Attack on New York
On this 14th anniversary, I’ve reposted my 5-day journal on the “Attack on New York” — witnessed from close by. You can read the five entries here: Attack on New York, from Unsolicited Comments, 2001.
A useless crime and collapsing illusions
I just finished reading Leonardo Padura’s tremendously disturbing novel, El hombre que amaba a los perros (click on link for my review), which is three stories in one: Leon (Lyev Davidovich) Trotsky’s final years, from his exile from the USSR in 1929 to his murder in Mexico in 1940; how an idealistic young Communist from … read more »
The sociological imagination — in fiction
I was startled recently by the recommendation that authors “brand” ourselves to sell our work, which I first saw in a symposium in the Spring/Summer 2015 issue of the Authors Guild Bulletin. It has also become commonplace in blogs I found quickly by a Google search (author + brand). It sounds crass, as though we … read more »
Before America: From the Olmecs to Teotihuacan
I have just uploaded a draft of this chapter for a book on the architecture and urban settlements of civilizations in the Western Hemisphere prior to European contact. You can read it here: Before America (click on title). Later chapters will deal with the Maya, Tenochtitlan, and the civilizations of the Andes. I welcome your … read more »
The self-deceiving lover
Conjugal Love by Alberto Moravia First published 1943 as L’amore coniugale In his villa in Tuscany in October 1937, Silvio — a rich dilettante who dreams of becoming a famous writer — decides that his most important story, perhaps his only story, is his intense, unlimited love for his wife Leda. He admires her affectionate … read more »