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Kaputt by Curzio Malaparte, translation by Cesare Foligno (For a note on this book as a literary work instead of a memoir, see the earlier posts on Kaputt) When night began to rise from the sea with its large bunches of violets already damp with nocturnal dew—at night the sea puts on its windowsills large […]
(Update): None of the links appear to be working. I’ll update again if I can find copies of these posts. For anyone that followed my rambling posts on Thucydides, I wanted to point out a new blog titled StratBlog, that chronicles and supplements a seminar at Bard College. The syllabus2 looks interesting and I’ve enjoyed […]
Kaputt by Curzio Malaparte, translation by Cesare Foligno(For a note on this book as a literary work instead of a memoir, see the earlier posts on Kaputt) Suddenly a few black dots darted out of a forest in the distance, then more and still more; they moved quickly, disappeared in the bushes, turned up nearer […]
Kaputt by Curzio Malaparte, translation by Cesare Foligno(For a note on this book as a literary work instead of a memoir, see Kaputt: The Horses) Sartori stood facing the car, his face raised and wiped his sweat with a handkerchief. Suddenly the door yielded and the [train] car was opened. A throng of prisoners hurled […]
Casa Malaparte on the Isle of Capri (For more on Villa Malaparte)Kaputt by Curzio Malaparte (born Kurt Erich Suckert), translation by Cesare Foligno Kaputt reads as a World War II memoir by Curzio Malaparte, correspondent for the Italian publication Corriere della Sera. Connected to statesmen in many countries and assigned to cover the Eastern front […]
For anyone wanting to hang onto the football season for another day, here’s an old piece by Geoffrey Colvin on the cultural implications of Super Bowl III. While overstating the impact/symbolism of the game, he may not be that far off. I remember watching part of the game while playing at a friend’s house. I […]
Exiled Thucydides knewAll that a speech can sayAbout Democracy,And what dictators do,The elderly rubbish they talkTo an apathetic grave;Analysed all in his book,The enlightenment driven away,The habit-forming pain,Mismanagement and grief:We must suffer them all again. (W. H. Auden, from “September 1, 1939”) I did it. And I didn’t take an entire season to do it, […]
Map of ancient Greece But the Lacedæmonians, not only in this but in many other things, were most commodious enemies to the Athenians to war withal. For being of most different humours; the one swift, the other slow; the one adventurous, the other timorous; the Lacedæmonians gave them great advantage, especially when their greatness was […]
Welcome to those visiting from The Classics Circuit Ancient Greek Classics Tour. For the past month I’ve been reading and posting about Thucydides’ history of the Peloponnesian war. I’ll try to keep this post short but would like to take a cursory look at why anyone would want to read a 2,400 year old history […]
Map of ancient GreeceThis post looks at Chapters 63 through 88 of Book Eight, covering the war during part of the summer of 411 BC. This section covers the fall of the democracy in Athens to the Four Hundred and Alcibiades’ recall to Athens. All quotes (and spellings) come from the Thomas Hobbes translation. One […]