.
frfly said:
https://twitter.com/s_philosophica/status/739790650934235136
“Summerbsy’s confession high quality rip hides stuff over 22KHz”
Priscilla said:
I find it weird that in page 48 Jen comments that Summersby says in his confession he made his own translations (indicating Filomela was fictional). Where does that come in this transcription?
Brian Shipman said:
That is an excellent point. I see nothing in the transcription of the audio confession along those lines. Something is amiss.
Priscilla said:
I forgot to mention it’s page 48 of the Portuguese version, which is mine.
frfly said:
that is a very good catch. perhaps some thinking about the provenance of the two stories would lead somewhere.
summersby is central to the story. eric had the tape , then moody had it, based his theory on it. a large basis of their feud was over the tape. none of the characters, stenfalk, corbeau, etc seem to be based on summersby, unless it is maelstrom, both have 9 letters. summersby had been a boxer, he may have had the kind of strength like maelstrom. dies on a ship. allegedly. his middle name was martin, a bird. traven’s translator, on whom fxc is an echo, also died in ’51.
frfly said:
margin note on 417, eric – “Finally get why summ.’s confession made so much of how alone (underlined) he’d been in his life as the only straka: trying to get new S/Bouchard to lay off filomela, yes- but also to hide Signe, make them think that whatever they’d heard about her existence was just rumor.” the baby that doesnt exist, no father on birth cert, but i dont get that emphasis on Alone here. so again maybe a discrepancy between the confessions.
also what is that reference to the only straka?
Brian Shipman said:
I believe the reference to “the only Straka” is foisting the attention of the world on him as the one and only Straka so they don’t seek any of the other candidates – including Vaclav or anyone else – to protect whomever VMS really is.
frfly said:
sounds right, could also apply to the comment he did his own translating, to draw attention away from fxc, but its not the version we have. so two versions exist.
frfly said:
another discrepancy. keep our heads above the waves. see margin note on p.67, “except w/”my” instead of “his”.
Brian Shipman said:
Agree. Good catch. There are a few discrepancies that makes us wonder if the Summersby confession referred to in the marginalia matches the one we have here.
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anna said:
In my book Jen’s ((THANKS)) appears on the p.64 not p.48, a bit worried about this anyone else has this ?
Brian Shipman said:
I have p64 as well. Where do you see p48 as the page?