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 »
Please come in!
Welcome to my renamed blog and newly designed website. It is the main entrance to my collection of published work of many years, with separate portals for political and social commentary and analysis, literary reviews, fiction and blog posts, now organized and accessible. The snippets on the front page, which change at each viewing, will … read more »
A new country for refugees?
A Silicon Valley mogul wants to solve the global refugee crisis by creating a new country – The Washington Post It’s a bad idea, but at least it’s an idea! The European Union isn’t even daring to think about the problem. OK, so a new country for hundreds of thousands of dissimilar people — and … read more »
Jacob Lawrence: the power of understatement
Here is a postscript to my earlier note on Jacob Lawrence’s ‘Migration Series’ at MoMA, which I discussed too briefly in a post on June 24. If you can, do see this marvelous show before it closes on September 7. Barry Memett‘s thoughtful and thought-provoking memoir includes a delightful portrait of Lawrence, a kind and … read more »