From the confused little country
Les Aurores montréales by Monique Proulx My rating: 5 of 5 stars I must have bought this book on my last trip to Montreal, more than 20 years ago, but only now got around to reading it. Brilliant portraits of very different lives in this complex, vibrant metropolis, from the points of view of sophisticated … read more »
Monkey King to the rescue
Ms. Ming’s Guide to Civilization by Jan Alexander My rating: 4 of 5 stars A fabulous romp about two adventuresses, together seeking to surf the roaring wave of capitalism sweeping through China, New York and other places and leaving broken families, broken hearts and broken villages in its wake. Can Ms. Ming, born in one … read more »
Introspection by reflection
Summertime by J.M. Coetzee My rating: 4 of 5 stars I recently pulled this book off my shelves, forgetting that I had read and reviewed it on Goodreads 8 years ago. And got engrossed in it again. It is an exercise in mirrored introspection, where the author reimagines a period in his life through the … read more »
What sort of poem? This sort.
Wer antwortet wem: Gedichte by Horst Bienek My rating: 5 of 5 stars This little book has made a deep impression on me. I picked it up many years ago, well used, in the Strand Bookstore in Manhattan. Why? I had never heard of the author, and only barely read a little German, but the … read more »
Let’s wake up, guys!
Heart of Maleness: Deconstructing Gender Inequality by Raphaël Liogier My rating: 3 of 5 stars This little essay I hope many men will read, especially if you have been skeptical or puzzled by the vehemence of the MeToo movement. Liogier says he wrote it because he was “aghast” (his word) at some of the things … read more »