Archive for the ‘Literature’ Category

Bertrand Russell at 87 – Spry, mischievous, articulate

Monday, February 15th, 2010

At 89, two years after this interview, Berty Russell was arrested at an anti-nuclear sit-in in parliament square, and sentenced to 7 days in jail.

It had to be said

Thursday, February 11th, 2010

This Be The Verse

They fuck you up, your mum and dad.
  They may not mean to, but they do.
They fill you with the faults they had
  And add some extra, just for you.

But they were fucked up in their turn
  By fools in old-style hats and coats,
Who half the time were soppy-stern
  And half at one another’s throats.

Man hands on misery to man.
  It deepens like a coastal shelf.
Get out as early as you can,
  And don’t have any kids yourself.

by Philip Larkin

And, to be fair (or blatantly biased – I am a dad, after all), the rebuttal:

How sharper than a serpent’s tooth
  To hear your child make such a fuss.
It isn’t fair–it’s not the truth–
  He’s fucked up, yes, but not by us.

by Judith Rich Harris (also see “Do Parents Matter?” by Malcolm Gladwell)

Little Brother: Don’t trust anyone over 25

Monday, January 18th, 2010

I just finished reading Cory Doctorow’s “Little Brother”, and I loved it. It’s a great story, and an easy read. I chose to buy the book, but you can download it here – or from Doctorow’s site. Don’t worry, it is free!

Howl!

Tuesday, January 5th, 2010

From Reed College @ iTunes U, here’s “Howl” (and other poems) by Allen Ginsberg.

John Irving on Russia Today

Saturday, October 31st, 2009

Hell’s Angel

Friday, September 11th, 2009

Hell’s Angel: Mother Teresa; 1 of 3
door metoowahchef

Hell’s Angel: Mother Teresa; 2 of 3
door metoowahchef

Hell’s Angel: Mother Teresa; 3 of 3
door metoowahchef

I can’t make the hills

Monday, August 3rd, 2009

I can’t make the hills
The system is shot
I’m living on pills
For which I thank G-d
I followed the course
From chaos to art
Desire the horse
Depression the cart
I sailed like a swan
I sank like a rock
But time is long gone
Past my laughing stock
My page was too white
My ink was too thin
The day wouldn’t write
What the night pencilled in
My animal howls
My angel’s upset
But I’m not allowed
A trace of regret
For someone will use
What I couldn’t be
My heart will be hers
Impersonally
She’ll step on the path
She’ll see what I mean
My will cut in half
And freedom between
For less than a second
Our lives will collide
The endless suspended
The door open wide
Then she will be born
To someone like you
What no one has done
She’ll continue to do
I know she is coming
I know she will look
And that is the longing
And this is the book

from The Book Of Longing by Leonard Cohen.

Improper words

Monday, July 6th, 2009

“A literary lady, expressing to Dr. Johnson her approbation of his Dictionary, and, in particular, her satisfaction at his not having admitted into it any improper words— ‘No, madam,’ replied he; ‘I hope I have not daubed my fingers. I find, however, that you have been looking for them.’

This famous anecdote appears in
“The Life of Samuel Johnson, L.L. D. By James Boswell, John Wilson Croker.”

… After all, I am a Boswell alumnus.

Paul Auster: A Conversation With Granta

Tuesday, June 30th, 2009

Philip K. Dick

Friday, June 19th, 2009

Ten Zen

Tuesday, February 17th, 2009

What do you know, Dr. Susan Blackmore is coming up with a new book – one with its own blog, and a teaser!

“Ten Zen”, though? Well, we’ll wait and see.

Anathem

Monday, August 11th, 2008
Anathem

Anathem

Anathem is Neil Stephenson’s new book.


 

Tolstoy’s supposed to be special?

Monday, July 21st, 2008

Neal Stephenson: Science Fiction as a Literary Genre

Thursday, July 10th, 2008