{"product_id":"learning-to-count","title":"LEARNING TO COUNT","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"product-block mt-product-block\"\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eNew Year's resolution:\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003efinally pop the question, \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003ewhy is art history always \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003etaught in school from past \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eto present and not the other \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eway around, meaning \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003ebackwards, step by step, \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003ewhich would make things \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003emore logically understandable \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003ebecause closer and relatable \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eto one's lived experience, \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003ewhich is shared and thus \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003ecan be debated, instead \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eof having to accept top-down \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003ewhat is what?\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"product-block mt-product-block\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStarting from the trivial or rooted into fantasy, the poems and short stories collected in “Learning to Count” – Michael Van den Abeele’s second book of this kind – veer into the grotesque or the bizarre, revealing the glitches of a reality that is just waiting to hallucinate. In the eponymous text, “Learning to Count,” Van den Abeele reflects on an iconic photograph of the Ramones, standing against a wall, all dressed in identical jeans. Is this forest of legs ornament, or crime? Do ripped trousers still hold any political significance? What social beliefs make a community? \u003cbr xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xhtml\"\u003e\u003cbr xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xhtml\"\u003eMarked by anxiety and detachment, the “I” in Van den Abeele’s stories find himself in situations that drift toward unspeakable truths, bittersweet awakenings, or darker insights. Yet Van den Abeele’s prose also tackles the exuberance of Baroque church, or reflects on the ubiquity of burrata on restaurant menus— not to mention the connections between romantic love and making sandwiches.\u003cbr xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xhtml\"\u003e\u003cbr xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xhtml\"\u003eOften written to be read and performed, Van den Abeele’s texts stand out for the originality of their style, their unique humor, their distinctive sense of detail, and the author’s ability to make unexpected connections between Cézanne and Matrix, Wile E. Coyote and Roland Barthes, or motherhood and landscape gardening.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis book is published in conjunction with Michael Van den Abeele’s exhibition \u003cem\u003eOuija\u003c\/em\u003e at CRAC Alsace (Fall–Winter 2026\/2027) and is also available in French.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCo-published with CRAC Alsace\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e11 x 18 cm, 116 pages, English\u003cbr\u003eISBN: 9782492650253\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"After 8 Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57494384836948,"sku":null,"price":15.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1072\/9609\/6596\/files\/abeeleEN1_6d737e76-5511-4ab7-b3fa-a4702d289f35.jpg?v=1791550881","url":"https:\/\/after8books.com\/products\/learning-to-count","provider":"After 8 Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}