…says Leonard Cohen. A likely story. If Cohen’s mind is like the DMV, it’s not like any DMV I’ve ever been to. Cohen’s interview is a fascinating reflection on creativity and work: Before I can discard the verse, I have … Continue reading →
Richard Fernandez has written another great great article. Probably one of his best, and that’s saying something. Someone in the comments section there made reference to this 1902 Kipling poem which I’d never even seen before. I was impressed enough … Continue reading →
Read it, but have a good stiff drink by your side. And lock up all sharp objects. Because if you’re not already profoundly depressed, his essay will depress you. I can’t quarrel with what he writes; it’s what I would … Continue reading →
The news that Maya Angelou has died at the age of 86 reminds me of how deeply impressed I was when I read her book I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings when it first came out in 1969. Those … Continue reading →
This NY Times article is about the contest by which Newark, New Jersey elected its new mayor, Councilman Ras Baraka, who according to the Times is “the fiery scion of a militant poet.” The contest—between two black Democrats—was both expensive … Continue reading →
Want a break from politics? Let’s take a look at that 1965 song “Back in My Arms Again,” one of my favorites by the Supremes. Note how subtle and classy the sexuality of their performance is compared to today’s pop … Continue reading →
Yesterday commenter “Nick” wrote this on the thread about Krystal Ball’s Animal Farm summary: OK, OK, I hate to be this guy, but Orwell would have been fine with Ball’s reading. Orwell was a socialist. His problem with the pigs … Continue reading →
Yes, I know that technically spring’s been here for quite a while. But northern climes don’t get to see it so quickly. In 1913, about a hundred years ago, Robert Frost wrote about the transition of the seasons in one … Continue reading →
From the Nadezhda Mandelstam chapter of Clive James’ excellent Cultural Amnesia [in the following excerpts I have Americanized the British spelling): The main difference [between the Gulag and Hitler’s Reich] was that in Nazi Europe the victims knew…who they were, … Continue reading →
…all is irony. The author focuses on irony and lack of seriousness in art. But the hegemony of irony is certainly something I’ve noticed getting more and more widespread in recent years. It seems to be the default position of … Continue reading →
Basically, what they’re reading is a lot of what used to be called porn. And I don’t mean sneaking around to get it, or looking at it online. I mean that the young adult book market—books written expressively for young … Continue reading →
You may think the title of this post is some sort of joke, but it’s not. Michael Totten, traveler to the world’s most dangerous countries and reporter extraordinaire, has indeed written a zombie novel. Now, I know Michael Totten, and … Continue reading →