On Literature, Books

Mostly commentary on fiction and contributions to the nebulous body known as “literature.”

  • On Literature, Books

The Kremlin Ball, by Curzio Malaparte

"The Kremlin Ball" narrates time Malaparte spent in Moscow during the late 1920s and the intellectuals and Soviet elite he…

3 months ago
  • On Literature, Books

Mary Stuart. The Maid of Orleans. Two Historical Plays By Schiller

Not so recently acquired: Friedrich Schiller's Mary Stuart and The Maid of Orleans. Two Historical Plays in One Volume!

8 months ago
  • Idle Reflections

The Arden Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra

On the second series edition of the Arden Shakespeare's "Antony and Cleopatra", both this particular 1991 printing as well as…

1 year ago
  • New Acquisitions

Pride and Prejudice, the Movie Tie-In Edition

Purchased the Movie Tie-In edition of "Pride and Prejudice" to my profound moral chagrin

1 year ago
  • Idle Reflections

Reading Aloud: Ben Lerner’s “The Rescue”

Reading aloud a poem published in the New York Review of Books September 21, 2023 issue.

1 year ago
  • Idle Reflections

“An Ideal Craftsman”: Psychological Horror from Walter de la Mare

"An Ideal Craftsman" follows a young boy down to the larder, happening upon a crime scene.

2 years ago
  • On Literature, Books

Piranesi: The Etchings

Detailing the purchase of a less puerile, more dignified Taschen volume collecting the etchings of Piranesi, the article and exhibit…

2 years ago
  • New Acquisitions

Strata: William Smith’s Geological Maps

Not long ago I ordered "Strata: William Smith's Geological Maps" lighting a fire of memory and reflection

2 years ago
  • Sub Specie 16-17th Century Aeternitates

Discovering Robert Southwell’s Metaphysical Poetry

A few reflections on the discovery of 16th-century poet Robert Southwell, apparently an exemplar of English Metaphysical Poetry.

2 years ago
  • On Literature, Books

Jane Eyre: Post-Colonial Christian Zealotry?

Reading "Jane Eyre" for the second time revealed a quite different— quite Christian and not postcolonial—one from what inhabited my…

2 years ago