Venezuela: Bolivarian Tragedy
Trump’s disregard for international, and even national, law —by bombing a country with which we were not at war and kidnapping its president — was outrageous and inexcusable, but not unimaginable, given Trump’s erratic and aggressive charcter and the US Government’s history of invading or fomenting coups to overthrow elected governments, especially in Latin America. … read more »
Sociological fiction
My fiction is often set amid upheavals that have changed the world — or attempted to. Revolutionary and counterrevolutionary movements in Latin America, in Welcome to My Contri; the tensions leading to the fall of the Byzantine and rise of the Ottoman Empire in A Gift for the Sultan; or the Franco-Prussian war and the … read more »
Chile: The coup and I
The coup in Chile on September 11, 1973, was a tremendous shock — not because it was unexpected, which it wasn’t, but because it was so much more violent and murderous than we, or at least I, had imagined, in a country long known for its civility, its culture, and its rational and orderly manner … read more »
Staying awake in the city that never sleeps
We used to say that New York was the city that never sleeps. More than that, it is a city that wants to keep you alert. However, the flashing signage, noise and bustling-hustling crowds in Times Square, the agitated foot and skateboard and motor traffic, the rattling subway and the hurried pace and startling changes … read more »