The Mappist by Barry Lopez
Blog:
https://tasteofliteraturewithgeethu.blogspot.com/
YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8bPxrwGbA0R2yJUOieZ-wg
The Mappist is a short story taken from Light Action in the Caribbean
Ø It published in the year 2000
Ø When Mr.Trevino was an undergraduate
student at Brown
he came across a book called The City of
Ascensions, about Bogota
Ø It was written by Onesimo Pena
Ø Pena‘s work is very depth.
I.
If
one read that book, they could walk through the warrens of Bogota without a
map.
II.
He also notes baptismal registries of a
particular cathedral.
III.
London plane tree planted by Bolivar
Ø In his senior year he came across The City of Trembling Leaves by Walter Van Tilburg
Clark
Ø It was about Reno
Ø But Pena’s work is depth than this
work.
Ø He believed Pena’s has not written
any works until he read The City of Floating
Sand about Cape Town by FransHaartman
&The City of Frangipani
about Djakarta by Jemboa Tran
Ø Trevino felt, two books written by
same person.
Ø He search a national library through University of
Michigan, where he had gone to work on a master degree in geography
Ø He skimmed many works & end up
with 5 copies
Ø He believed Pena had written these
books
Ø They are about Perth, Lagos, Tokyo, Venice & Boston
Ø The book which talk regarding Boston
was written by William Smith Everett called
The City of Cod
Ø He try to get information about Pena
but he could find details about him
Ø Moreover he himself not sure whether he is alive or not
because the book which talk regarding Venice has been Published fifty years before.
Ø As a doctoral student at Duke he
submitted his series of city map which shows how water moved through Djakarta,
not just municipal water but also trucked water & street by street, the
flow of rain water. And how road building in Cape Town reflected the policy of
apartheid.
Ø He done this work by the dissertation
of Pena’s books
Ø After he finished he moved to Brookline with his
wife and three young children
Ø There he work as a restoration
geographer
Ø Corlis Benefideo Fifteen years later he went to Tokyo for business trip.
Ø That time he went to Sanseido Book
store where he buy translation books & Asian architecture.
Ø He also find some kanji & maps in
ground floor
Ø The maps are very familiar to
Trevino.
Ø In Edge of every map, there is
English name in a corner à
Ø He bought all 13 maps from the book
store
I.
1st
map describesà the flooding of Sumida River.
II.
2nd map describesà the location of shops dealing in Edo period manuscripts &
art works.
III.
3rd
map describesà Hiroshige’s famous 100 views
IV.
4th map describesàthe rise & decline of horse barns in the city
Ø He asked his assistant to find out
Benefideo.
Ø His assistant says, Corlis Benefideo
is a Map Maker
for USA from 1932 to 1958 in Washington & he sends fax to
Trevino about Benefideo.
Ø Corlis Benefideo was born in Fargo,
in the year 1912.
Ø Benefideo worked for Federal Government
during Depression.
Ø From 1940, he exchange places like
Venice, Bogota & Logos.
Ø From 1958 to 1975, he works as private in
Chicago.
Ø After that nobody knows him.
Ø Trevino gets Corlis friend Maxwell Abert
number and find some more details about Corlis spoke five or six language.
Ø He moved out from Government because
he understands Government doesn’t need him so he worked in private. Later he
moved to Fargo.
Untill 1985 they
exchanges the letters. Abert also said Corlis made 48 series of maps
for WPA project. Finally Trevino got Fargo address and moved out.
Ø Trevino find out Corlis live Fargo
until his parents died & sold the house in 1985
Ø Trevino wishes to suggest The City of Ascensions to his daughter Stephanie who finishes her junior year at Bryn
Mawr. Later he leaves the thought.
Ø Several months after he got back from
Tokyo. He finds Benefideo’s Garrison address on his desk. It was kept by Trevino’s
assistant.
Ø Trevino wrote letter to Corlis for
meeting him. Corlis ask him to come first week of October.
Ø Trevino made all arrangement and meet
Corlis on October-2
at 9:00 am
Ø Corlis is 5foot 6 and lean old man who
wears khaki
Ø During breakfast Trevino noticed a
set of 8 books
on his shelves and realized he missed one.
Ø They went Bismark high way to watch ducks
& geese coming from Canada and gave lot of guidance regarding that place.
Ø In the evening time Trevino find
Corlis wall sticks with maps and also find his missed book that The City of Geraniums about
Lima.
Ø In dinner Corlis said he use pen
names to keep to keep out Government find him. His works all welcomed by other
countries rather than USA.
Ø In 1975, he back to Fargo to care his
parents.
Ø Then Corlis moved to Garrison and had
his Government pension.
Ø Now he is working with North Dakota series
& made 1651 maps. He spends 15 years for this project.
Ø After his life he denoted these maps to North Dakota Museum
of Art.
Ø Trevino asks corlis about his
marriage. Corlis confined that he did not married & think he had one or two children
Ø Dakota map placed in 2nd
largest room. Corlis explains some of the maps which are talks regarding
ephemeral streams, fence line along the Missouri river, Mc Intosh county’s bed
rock geolog, eighteenth and nineteenth century foot trails in the western half
of the state, summer distribution of swain son’s hawks and Richard ground
squirrel.
Ø Trevino asks Corlis to talk his
daughter and made her environmental historian. Corlis said him if she
interested he is ready to talk but he does not force her.
Ø Finally he got copy of The City of Geraniums from Corlis and they
exchange last words.
Ø Trevino takes his car & moves
out. It compared to barn bound horse.
