Accidental Blogger
A general interest blog
Category: Books, Authors & Poems
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A performance artist of considerable elegance, Mylène Dressler is a versatile woman. Whether she is speaking about her latest book, leading a discussion on a classic film or talking about the art and craft of writing, Mylène (pronounced Mi-lan) brings her experience as a dancer, teacher, author and speaker to the forum. I have met Mylène on three…
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Not much of a poetic outpouring, I have to say. But I wonder how long it took him to play around with the words until he had them lined up as a 224 word palindromic poem. Check it out. I did… for about four lines and sure enough, all the duckies are in a row. (thanks to…
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I dislike film and most of what passes for popular culture. I think this may be why Ruchira tipped me off to this review of a film about the viability of popular philosophy. On reading it, I immediately reflected that our own M recently mentioned Camus in a comment to a post about Heidegger. I'd…
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So Heidegger and a hippo stroll up to the Pearly Gates and Saint Peter says, "Listen, we've only got room for one more today. So whoever of the two of you gives me the best answer to the question 'What is the meaning of life?' gets to come in." And Heidegger says, "To think Being itself…
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The recent demise of reclusive author J.D. Salinger has spawned numerous obituaries in the media. Most of them focus on his literary /cultural impact as the creator of Holden Caulfield, a character widely believed to have appealed to the youthful alienation experienced by several generations of young readers. Is Holden Caulfield a universal, timeless youth icon? Do today's youngsters feel the same way about him as their…
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In her guest contribution to the NYT Opinionator column, Barbara Herrnstein Smith does a better job than even Stanley Fish of teasing out the dynamics of the needless quarrel between SCIENCE (writ large, if vaguely) and RELIGION (ditto), and given her background she could probably do the same for SCIENCE and the HUMANITIES. Fish had…
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atheism than the Ditchens: This is despite the much-discussed op-ed he wrote last year for the Daily Mail, which had some theists arguing that he had found God. But as he states it, he found the place(s?) in the brain where gods come from, not God.
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Stanley Fish is a national treasure. He has managed seemingly effortlessly to review favorably—quite favorably!—Sarah Palin’s book, and with only the slightest hint of irony. My assessment of the book has nothing to do with the accuracy of its accounts. Some news agencies have fact-checkers poring over every sentence, which would be to the point…
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Via Brian Leiter's blog I found this hilarious assessment of Cornel West, the man and the memoir, by Scott McLemee. Whatever your opinion of West - good, bad or none, the review is recommended reading. Rarely have I come across a lacerating piece such as this one, which on balance comes across as neither harsh nor self serving. Take this gem for example:…
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Staying on the topic of Pakistan for one more day – this time I bring you a book review by Indian journalist Manoj Joshi. Written by Pakistani born author Farzana Shaikh, the book examines the underlying causes of Pakistan's political and existential turmoil. According to the author, turning its back on the country's multicultural south Asian past and a deliberate (and sometimes conflicted) attempt to redefine itself as a militant (and military)…
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Although he may no longer be eagerly sought out by the reading public in the country of his birth, P.G. Wodehouse enjoys an enviable degree of popularity in India. Every so often I come across reports and articles puzzling over why a long dead British humorist from a long lost era continues to charm a couple of generations of modern Indians who have very little fascination (outside the academic…
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I couldn't have said it better myself: IOZ: Heady stuff, no doubt. But Malcolm, won't some people say, oh, that is just glib repackaging of a totally banal and widely appreciated fundamental of everyday, lived experience?
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The Houston Public Library system's newest plan for distributing books is a modern twist on the book mobile where books were deliverd on wheels to eager readers. This time, the reader is the driver and librarians act as car hops. Love the idea. Anything that makes it easier to lay one's hands on books gets my vote. There'll be no…
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Once again an e-mail exchange with my co-bloggers has resulted in a post. I sent the link to this article in the UK Telegraph to all the A.B. authors (link via 3QD). The question was whether we should care about the less than exemplary private lives of public figures, in this particular case, famous authors. Should the knowledge…
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