Tag Archives: Stalin

September 2018 Viewing Diary

Posted on October 4, 2018 by sheila

Slacker (1990; d. Richard Linklater) Did a little walk down Richard Linklater lane, starting at the top, and then going all the over the place chronologically. If you think about Linklater, and his extraordinary body of work – and you … Continue reading →

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R.I.P. Robert Conquest

Posted on August 6, 2015 by sheila

Robert Conquest, one of the most important and influential historians of the 20th century (who started out as a poet, the guys he palled around with were Kingsley Amis and Philip Larkin) has died at the age of 98. His … Continue reading →

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The Books: Arguably, ‘Victor Serge: Pictures from an Inquisition’, by Christopher Hitchens

Posted on July 10, 2014 by sheila

On the essays shelf: Arguably: Essays by Christopher Hitchens Considering my long-standing fascination with all things Stalin, the fact that I had never read Victor Serge’s work was a major disconnect. I know his name came up in everything I … Continue reading →

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The Books: Arguably, ‘On Animal Farm’, by Christopher Hitchens

Posted on June 18, 2014 by sheila

On the essays shelf: Arguably: Essays by Christopher Hitchens Christopher Hitchens wrote an entire book on Orwell called Why Orwell Matters (it’s great, no surprise). His mentions of Orwell in print probably run into the hundreds of thousands. And not … Continue reading →

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The Books: Love, Poverty, and War: Journeys and Essays, ‘Visit to a Small Planet’, by Christopher Hitchens

Posted on May 11, 2014 by sheila

On the essays shelf: Love, Poverty, and War: Journeys and Essays Anyone who’s read me for a while knows my fascination with totalitarian countries, autocracies, dictatorships, group brainwashing masked as ideological fervor, the whole nine yards. I actually could spend … Continue reading →

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The Books: Love, Poverty, and War: Journeys and Essays, ‘The Old Man’, by Christopher Hitchens

Posted on April 1, 2014 by sheila

On the essays shelf: Love, Poverty, and War: Journeys and Essays Isaac Deutscher wrote a three-volume biography of Leon Trotsky (which I have not read: I mean, life is short, you know? I’m sure it’s amazing). Deutscher’s history is an … Continue reading →

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2013 Books Read

Posted on December 30, 2013 by sheila

It’s been a hell of a year. Devastating as well as redemptive. I started it out in Memphis, and end it here in New Jersey. And now my new niece Pearl has arrived! It’s been both a busy year as … Continue reading →

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Memoirs of a Revolutionary, by Victor Serge: A Chapbook

Posted on December 2, 2013 by sheila

A phenomenal accomplishment, written on the run, through deportations, exile, imprisonment, and published posthumously. One of the most important books of the 20th century. Up there with Robert Conquest’s The Great Terror: A Reassessment. Victor Serge was active in Socialist … Continue reading →

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Today in history: November 7, 1917

Posted on November 7, 2013 by sheila

Yesterday’s post was a bit prescient, considering that today is the anniversary of one of the most seismic events of the 20th century: The Russian Revolution (or, at least, that first successful power-grab.) Look at that rogue’s gallery. I love … Continue reading →

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Stuff I’ve Been Reading

Posted on October 10, 2013 by sheila

— I’ve seen this linked all over the place and finally got around to reading it: How the Freaky Octopus Can Help us Understand the Human Brain. I certainly don’t want to meet an octopus out in the wild but … Continue reading →

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