Categories
Archives
-
-
-
-
Recent Posts
- 2026 Shakespeare Reading Project: Much Ado About Nothing
- “I don’t represent anything.” — Liz Phair
- “I don’t really know why, but danger has always been an important thing in my life – to see how far I could lean without falling, how fast I could go without cracking up.” — William Holden
- “Some syllables are swords.” — Metaphysical poet Henry Vaughan
- “To me, music is no joke and it’s not for sale.” — Ian MacKaye
- “All I need to make a comedy is a park, a policeman and a pretty girl.” — Charlie Chaplin
- “As a cinematographer, I was always attracted to stories that have the potential to be told with as few words as possible.” — Reed Morano
- “Even though I’m writing about very dark material, it still feels like an escape hatch.” — Olivia Laing
- “It’s just one of the mysteries of filmmaking that sometimes you do something that you don’t even think it’s important, then it turns out to be.” — Lili Horvát
- “Ballet taught me to stay close to style and tone. Literature taught me to be concerned about the moral life.” — Joan Acocella
Recent Comments
- sheila on 2026 Shakespeare Reading Project: Much Ado About Nothing
- sheila on 2026 Shakespeare Reading Project: Much Ado About Nothing
- Mike Molloy on 2026 Shakespeare Reading Project: Much Ado About Nothing
- Scott Abraham on 2026 Shakespeare Reading Project: Much Ado About Nothing
- sheila on 2026 Shakespeare Reading Project: Much Ado About Nothing
- Scott Abraham on 2026 Shakespeare Reading Project: Much Ado About Nothing
- sheila on 2026 Shakespeare Reading Project: Much Ado About Nothing
- Mike Molloy on 2026 Shakespeare Reading Project: Much Ado About Nothing
- sheila on March 2026 Snapshots
- sheila on “I don’t really know why, but danger has always been an important thing in my life – to see how far I could lean without falling, how fast I could go without cracking up.” — William Holden
- Jessie on March 2026 Snapshots
- Helen Erwin Schinske on “To me, music is no joke and it’s not for sale.” — Ian MacKaye
- Maddy on “I don’t really know why, but danger has always been an important thing in my life – to see how far I could lean without falling, how fast I could go without cracking up.” — William Holden
- sheila on “To me, music is no joke and it’s not for sale.” — Ian MacKaye
- Helen Erwin Schinske on “To me, music is no joke and it’s not for sale.” — Ian MacKaye
- Joseph Pedulla on Susan Hayward Sleeps Raw
- sheila on “For I am of the seed of the WELCH WOMAN and speak the truth from my heart.” — Christopher Smart
- P Nickel on “The realization of ignorance is the first act of knowing.” — Jean Toomer
- Melissa Sutherland on “For I am of the seed of the WELCH WOMAN and speak the truth from my heart.” — Christopher Smart
- Bryce on The Books: “Nine Stories”- ‘The Laughing Man’ (J.D. Salinger)
-
Tag Archives: Balkans
“No one can ever know anything about this madness, because all its components are unknown.” – Zlatko Dizdarevic, Sarajevo: A War Journal
Written in real time during the siege of Sarajevo, by Zlatko Dizdarevic, an editor at the only remaining Sarajevo newspaper at that time, Sarajevo: A War Journal is horrifying reading, and essential reading. I was reminded of it the other … Continue reading
Snapshots
— Reading a book on the fall of Yugoslavia. Can’t get enough of the Balkans. When times get tough, I usually start reading books about war. Maybe it satisfies my need for carnage and revenge. Who knows. I recently saw … Continue reading
Posted in Personal
Tagged Balkans, friends, Memphis, snapshots, Stephen King, Yugoslavia
Leave a comment
Disappeared Worlds: Cinema Komunisto and The Miners’ Hymns
These reviews originally appeared on Capital New York. Cinema Komunisto Cinema Komunisto begins with white words on a black screen: “This is the story of a country that no longer exists except in movies.” A cinephile’s dream, Cinema Komunisto, written … Continue reading
The Books: “The Historian” (Elizabeth Kostova)
Daily Book Excerpt: Adult fiction: The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova The story of the publishing of this book is almost as interesting as the book itself. It’s a first novel. It’s 5,000 pages long. It’s a sweeping historian’s look at … Continue reading
A good luck charm
I’m so proud. Thanks, Mejack, for the wonderful link!
How do you write “Holy shit” in the Cyrillic alphabet?
At this very moment a raging argument is going on on a Macedonian blog between nationalist Bulgarians and nationalist Macedonians – about those posts of mine. I have no idea what is going on but everyone is obviously VERY angry, … Continue reading
The Books: “Black Lamb and Grey Falcon: A Journey Through Yugoslavia ” (Rebecca West)
And here is my next excerpt. My history bookshelf. Next book on the shelf is the great Black Lamb and Grey Falcon (Penguin Classics), by Rebecca West. A 1200 page masterpiece. Is it possible that every page contains interest, horror, … Continue reading
Posted in Books
Tagged Balkans, Black Lamb and Grey Falcon, nonfiction, Rebecca West, war, Yugoslavia
2 Comments
The Books: “Balkan Ghosts: A Journey Through History” (Robert Kaplan)
My history bookshelf. Onward. Next book on this shelf is called Balkan Ghosts: A Journey Through History by Robert Kaplan. This was the book that launched Robert Kaplan’s career- although he had been writing books and articles for Atlantic Monthly … Continue reading
Posted in Books
Tagged Balkans, Macedonia, nonfiction, Rebecca West, Robert Kaplan, travel, war, Yugoslavia
2 Comments
The Books: “The Collapse of Communism” (NY Times)
And here is my next excerpt of the day: I have now finished with the first bookshelf – in my kitchen – and have decided to now do excerpts from the books in my History/Biography bookshelf. I’m scared! But I … Continue reading
Finishing Black Lamb and Grey Falcon
… I finished Rebecca West’s Black Lamb and Grey Falcon early this morning. I began it in May. I tried to stretch out that damn epilogue – because even though the book is pretty much one long expose of pain … Continue reading