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Tag Archives: Yugoslavia
The Books: Arguably, ‘Rebecca West: Things Worth Fighting For’, by Christopher Hitchens
On the essays shelf: Arguably: Essays by Christopher Hitchens How do you “explain” Rebecca West? Especially to those who haven’t heard of her? Never mind the fact that it’s so strange and wrong that her name doesn’t resonate at the … Continue reading
Posted in Books
Tagged Arguably, Balkans, Black Lamb and Grey Falcon, Christopher Hitchens, essays, Rebecca West, war, Yugoslavia
3 Comments
Snapshots
— Almost done with The Richard Burton Diaries. An extraordinary document. My God, what a mind. The diaries often make me laugh out loud, but there’s this hugely tragic keen in them, the lure of alcohol which was a losing … Continue reading
2013 Books Read
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
Posted in Books
Tagged A.S. Byatt, Anne Fadiman, Annie Proulx, Arthur Koestler, Balkans, books read, Darkness at Noon, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Edvard Radzinsky, Elinor Lipman, England, friends, George Eliot, H.L. Mencken, Henry James, Herman Melville, Hungary, Ireland, J.D. Salinger, Jeanette Winterson, Joan Acocella, Joan Didion, John Banville, Joseph Heller, Joshua Ferris, Lester Bangs, Lorrie Moore, Patricia Highsmith, Philip K. Dick, Russia, Sam Cooke, Shakespeare, Stalin, Tana French, The Netherlands, The Only Game In Town, Thomas Carlyle, Victor Serge, Yugoslavia
33 Comments
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
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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
Kolya (1996); Dir. Jan Sverák
Cranky confirmed bachelor gets stuck taking care of a little kid. At first the bachelor is harsh and unfriendly to the kid. The kid puts a cramp in his ladies’ man lifestyle. Bachelor just wants to pawn the kid off … Continue reading
Interview with Rebecca West
In 1981, Rebecca West was interviewed by The Paris Review, and it’s included in the first volume of the Paris Review interviews. She was an old woman by that point, 90 years old, living in London. Cataracts had ruined her … Continue reading
Posted in writers
Tagged Austria, George Bernard Shaw, Rebecca West, Tom Stoppard, Vanessa Redgrave, W.B. Yeats, war, War and Peace, Yugoslavia
8 Comments
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
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