The Ode to the & - James Joyce
James Joyce had a blatant disregard for his typewriter.
Well, either that or he was holding a grudge against it, probably from some misplaced letter at the end of an otherwise perfect page, or a slowly building frustration at the device’s incessant clicking and clacking.
Whatever his relationship with his mechanical muse, Joyce had no qualms about putting it through its paces when he pounded out his 265,000-word classic, Ulysses. As much a fan of brevity as he was of his abused writing machine, he compounded his own frustrations (and that of all future grammarians) by including in his epic not one but two sentences each over 11,000 words in length.
Now apart from being the first time on record when a typewriter prayed for writer’s block, this momentous occasion in literature’s history was also the most demanding test ever conceived for the word ‘and’. Used hundreds and hundreds of times throughout the novel, the humble ‘and’ strung each of Joyce’s thoughts together practically ad infinitum, allowing him to painstakingly build his work into the hefty tome it is today.
But what if ‘and’ didn’t exist? How far would Joyce have been able to go, how much more would be have been able to give us without the binding powers of this famous conjunction? Clever use of commas and other appropriate punctuation aside, it’s fairly obvious that the record-breaking novelist’s exhaustive ramblings would be significantly less record-breaking without the cohesive properties of ‘and’.
Aside from being a proud supporter of carpal tunnel, it’s clear from Joyce’s endeavours that ‘and’ stands for much more than most would expect. It allows for detail, expansion, perfectionism and commitment. It’s the mother of all afterthought (the constructive kind, mind), and the underpinning for unity and collaboration.
We like ‘and’ because it holds the promise of possibility. It lets us and obsessive novelists like Joyce forever expand our thoughts and ideas, allowing us to elaborate practically anything into almost infinite detail. It’s literary duct tape, and completely philanthropic in its unending generosity.
Quite simply, ‘and’ lets us all do more, so it’s no wonder then that it’s the very core of our philosophy at &Beyond.
The ‘and’ is our licence to be all about the details, a great excuse to give you more than you bargained for. It’s one incredible experience after another after another, whether it’s our insightful, tailored travel planning expertise or variety of different adventures at each of our iconic safari destinations.
‘And’ lets us combine our big ideas of conservation, communities, biodiversity and sustainability with the simple human principles of love, truth, delight and even magic. And, through all this, we believe we can genuinely give more than we take and care for the land, wildlife and people that make &Beyond destinations, quite simply, the most wonderful places on Earth.
So, you see, to us ‘and’ is far more than just the foundation of James Joyce’s famous novel.
‘And’ is who we are.
The Ode to the & - Salvador Dali
Salvador Dali didn’t really get out much.
In fact, with almost 1 500 paintings passing across his numerous canvasses over his lifetime, it's a wonder he knew how to interact with anyone other than the undoubtedly star-struck women who graced his bed or the undoubtedly wealthy shopkeeper at the local art supply store.
While the reclusive artist may have had very little to talk about other than his work, the opposite was true for talkative Frenchman Lluis Colet, who in 2009 effortlessly gabbed about Dali for an exhaustive 124 hours straight.
Despite being more a fan of his own voice than he was of either sleep or personal hygiene, Colet, whether he knew it or not, was an ardent devotee of the word ‘and’. Spoken thousands of times throughout his speech, this simple conjunction allowed him to breathlessly converse his way into the record books and claim the title of World’s Longest Speech.
But what if ‘and’ didn’t exist? Would Colet’s grand oration have been nothing more than a brief toast without this deceptively powerful word?
It’s fairly safe to say that the humble ‘and’ formed the very foundation of the verbose wordsmith’s lecture. Through the early life of Dali and his works down to even his bizarre idiosyncrasies and turbulent love life, ‘and’ persistently expanded the lengthy talk, revealing itself as a remarkable three-letter powerhouse far more stoic than even the most steadfast of Colet’s audience.
It’s clear then from this surrealist sermon that ‘and’ allows for detail, expansion, perfectionism and commitment. It’s like saying, “But wait, there’s more” without being so longwinded, or adding ‘P.S.’ without being so brusque.
We like ‘and’ because it’s the hint of things to come. It lets us and sore-throated speakers like Colet build even a single thought into something great, and then take that and make it something grand. It’s the grammatical equivalent of a rapturous encore, never shy to step out from the wings and wow its audience with something new.
Quite simply, ‘and’ lets us all do more, so it’s no wonder then that it’s the very core of our philosophy at &Beyond.
The ‘and’ is our licence to be all about the details, a great excuse to give you more than you bargained for. It’s one incredible experience after another after another, whether it’s the natural luxury of our five-star settings or the remarkable expertise of our five-star guides.
‘And’ lets us take you deep into the heart of long-dreamt-of destinations, places where we weave unexpected magical touches and delight into each and every experience. And, through all this, we believe we can genuinely give more than we take and care for the land, wildlife and people that make &Beyond destinations, quite simply, the most wonderful places on Earth.
So, you see, to us ‘and’ is far more than the simple word that brought Dali out of the house and into Colet’s world record-breaking speech.
‘And’ is who we are.
The Ode to the & - Don McLean
Don McLean must have really hated encores.
And, now that we think about it, it’s likely that he was even less a fan of lengthy studio sessions, seemingly endless strings of gigs, or having to frequently clutch an autograph pen whenever he wasn’t clutching his guitar.
This distaste for the very staples of his profession was entirely his own doing though thanks predominantly to his acclaimed hit, American Pie. This twenty-one stanza musical marathon tortured the poor crooner’s calloused hands, often abusing him for well over fifteen minutes at a time during the song’s prolonged live versions, usually at the end of an already exhaustive set.
Despite being a long, long time ago, McLean could no doubt reflect today on how frequently his chart-topper made use of the word ‘and’. Sung an impressive 41 times throughout the track, this seemingly innocuous little lyric gave McLean the opportunity to warble his way into aural infamy and the hearts of music lovers the world over.
But what if ‘and’ didn’t exist? Would those aforementioned music lovers have descended so voraciously on inundated music stores if McLean’s masterpiece had ended after the third line?
It doesn’t take a professional songwriter to see that ‘and’ was perhaps American Pie’s most crucial word. It took us on a journey from that levee all the way to the last train for the coast and everywhere in between, harmoniously linking each and every chapter of the musical epic into the hit we know today. It inconspicuously became famous as the glue that held this and countless future tunes together, allowing for ever-expanding detail, perfectionism and commitment.
We like ‘and’ because it’s a whole lot more than just the soul of a great song. It lets us and stiff-fingered musicians like McLean weave something as short as a ringtone into something as long and memorable as his greatest hits, every bit as punchy as the former and every bit as timeless as the latter. It’s the grammatical equivalent of a non-stop world tour, playing every venue imaginable and selling out crowds wherever it goes.
Quite simply, ‘and’ lets us all do more, so it’s no wonder then that it’s the very core of our philosophy at &Beyond.
The ‘and’ is our licence to be all about the details, a great excuse to give you more than you bargained for. It’s one incredible experience after another after another, whether it’s our renowned variety of five-star cuisines or even a smaller pleasure like your chef announcing the evening menu from the top of a tree.
‘And’ lets us create memorable moments to let you tell your own amazing story one day; a account that’ll no doubt be as epic and seemingly never-ending as McLean’s. And, through all this, the heart of our tale is still how we take and care for the land, wildlife and people that make &Beyond destinations, quite simply, the most wonderful places on Earth.
So, you see, to us ‘and’ is far more than the simple word that made American Pie one of the longest songs ever written.
‘And’ is who we are.