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Gilead by Marilynne RobinsonFarrar, Straus & Giroux; 247 pages I woke up this morning thinking this town might as well be standing on the absolute floor of hell for all the truth there is in it, and the fault is mine as much as anyone’s. I was thinking about the things that had happened here […]
The Quest by Pío Baroja Translated by Isaac Goldberg Alfred A. Knopf, 1922, 289 pagesOnline resources for Baroja and The Quest, including links to the text, can be found here. La Corrala was a seething, feverish world in little, as busy as an anthill. There people toiled, idled, guzzled, ate and died of hunger; there […]
“In the Bag” by Eudora WeltyPicture source This month’s Transatlantica has several pieces on the Eudora Welty centennial last year. Of interest to me was Welty’s photographs, taken in the 1930’s when she worked as a publicity agent for the Works Progress Administration. Alison Goeller writes in her essay accompanying the above picture that “In […]
The Quest by Pío Baroja Translated by Isaac Goldberg (Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1922)“Before [1898], in the period of adventures, Spain was led by Don Quixote. From now on, it would be directed by Sancho Panza.” – Pío Baroja I am duplicating the online resources for Baroja that I listed in The Restlessness of Shanti […]
Good Newes from New England (1624) by Edward Winslow This particular copy was owned by Thomas Prince and later John Adams Picture source I confess we have come so far short of the means to raise such returns, as with great difficulty we have preserved our lives; insomuch as when I look back upon our […]
I stumbled across a new blog this morning and wanted to pass on a post there. Soap Opera Digest: A Candy Box of History’s Sappiest Literary Lovers is just in time for Valentine’s Day. See if you can guess the following happy couple: They fecklessly squandered every penny they got their hands on. He had […]
Mourt’s Relation is the earliest known eyewitness account of the Pilgrims’ first seven months in New England plus a few additional events up through November 1621. It was published in 1622 in London. Its writing precedes William Bradford’s account, Of Plimoth Plantation, by a decade and the subsequent publication of Bradford’s by 234 years. Mourt’s […]
William BradfordPicture source May not and ought not the children of these fathers rightly say: Our faithers were Englishmen which come over this great ocean, and were ready to perish in this willdernes; but they cried unto the Lord, and he heard their voyce, and looked on their adversitie, etc. Let them ther fore praise […]
Apparently my e-mail notification for comments is not working properly, so I wanted to say ‘thanks’ for the comments that have been made on posts that are no longer on the front page. I’ve added notes or links to reflect the additional resources or reviews provided. Thanks so much!
I have mentioned that my parents saved most of the books I had while growing up. A couple of this week’s favorites with the boys revolve around Lyle the Crocodile. My favorite part is in Lyle and the Birthday Party, where I read Lyle’s doctor with a German accent (think of “Hogan’s Heroes” with a […]
Picture source Before I knew what affliction meant, I was ready sometimes to wish for it. When I lived in prosperity, having the comforts of the World about me, my relations by me, my Heart chearfull: and taking little care for any thing; and yet seeing many, whom I preferred before my self, under many […]
Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War by Nathaniel Philbrick Penguin, paperback, 480 pages, $16.00 ISBN: 0143111973 In the name of God, Amen. We whose names are underwritten, the loyal subjects of our dread Sovereign Lord King James, by the Grace of God of Great Britain, France and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, […]
Albert Coady Wedemeyer Picture source “The first thing for a commander in chief to determine is what he is going to do, to see if he has the means to overcome the obstacles which the enemy can oppose to him, and, when he has decided, to do all he can to surmount them.” Napoleon I, […]
A Hidden Life: A Memoir of August 1969 by Johanna Reiss Melville House, 250 pages, $24.95 ISBN: 1933633557 For years, Johanna Reiss’ American husband, Jim, encouraged her to return to Holland to chronicle the two years, seven months, and one day she had spent hiding from the Nazis in rural Usselo, Holland. In 1969, she […]
The Two Gentlemen of Lebowski site has been up and down due to traffic, so I’ll also link here so you can get a taste of a Shakespearean version of The Big Lebowski. WALTERThat rug, in faith, tied the room together, did it not? THE KNAVEBy my heart, a goodly rug. DONALDAnd in most miserable […]
For any other Walker Percy fans out there, Winston Riley has a documentary on the author that should be aired sometime this year. There isn’t much information yet at walkerpercymovie.com yet, but hopefully there will be more information soon. I’m excited to see some of the names included in this documentary (the preview includes Richard […]
In this novel Solzhenitsyn continues his investigation into what he called “the timeless essence of humanity” as well as the “fixed universal concepts called good and justice.” He examines the moral order of the Soviet system and the individuals within it, from Stalin down to a prison janitor. What does it take to defy the […]
How do you present a multi-layered novel of over 700 pages in a 3 hour movie? This production makes an honest effort and it proves successful on some points but unfortunately falls short on many others. There are some substantial changes and additions which complicate making an evaluation. A few examples of these differences:– In […]
My reading plan constantly changes, so I thought I would outline where I think I will be heading the next few months so you can set your interest-ometer accordingly. I hope to hit several of the ancient Greek works by Herodotus, Thucydides and Xenophon over the course of the year. Plays from the ancient Greeks […]
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn being searched “The trouble with pinning our hopes on the Americans is that it eases our conscience and weakens our will; we win the right not to struggle, the right to submit, to take the line of least resistance and gradually degenerate. I do not agree with those who claim that over the […]