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I recently discovered the Chief of U.K. Defence Staff’s Recommended Reading [Note: link not currently working] site and have been browsing through it. One book stood out since it addresses one of my favorites: Thucydides on Strategy [ditto] by Athanassios G. Platias and Konstantinos Koliopoulos. This slim volume shows that the theory of grand strategy […]
(From the YouTube description) Dr. Jeremy McInerny [sic], Professor of Classical Studies, examines the tactics and strategy of the Battle of Thermopylae (in present-day Greece) in 480 BCE. Why was the battle fought at this location and was it, as it is often portrayed, a turning point in the confrontation of East and West? This […]
I linked the short story “Calligraphy Lesson” in my post providing an outline/highlights of the May 4th event with Mikhail Shishkin and Marian Schwartz. Schwartz translated Shishkin’s short story and it was published at Words Without Borders. Be sure and read her Translator’s Note since it gives background to some challenging areas on translation. The […]
I posted my initial impressions on the event with Mikhail Shishkin and Marian Schwartz presented by the Center for the Art of Translation that same evening, but have waited to post any of my transcriptions from the event. The Center has a podcast available of the audio on their blog: Two Voices: Mikhail Shishkin and […]
It was supposed to get to 100°F where we live (it got there, and then some), so we decided to beat the heat and have some fun. Try and learn things, too. So we walked among coastal redwoods. And played in the Pacific Ocean. And played silly video games. It was a good day. Here […]
The Light and the Dark by Mikhail Shishkin Translation by Andrew Bromfield London: Quercus (2013) A moment came when I sensed the connection very intensely: This frozen cosmic void that I simply couldn’t drag myself out of could only be filled by that miraculous humming, rustling, booming, swelling tidal wave of words. It turned out […]
I’ve reached an existential moment for this blog. I don’t feel like I’m contributing to any discussion, which reflects my own interests since lately I have focused on nooks, crannies, and shadows of literature (at least in the English speaking world) that few people seem interested in despite my enthusiasm. I want to thank everyone […]
I don’t think I’ll ever get caught up on what I missed this past week. I did want to highlight the articles on Miklós Szentkuthy in Asymptote journal while I work my way through everything. The first article is an overview on Szentkuthy by Rainer J. Hanshe titled Entering the World Stage: Miklós Szentkuthy’s Ars […]
I’ve been distracted from posting the past few weeks because of my mom falling and fracturing her collarbone. It’s amazing how much energy is required to take care of things from a distance. Fortunately I have two great brothers helping out. I’m traveling this next week and I’m not sure how much internet access I’ll […]
Thank a discussion on Neil Young’s Bridge School Benefit for this post, in particular the closing number of the Saturday evening concert of 1996 where Patti Smith joins many of the evening’s performers during the closing number “Helpless.” It turns out there is a YouTube video of this performance, which illustrates what I tried to […]