The Prevention of Literature (1947)
(theatlantic.com)
To write in plain, vigorous language one has to think fearlessly, and if one thinks fearlessly one cannot be politically orthodox.
To write in plain, vigorous language one has to think fearlessly, and if one thinks fearlessly one cannot be politically orthodox.
Eco Cycles or How I Feel About Technology
(maksimizmaylov.com)
Umberto Eco, the author of The Name of the Rose and Foucault’s Pendulum (my personal favorite), wasn’t just a brilliant scholar—he was also a bit of a geek. He once wrote an essay comparing Macs to Catholicism and PCs to Protestantism. He thought about technology a lot.
Umberto Eco, the author of The Name of the Rose and Foucault’s Pendulum (my personal favorite), wasn’t just a brilliant scholar—he was also a bit of a geek. He once wrote an essay comparing Macs to Catholicism and PCs to Protestantism. He thought about technology a lot.
China Miéville says we shouldn't blame science fiction for its bad readers
(techcrunch.com)
It’s been 25 years since China Miéville stepped into the literary spotlight with his novel “Perdido Street Station.”
It’s been 25 years since China Miéville stepped into the literary spotlight with his novel “Perdido Street Station.”
Lost manuscript of Merlin and King Arthur hidden inside another book
(bbc.com)
An intriguing sequel to the tale of Merlin has sat unseen within the bindings of an Elizabethan deeds register for nearly 400 years. Researchers have finally been able to reveal it with cutting-edge techniques.
An intriguing sequel to the tale of Merlin has sat unseen within the bindings of an Elizabethan deeds register for nearly 400 years. Researchers have finally been able to reveal it with cutting-edge techniques.
Borne Back Ceaselessly into the Past: Fitzgerald, Gatsby and WWI
(theworldwar.org)
“The Great Gatsby,” written by F. Scott Fitzgerald in 1925, offers a vivid portrayal of post-World War I America.
“The Great Gatsby,” written by F. Scott Fitzgerald in 1925, offers a vivid portrayal of post-World War I America.
Ungovernable, Capricious Life
(nybooks.com)
The sense of vulnerability is crushing, but it is also one of the characteristics Kureishi reveals about himself that makes him so likable here, and the writing so intimate.
The sense of vulnerability is crushing, but it is also one of the characteristics Kureishi reveals about himself that makes him so likable here, and the writing so intimate.
The Quantum Chaos of Literature
(nybooks.com)
The Faustian bargain is a spiritual form of a conservation law: nothing good happens without something bad happening too. In the modern version, as depicted in books and movies, the message is that geniuses see far beyond their contemporaries, but often at the expense of lasting relationships and happy families. In our preoccupation with the image of the mad scientist, one can’t help but sense a bit of anti-intellectual schadenfreude lurking in the background—solace for all of us “normals.”
The Faustian bargain is a spiritual form of a conservation law: nothing good happens without something bad happening too. In the modern version, as depicted in books and movies, the message is that geniuses see far beyond their contemporaries, but often at the expense of lasting relationships and happy families. In our preoccupation with the image of the mad scientist, one can’t help but sense a bit of anti-intellectual schadenfreude lurking in the background—solace for all of us “normals.”
We're Still Not Done with Jesus
(newyorker.com)
Scholars debate whether the Gospel stories preserve ancient memories or are just Greek literature in disguise. But there’s a reason they won’t stay dead and buried.
Scholars debate whether the Gospel stories preserve ancient memories or are just Greek literature in disguise. But there’s a reason they won’t stay dead and buried.
The Vanishing Male Writer
(marginalrevolution.com)
It’s easy enough to trace the decline of young white men in American letters—just browse The New York Times’s “Notable Fiction” list.
It’s easy enough to trace the decline of young white men in American letters—just browse The New York Times’s “Notable Fiction” list.
Rest Easy
(commentary.org)
The Russian novelist Ivan Goncharov once said of writers, “And to write and write, like a wheel or a machine, tomorrow, the day after, on holidays; summer will come—and he must still be writing. When is he to stop and rest? Unfortunate man?”
The Russian novelist Ivan Goncharov once said of writers, “And to write and write, like a wheel or a machine, tomorrow, the day after, on holidays; summer will come—and he must still be writing. When is he to stop and rest? Unfortunate man?”
The Vanishing White Male Writer
(compactmag.com)
It’s easy enough to trace the decline of young white men in American letters—just browse The New York Times’s “Notable Fiction” list. In 2012 the Times included seven white American men under the age of 43 (the cut-off for a millennial today); in 2013 there were six, in 2014 there were six.
It’s easy enough to trace the decline of young white men in American letters—just browse The New York Times’s “Notable Fiction” list. In 2012 the Times included seven white American men under the age of 43 (the cut-off for a millennial today); in 2013 there were six, in 2014 there were six.
A Tiny Press Took a Big Risk on Experimental Books. It Paid Off
(nytimes.com)
The British publisher Tilted Axis specialized in innovative translated literature. It won them major awards. Now they’re coming to the U.S.
The British publisher Tilted Axis specialized in innovative translated literature. It won them major awards. Now they’re coming to the U.S.
Researcher uses AI to make texts that are thousands of years old readable (2023)
(phys.org)
How should we live when we know we must die? This question is posed by the first work of world literature, the Gilgamesh epic.
How should we live when we know we must die? This question is posed by the first work of world literature, the Gilgamesh epic.
'We remember as true things that never even happened': Julian Barnes
(theguardian.com)
The Booker-prize winning novelist reflects on the times in his life when recollection and imagination have intertwined, and wonders whether we can ever rely on our brains to provide us with the truth
The Booker-prize winning novelist reflects on the times in his life when recollection and imagination have intertwined, and wonders whether we can ever rely on our brains to provide us with the truth
Narcissus and Goldmund
(wikipedia.org)
Narcissus and Goldmund (German: Narziß und Goldmund, pronounced [naʁˈtsɪs ʔʊnt ˈɡɔltmʊnt]), also published in English as Death and the Lover, is a novel written by the German-Swiss author Hermann Hesse which was first published in 1930.
Narcissus and Goldmund (German: Narziß und Goldmund, pronounced [naʁˈtsɪs ʔʊnt ˈɡɔltmʊnt]), also published in English as Death and the Lover, is a novel written by the German-Swiss author Hermann Hesse which was first published in 1930.
Dark Books (2016)
(aeon.co)
Reading novels is good for you. This is the current wisdom, at least. A 2013 study by the New School for Social Research in New York City attempted to prove that reading passages by Don DeLillo and Lydia Davis had an immediate impact on participants’ ability to identify the emotions of others. Another, at Emory University in Georgia, found that reading novels had the potential to cause heightened ‘connectivity’ in the brain.
Reading novels is good for you. This is the current wisdom, at least. A 2013 study by the New School for Social Research in New York City attempted to prove that reading passages by Don DeLillo and Lydia Davis had an immediate impact on participants’ ability to identify the emotions of others. Another, at Emory University in Georgia, found that reading novels had the potential to cause heightened ‘connectivity’ in the brain.
Ogres Are Cool
(lrb.co.uk)
The hyper-courtly Sir Thomas Wyatt wrote a verse satire in the mid-1530s that begins: ‘My mother’s maids, when they did sew and spin,/They sang sometime a song of the field mouse.’
The hyper-courtly Sir Thomas Wyatt wrote a verse satire in the mid-1530s that begins: ‘My mother’s maids, when they did sew and spin,/They sang sometime a song of the field mouse.’
Gödel, Escher, Bach, and AI (2023)
(theatlantic.com)
A dazzlingly fast chatbot cannot replace the authentic and reflective voice of a thinking, living human being.
A dazzlingly fast chatbot cannot replace the authentic and reflective voice of a thinking, living human being.
Somnium Scipionis
(wikipedia.org)
The Dream of Scipio (Latin: Somnium Scipionis), written by Cicero, is the sixth book of De re publica, and describes a (postulated fictional or real) dream vision of the Roman general Scipio Aemilianus, set two years before he oversaw the destruction of Carthage in 146 BC.
The Dream of Scipio (Latin: Somnium Scipionis), written by Cicero, is the sixth book of De re publica, and describes a (postulated fictional or real) dream vision of the Roman general Scipio Aemilianus, set two years before he oversaw the destruction of Carthage in 146 BC.
Toni Morrison's Lost Play
(vulture.com)
The soirée was at the Steuben Club in Albany, a half-hour before the premiere. The gray-haired star of the evening had not been expected to make an appearance. The journalists, politicos, benefactors, and academics in attendance believed that the playwright (who did not consider herself a playwright) would forgo the festivities on account of presumed opening-night jitters. But there she was, wearing a bow-tie scarf and spiked heels, accompanied by her two sons.
The soirée was at the Steuben Club in Albany, a half-hour before the premiere. The gray-haired star of the evening had not been expected to make an appearance. The journalists, politicos, benefactors, and academics in attendance believed that the playwright (who did not consider herself a playwright) would forgo the festivities on account of presumed opening-night jitters. But there she was, wearing a bow-tie scarf and spiked heels, accompanied by her two sons.
Dante's Divine Autofiction
(newstatesman.com)
How the Italian poet’s search for self-knowledge changed the course of literature.
How the Italian poet’s search for self-knowledge changed the course of literature.
The 75 Best Sci-Fi Books of All Time
(esquire.com)
Since time immemorial, mankind has been looking up at the stars and dreaming, but it was only centuries ago that we started turning those dreams into fiction.
Since time immemorial, mankind has been looking up at the stars and dreaming, but it was only centuries ago that we started turning those dreams into fiction.
Sherlock Holmes and the Mystery of Baritsu
(historytoday.com)
Arthur Conan Doyle’s sleuth was an excellent amateur singlestick player, swordsman and boxer. However, his special skill was in the Japanese system of wrestling called ‘baritsu’, which he used to hurl his arch-enemy, Professor Moriarty, down into the swirling waters of the Reichenbach Falls. But what is this baritsu to which Conan Doyle refers?
Arthur Conan Doyle’s sleuth was an excellent amateur singlestick player, swordsman and boxer. However, his special skill was in the Japanese system of wrestling called ‘baritsu’, which he used to hurl his arch-enemy, Professor Moriarty, down into the swirling waters of the Reichenbach Falls. But what is this baritsu to which Conan Doyle refers?
Short Conversations with Poets: Dong Li
(mcsweeneys.net)
There is so much beyond words. There are actually no adequate words for the full complexity of human feeling, for the arcane details of a distant memory, or the colors of the sky. Blue doesn’t really cut it, but most often it’s the best we have. Poems, then, are the last stop before silence. After that, the train goes beyond words, and often beyond any form of representation.
There is so much beyond words. There are actually no adequate words for the full complexity of human feeling, for the arcane details of a distant memory, or the colors of the sky. Blue doesn’t really cut it, but most often it’s the best we have. Poems, then, are the last stop before silence. After that, the train goes beyond words, and often beyond any form of representation.
Sigint in Fiction
(blogspot.com)
I had an articled published last month in the John Buchan Journal (unsurprisingly, the journal of the John Buchan Society). It is about the way that John Buchan drew on his First World War experience as a customer of Sigint to use cryptanalysis in one of his books and in a short story to advance the narrative, and to develop characters.
I had an articled published last month in the John Buchan Journal (unsurprisingly, the journal of the John Buchan Society). It is about the way that John Buchan drew on his First World War experience as a customer of Sigint to use cryptanalysis in one of his books and in a short story to advance the narrative, and to develop characters.
Parnassus plays
(wikipedia.org)
The Parnassus plays are three satiric comedies, or full-length academic dramas, each divided into five acts.
The Parnassus plays are three satiric comedies, or full-length academic dramas, each divided into five acts.
Discworld Rules
(venkateshrao.com)
The Lord of the Rings is a great story, but I have to say, I’ve never understood the strange hold it seems to have on the imagination of a particular breed of technologists.
The Lord of the Rings is a great story, but I have to say, I’ve never understood the strange hold it seems to have on the imagination of a particular breed of technologists.