Sunday, September 30, 2007
Don't box me in ...
... Rise of the Office Romancers. Must be a younger office crowd than the one at The Inquirer.
Clear thinking ...
... and the lack thereof. I have remarked here that it seems to me that there are more and more scientists who, however fine their expertise in their specialty, seem to lack a capacity for clear thinking. This, I think, is made manifest here: Biological Basis For Creativity Linked To Mental Illness. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
It would appear that they have established that mental illness and creativity both correlate to low levels of latent inhibition. They have not, however, established that mental illness and creativity correlate to each other. They assume that. Notice also this quote: "The normal person classifies an object, and then forgets about it, even though that object is much more complex and interesting than he or she thinks. The creative person, by contrast, is always open to new possibilities." Again, creativity is assumed to be abnormal, and normal people are assumed to lack creativity.
It would appear that they have established that mental illness and creativity both correlate to low levels of latent inhibition. They have not, however, established that mental illness and creativity correlate to each other. They assume that. Notice also this quote: "The normal person classifies an object, and then forgets about it, even though that object is much more complex and interesting than he or she thinks. The creative person, by contrast, is always open to new possibilities." Again, creativity is assumed to be abnormal, and normal people are assumed to lack creativity.
We can't all agree ...
... on everything: Owe Canada. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
I share Patrick's fondness for David Solway and I agree with much that Solway says in Director's Cut. I am inclined to agree with Timothy Murphy about Ammons. But I can't agree on Ashbery. While I don't hold him in as high regard as Bryan does, I do find much of his work entertaining. Now there may be a peculiar reason for that. Ashbery was for many years an art critic. I was for a few years (long, long ago) a gallery director. Often, when I read Ashbery, I am reminded of those years: His poems read to me like a montage of snatches of conversation heard at an art opening. Read as such, let me tell you, they are spot on.
A Carlin Reader ...
... Carlin Romano has been writing so much lately, I thought I'd just do a roundup:
Why publishing book reviews makes sense
There, in the mirror - a book banner!
His last tome is a big one.
Local writers repay their mentor: David Halberstam.
Memoir of family tragedy.
Why publishing book reviews makes sense
There, in the mirror - a book banner!
His last tome is a big one.
Local writers repay their mentor: David Halberstam.
Memoir of family tragedy.
Today's Inquirer reviews ...
... I riff on Jack: Jack Kerouac's sound of America.
... Bryan Appleyard looks at The Spiritual Brain: A response to atheists, materialists. Bryan links to this here and comments have started to arrive.
... David Hiltbrand is underwhelmed by the new Ron Liebman: Oh, for characters with character!
... Katie Haegele doe multimedia: Multimedia: The more the merrier.
... Elizabeth Fox has mixed feeling about C.S. Richardson's latest: A flawed run through the alphabet.
... Katie Haegele likes Zane' Trace: Young Adult Reader | Teen boy has a compulsion to write, and a death wish.
... Bryan Appleyard looks at The Spiritual Brain: A response to atheists, materialists. Bryan links to this here and comments have started to arrive.
... David Hiltbrand is underwhelmed by the new Ron Liebman: Oh, for characters with character!
... Katie Haegele doe multimedia: Multimedia: The more the merrier.
... Elizabeth Fox has mixed feeling about C.S. Richardson's latest: A flawed run through the alphabet.
... Katie Haegele likes Zane' Trace: Young Adult Reader | Teen boy has a compulsion to write, and a death wish.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Yes, I guess I missed ...
... the heroic atheists in Burma: Religion as a force for good. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
But I have heard that Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett and Christopher Hitchens are on their way there to lead some more demonstrations. I have heard that, haven't I?
But I have heard that Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett and Christopher Hitchens are on their way there to lead some more demonstrations. I have heard that, haven't I?
In a pinch ...
... we have thought something like this was likely to happen: Will Pinch Sulzberger be 'The Man Who Lost the New York Times'?
More may be less ...
... N.Y. Times creates more bestsellers. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
"It's a balancing act," said Carlin Romano, the longtime book critic for the Philadelphia Inquirer. "And in this case, I think the Times Book Review knows exactly what it's doing, to tilt the balance in order to attract more advertising. But they're also giving a lot more authors the right to claim now that they're bestsellers. This will give them very good exposure, but philosophically, the more bestsellers you have, the less the term means."
I believe Carlin has questioned the accuracy - or something - about this quote, but I can';t seem to find what his objection was. As it stands, though, I tend to agree.
"It's a balancing act," said Carlin Romano, the longtime book critic for the Philadelphia Inquirer. "And in this case, I think the Times Book Review knows exactly what it's doing, to tilt the balance in order to attract more advertising. But they're also giving a lot more authors the right to claim now that they're bestsellers. This will give them very good exposure, but philosophically, the more bestsellers you have, the less the term means."
I believe Carlin has questioned the accuracy - or something - about this quote, but I can';t seem to find what his objection was. As it stands, though, I tend to agree.
Me, too ...
... though I think I know why:`Transient Magic'. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
Patrick wonders, "Why do I find this poem so moving?" I find it moving also, but in my case I think it's because I spent the first eight years of my life living across from a rail yard, in the shadow of factories, amid vacant lots filled with ailanthus and blackberry brambles. Paintings of industrial scenes always stir something in my heart.
I've been reading him, too ...
... and may have more to say later: The Last Man of Letters. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
By the way, read this while you can. It won't be available for free much longer.
By the way, read this while you can. It won't be available for free much longer.
Not all is lost ...
... apparently, in translating poetry: Translating poetry opens up new worlds of language. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
We have been added ...
... to the Philly Blogmap. We're at Broad & Locust, a nice central location.
... Maxine notes a London counterpart: A map by any other name.
... Maxine notes a London counterpart: A map by any other name.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Perhaps I can help ...
... in He asks in exasperation, Dan Green wonders "why is it so hard for even otherwise competent critics such as Romano to understand that when discussing a book ('pages') it's best to stick to what does exist there and avoid speculation about what doesn't?" (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
It's a fair question. To what extent are the details of an author's life pertinent to that author's fiction? Usually not to any very great extent, even when the fiction is evidently "autobiographical." Henry Miller the person was apparently not all that much like the Val Miller of the Tropics. The real Jack Kerouac wasn't that much like Sal Paradise or Ray Smith. But Carlin's point in the case of Roth is, I think, that Roth's fictions are not really very fictitious and are in fact self-justifications - apologiae pro vitae suae. Can they therefore be judged as one might an autobiography? Well, as I said, it's a fair question.
It's a fair question. To what extent are the details of an author's life pertinent to that author's fiction? Usually not to any very great extent, even when the fiction is evidently "autobiographical." Henry Miller the person was apparently not all that much like the Val Miller of the Tropics. The real Jack Kerouac wasn't that much like Sal Paradise or Ray Smith. But Carlin's point in the case of Roth is, I think, that Roth's fictions are not really very fictitious and are in fact self-justifications - apologiae pro vitae suae. Can they therefore be judged as one might an autobiography? Well, as I said, it's a fair question.
I'm off today ...
... and will be spending most of my time preparing cassoulet (with goose) for tomorrow nighi's Michaelmas dinner. So blogging will be spotty.
Nothing new here ...
... another grand statement about blogs clearly deriving from virtually no acquaintance with them: Foaming Moore.
Didn't even know ...
... he was sick: The death of the reader. (Hat tip, Rus Bowden.)
Since there are more people than ever before, I think it's safe to assume there are more readers than ever. There certainly seem to be more books being published, in one way, shape, form or another than ever before. The literary landscape is different from what it was, not necessarily worse, and not, of course, necessarily better. The only constant is change.
Since there are more people than ever before, I think it's safe to assume there are more readers than ever. There certainly seem to be more books being published, in one way, shape, form or another than ever before. The literary landscape is different from what it was, not necessarily worse, and not, of course, necessarily better. The only constant is change.
Oh, no, Paris Hilton ...
... makes her Books, Inq. debut: Paris Hilton: poetry plagiarizer? (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
Say it ain't so, Paris.
Say it ain't so, Paris.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
I am weary ...
... after a couple of very busy days - and I have some reading to do. So that's it for today.
Dryden would understand ...
... because there were plenty of poetic squabbles in his day, and most were just as petty and puerile as this: Poetry Prize Sets Off Resignations at Society. (Hat tip, Laurie Mason.)
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
On this date ...
... 1888, T.S. Eliot was born.
Here's something from "Gerontion":
Here's something from "Gerontion":
| After such knowledge, what forgiveness? Think now | |
| History has many cunning passages, contrived corridors | |
| And issues, deceives with whispering ambitions, | 35 |
| Guides us by vanities. Think now | |
| She gives when our attention is distracted | |
| And what she gives, gives with such supple confusions | |
| That the giving famishes the craving. Gives too late | |
| What’s not believed in, or if still believed, | 40 |
| In memory only, reconsidered passion. Gives too soon | |
| Into weak hands, what’s thought can be dispensed with | |
| Till the refusal propagates a fear. Think | |
| Neither fear nor courage saves us. |
Happy days ...
... in Brooklyn and elsewhere: Wonder Bread.
"Nice thought if you can abide it. Unfortunately, it’s false to all human experience to find “growth” in tragedy. In fact, the dull truth is that pain is tautological. The only thing suffering teaches us is that we are capable of suffering. "
Maugham makes a quite similar point. Read to the end of this.
"Nice thought if you can abide it. Unfortunately, it’s false to all human experience to find “growth” in tragedy. In fact, the dull truth is that pain is tautological. The only thing suffering teaches us is that we are capable of suffering. "
Maugham makes a quite similar point. Read to the end of this.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Lovely and touching ...
... A Teacher Remembered. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
"... his greatest legacy was that he embodied the true meaning of education - not something you pick up at school and university and are done with, but a lifelong exploration, as natural as breathing, and ending only with the breath."
(Of course, it is a stretch to imagine Nige "at loggerheads with all other teachers," don't you think?)
"... his greatest legacy was that he embodied the true meaning of education - not something you pick up at school and university and are done with, but a lifelong exploration, as natural as breathing, and ending only with the breath."
(Of course, it is a stretch to imagine Nige "at loggerheads with all other teachers," don't you think?)
Oh, a list ...
... we haven't had one of those for a whiel. So here's Tuesday Top Ten from Stephen Mitchelmore. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
Speaking of Carlin ....
... if you thought his review of Philip Roth's Exit Ghost was harsh, take a look at Christopher Hitchens's: Zuckerman Undone.
Monday, September 24, 2007
High praise ...
... from a most reliable source: Terry Teachout on Mary McCarthy, drama critic. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
Dangers of adaptation ...
... 'Kite Runner' actor's family wants rape scene cut. (Hat tip, Scott Stein.)
Desert Storm ...
... not that one, though. The original one: Understanding the capricious God of the Psalms. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
Trinity ...
... Art, Beauty, and Judgment. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
The third tends to be overlooked, but is crucial to art.
The third tends to be overlooked, but is crucial to art.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Free or not ...
... Seeking Free Will in Our Brains: A Debate. (Hat tip, Lee Lowe.)
I have only skimmed over this, but it looks interesting.
I have only skimmed over this, but it looks interesting.
Cause for laughter ...
... perhaps: Rapeseed biofuel ‘produces more greenhouse gas than oil or petrol’.
"The concerns were raised over the levels of emissions of nitrous oxide, which is 296 times more powerful as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. Scientists found that the use of biofuels released twice as much as nitrous oxide as previously realised."
Nitrous oxide is laughing gas. Maybe if enough of it gets into the atmosphere, we'll all start having a brighter outlook.
"The concerns were raised over the levels of emissions of nitrous oxide, which is 296 times more powerful as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. Scientists found that the use of biofuels released twice as much as nitrous oxide as previously realised."
Nitrous oxide is laughing gas. Maybe if enough of it gets into the atmosphere, we'll all start having a brighter outlook.
Not my problem ...
... since Freud has never impressed me: Who’s Your Daddy? (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
"Over time, Freud came to see that his patients were transferring feelings and hopes from other phases of their lives onto him." Let's assume this was true. How do you extrapolate from his relations with his patients and their attitude toward him to arrive at some general conclusion about human nature?
"Freud said we all seek [authoritative father] figures, in both political and personal life." Now I'm only one person, but that is still enough to call into question a universal proposition, and actually, I know perfectly well that I am not the only person who not only has never sought such, but has always been antipathetic to same.
"Freud said we all seek [authoritative father] figures, in both political and personal life." Now I'm only one person, but that is still enough to call into question a universal proposition, and actually, I know perfectly well that I am not the only person who not only has never sought such, but has always been antipathetic to same.
Today's Inquirer reviews ...
... I have slightly mixed feelings about Barbara Quick's Vivaldi's Virgins: Musical musing orphans of Venice.
... Glenn Altschuler looks back at when pop music was, well, musical: Composers who set America humming.
... Roger Miller praises one of our best - and lesser known - novelists: Bold fictions aimed at getting to the facts.
... Michelle Reale is moved by Pia Erhardt's debut collection of stories: The pursuit of love, searingly depicted.
... David Montgomery likes Wiliam Lashner's hero and his latest tale: Thriller's hero is an everyday guy.
... Sandy Bauers listens to Barry Eisler: A voice that makes a mundane spy caper escapist fun.
This past week:
... Allen Barra liked the book accompanying Ken Burns's latest documentary: 'War' springs from the page.
... and Carlin Romano looked at the virtual Halberstam tour: Halberstam friends band for book blitz.
... Glenn Altschuler looks back at when pop music was, well, musical: Composers who set America humming.
... Roger Miller praises one of our best - and lesser known - novelists: Bold fictions aimed at getting to the facts.
... Michelle Reale is moved by Pia Erhardt's debut collection of stories: The pursuit of love, searingly depicted.
... David Montgomery likes Wiliam Lashner's hero and his latest tale: Thriller's hero is an everyday guy.
... Sandy Bauers listens to Barry Eisler: A voice that makes a mundane spy caper escapist fun.
This past week:
... Allen Barra liked the book accompanying Ken Burns's latest documentary: 'War' springs from the page.
... and Carlin Romano looked at the virtual Halberstam tour: Halberstam friends band for book blitz.
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Friday, September 21, 2007
At least it's not outsourcing ...
... Internationalizing American Poetry? (Hat tip, Rus Bowden.)
I've spent some time with Charles Simic and he seems pretty American to me, even if he did start out in Yugoslavia. We are an immigrant country, after all.
I've spent some time with Charles Simic and he seems pretty American to me, even if he did start out in Yugoslavia. We are an immigrant country, after all.
On the road ...
... at home with Jack. Well, not really. Been there, done that already. Rather in Paris, as in Satori in Paris.
Compris? Non?
Compris? Non?
Translation: I'm working at home on a piece about Jack Kerouac, whose On the Road was published 50 years ago this month, and I'm digging his jazzy prose.
And so, dear readers, light blogging today.
And so, dear readers, light blogging today.
There is much ...
... in what he said: Menckenmania. (Mencken frequently wrote back to those who had written to complain or denounce: "There is much in what you say."
Sprezzatura ...
... Ted Williams and Bill Clinton. Writing as Performance: Revealing "the calculation that underlies the appearance of effortlessness."
As Dave Lull points out, we've linked to this before: Uh-oh ... It's just when I see that word sprezzatura ....
Of course, sprezzatura has its perils: If you don't look like you're working at something, some people may think you're not working at it.
As Dave Lull points out, we've linked to this before: Uh-oh ... It's just when I see that word sprezzatura ....
Of course, sprezzatura has its perils: If you don't look like you're working at something, some people may think you're not working at it.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Let's be civil ...
... a call for a kinder, gentler atheism: Are Sacred Texts Sacred? the Challenge for Atheists. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
Carlin and I have no trouble getting along.
Carlin and I have no trouble getting along.
Present indicative ...
... Mervyn Bragg interviews Dennis Potter: 'We tend to forget that life can only be defined in the present tense' (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
Thank you ...
... Partick Kurp: `This Is a Poem I Must Live'. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
Many years ago, after reviewing both the collected poems and collected essays of J.V. Cunningham, I got a thank-you note from Cunningham, who said, "Tt is nice to be praised for the things one would want to be praised for." I now really know what he meant.
Many years ago, after reviewing both the collected poems and collected essays of J.V. Cunningham, I got a thank-you note from Cunningham, who said, "Tt is nice to be praised for the things one would want to be praised for." I now really know what he meant.
Often at odds ...
... Art and Life.
I suppose the only way to approach Gill's devotional art is to remind oneself that it was made by a man who committed terrible sins. The human psyche is complex, inconsistent, contradictory, and as often as not downright appalling.
Bad news ...
... for Shameless. Seems Shame is the new fame. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
Hey, suppose it turns out to be a good novel?
Hey, suppose it turns out to be a good novel?
Ubiquitous ...
... that's what Paul Muldoon is: Pulitzer Winner to Take Over as New Yorker’s Poetry Editor. (Hat tip, Rus Bowden.)
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Almost as if ...
... you were there: CJR Panel: The Case of the Vanishing Book Review. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
I was not there. I was editing book reviews.
I was not there. I was editing book reviews.
A mighty wind ...
... Blame the Cows.
Of course, evidence-based science is always a good idea: More Than Half of Analyzed Weather Stations Don’t Meet Federal Guidelines.
Of course, evidence-based science is always a good idea: More Than Half of Analyzed Weather Stations Don’t Meet Federal Guidelines.
Dog bites man ...
... and then some: The Anarchist's Chapbook. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
To wit: "In the vicinity of Noisysur-École, M. Louis Delillieau, 70, dropped dead of sunstroke. Quickly his dog Fido ate his head."
I must say, Fénéon does have a certain sociopathic look to him.
To wit: "In the vicinity of Noisysur-École, M. Louis Delillieau, 70, dropped dead of sunstroke. Quickly his dog Fido ate his head."
I must say, Fénéon does have a certain sociopathic look to him.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Three views ...
... of John Gray's Black Mass. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
- Bryan Appleyard's - John Gray's apocalypse.
- John Banville's - Rocky Road to utopia.
- A.C. Grayling's - Through the looking glass.
I am actually closer to Grayling's views than to Bryan's or John's. Bryan, I know, has said that apocalyptism is simply realism. And that is so in the sense that empires always fall and disasters inevitably occur. Only I don't regard any of that as truly apocalyptic, or at least not apocalyptic in the strict sense. The only apocalypse I place any faith in is the one that will accompany the parousia.
I think Grayling is right when he criticizes Gray for a too broad application of the term religion. but I think Grayling is wrong when he fails to see that it is not religion itself that causes the evils he deplores. It is is when religion is joined with political power. This usually happens because the state finds religion useful as a social adhesive. Moreover, the connection between political power and religious belief seems to have been operative in human affairs from the beginning. Jesus appears to have first formulated a doctrine of separation of the church from the state when he declared, "Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's." Which his professed followers probably honored until they had the chance to share in Caesar's power. Lord Acton remains correct: "Power tends to corrupt. Absolute power corrupts absolutely."
Here is some further comment, also courtesy of Dave: Are we making progress?
I think Grayling is right when he criticizes Gray for a too broad application of the term religion. but I think Grayling is wrong when he fails to see that it is not religion itself that causes the evils he deplores. It is is when religion is joined with political power. This usually happens because the state finds religion useful as a social adhesive. Moreover, the connection between political power and religious belief seems to have been operative in human affairs from the beginning. Jesus appears to have first formulated a doctrine of separation of the church from the state when he declared, "Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's." Which his professed followers probably honored until they had the chance to share in Caesar's power. Lord Acton remains correct: "Power tends to corrupt. Absolute power corrupts absolutely."
Here is some further comment, also courtesy of Dave: Are we making progress?
On the one hand ....
... but on the other: In God We Doubt by John Humphrys. (Hat tip, Rob Mackenzie.)
We link ...
... you decide: Is it time for Americans to start cutting our baby emissions? (Hat tip, Rus Bowden.)
October fest ...
... well, mostly: the 07 Durham Literature Festival. Among others who will be there: Will Self, Pat Barker and A.S. Byatt.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Hal assures Dave ...
... "I have the greatest enthusiasm for sestinas" (you do remember Hal the computer, I hope): Computer Poetry Pushes The Genre Envelope. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.) Different Dave, by the way.
Before there was Harry ...
... there was Sir Walter: Compelled to Read the Novels of Sir Walter Scott.
Ouch ...
... Hurting Distance and Rough Trade.
Actually, Maxine has posted so much that's interesting, you might to just go to Petrona and scroll.
Actually, Maxine has posted so much that's interesting, you might to just go to Petrona and scroll.
Literature and the Internet ...
... I mentioned the other day that I had a longish poem published in the current issue of Boulevard.
I also mentioned that I contributed as well to a forum discussing literature and the Internet. It has occurred to me that visitors to this blog may be interested in this sample of what I had to say:
What is being overlooked in all this is that the Internet is not simply a repository for traditional content, but is developing new forms of content as well. This is what nobody is quite sure about — though it is fair to say that, whatever impact the Internet may have had so far on literature, it is likely a good deal less than the impact it is going to have.
So far its impact has simply been its challenge to print. But already there is developing online what is called distributed narrative, which involves telling a story by means of networks. A good example would be email narratives. Michael Betcherman and David Diamond, for instance, put together something called The Daughters of Freya. This was an email mystery. If you subscribed, you received a number of emails every day, each of which would deepen the mystery and advance the progress toward a solution. (Figure out a way to integrate hyperlinks into narrative — perhaps someone already has — and a whole new kind of story-telling will become possible.)
At Blue’s Cruzio Café, poetry is combined with animation and jazz: You click on a picture and the portrait starts to recite the poem to a jazz accompaniment. Poetry has exploded online, as I discovered when I wrote about it last year for The Inquirer. I announced my intention on my blog — yes, I blog — and invited comments, suggestions, information, links. I ended up with a story that was reported entirely via Internet.
The Internet has revived literary activities that had been on the wane. Not many people correspond by letter anymore, but everybody does email and it seems altogether possible that email will develop into an art much as letter-writing did. Who knows what literary potential blogging may have? But consider this: The essay began as Montaigne’s method of exploring the contents of his consciousness, but quickly morphed into a vehicle for displaying literary style. Blogging may bring it back to what Montaigne was originally aiming at.
J.A. Baker ...
... author of The Peregrine, seems to be one of those elusive writers, like B. Traven. But the intrepid Dave Lull has tracked down some information about him:
John Alec Baker
(English writer, 1926-)
Also known as: J. Alec Baker, John Russell Baker, J. A. Baker
Source: Contemporary Authors Online, Gale, 2002.
Entry Updated : 07/16/2001
"Sidelights"
Christopher Wordsworth says of The Peregrine: "This rapt and remarkable
book is the record of a 10 year obsession and a paean to the winter
landscape of East Anglia." Ralph C. Baxter feels that "the genre may be
confusing to define. . . . It probably has to be called the winter
diary of a naturalist--though it is both more and less." Baxter
describes the language as "brutal, hard, Saxon in quality. Yet it is
sharp, crisp, buright, like the fire that Baker perceives glowing in
the breasts of the peregrine falcons (females) and tiercels (males). .
. . The language is perhaps the most poetic prose I have recently read.
. . . It is perhaps Baker's complete readiness to accept the truth of
nature--its uncompromising quality--that makes The Peregrine such a
fantastic book."
"The Hill of Summer," writes Neil Millar, "is not just another nature
book. It is unique, poetic, feeling as well as seeing, built out of a
naturalist's observation and a prose like adolescence: sensitive,
romantic, clear-eyed, gawky, beautiful." Richard Kenneggy notes that
"To read a few pages of The Hill of Summer is like finding there is
still peace on earth."
PERSONAL INFORMATION
Family: Born August 6, 1926, in Chelmsford, Essex, England; son of
Wilfred Samuel (a draftsman) and Pansy (Collis) Baker; married Doreen
Grace Coe, October 6, 1956. c/o William Colins Sons & Co., 14 St. James
Pl., London S.W.1, England. Education: Attended schools in Chelmsford
until seventeen. Politics: None. Religion: Protestant.
AWARDS
Arts Council of Great Britain prose bursary, 1967; Duff Cooper Memorial
Prize, 1968, for The Peregrine.
CAREER
Worked at fourteen "miscellaneous" jobs, 1943-65, including clerk,
schoolteacher, attendant at British Museum Library, and laborer.
WRITINGS BY THE AUTHOR:
The Peregrine, Harper, 1967.
The Hill of Summer, Collins, 1969, Harper, 1970.
FURTHER READINGS ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
PERIODICALS
Observer, March 19, 1967;
Times Literary Supplement, June 15, 1967;
Best Sellers, October 1, 1967;
New Yorker, October 28, 1967;
Books and Bookmen, September, 1969;
Christian Science Monitor, February 26, 1970;
Washington Post, March 27, 1970.
SOURCE CITATION
Contemporary Authors Online, Gale, 2007. Reproduced in Biography
Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Thomson Gale. 2007.
http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/BioRC
Document Number: H1000004475
____________________________________________________________________________________
John Alec Baker
(English writer, 1926-)
Also known as: J. Alec Baker, John Russell Baker, J. A. Baker
Source: Contemporary Authors Online, Gale, 2002.
Entry Updated : 07/16/2001
"Sidelights"
Christopher Wordsworth says of The Peregrine: "This rapt and remarkable
book is the record of a 10 year obsession and a paean to the winter
landscape of East Anglia." Ralph C. Baxter feels that "the genre may be
confusing to define. . . . It probably has to be called the winter
diary of a naturalist--though it is both more and less." Baxter
describes the language as "brutal, hard, Saxon in quality. Yet it is
sharp, crisp, buright, like the fire that Baker perceives glowing in
the breasts of the peregrine falcons (females) and tiercels (males). .
. . The language is perhaps the most poetic prose I have recently read.
. . . It is perhaps Baker's complete readiness to accept the truth of
nature--its uncompromising quality--that makes The Peregrine such a
fantastic book."
"The Hill of Summer," writes Neil Millar, "is not just another nature
book. It is unique, poetic, feeling as well as seeing, built out of a
naturalist's observation and a prose like adolescence: sensitive,
romantic, clear-eyed, gawky, beautiful." Richard Kenneggy notes that
"To read a few pages of The Hill of Summer is like finding there is
still peace on earth."
PERSONAL INFORMATION
Family: Born August 6, 1926, in Chelmsford, Essex, England; son of
Wilfred Samuel (a draftsman) and Pansy (Collis) Baker; married Doreen
Grace Coe, October 6, 1956. c/o William Colins Sons & Co., 14 St. James
Pl., London S.W.1, England. Education: Attended schools in Chelmsford
until seventeen. Politics: None. Religion: Protestant.
AWARDS
Arts Council of Great Britain prose bursary, 1967; Duff Cooper Memorial
Prize, 1968, for The Peregrine.
CAREER
Worked at fourteen "miscellaneous" jobs, 1943-65, including clerk,
schoolteacher, attendant at British Museum Library, and laborer.
WRITINGS BY THE AUTHOR:
The Peregrine, Harper, 1967.
The Hill of Summer, Collins, 1969, Harper, 1970.
FURTHER READINGS ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
PERIODICALS
Observer, March 19, 1967;
Times Literary Supplement, June 15, 1967;
Best Sellers, October 1, 1967;
New Yorker, October 28, 1967;
Books and Bookmen, September, 1969;
Christian Science Monitor, February 26, 1970;
Washington Post, March 27, 1970.
SOURCE CITATION
Contemporary Authors Online, Gale, 2007. Reproduced in Biography
Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Thomson Gale. 2007.
http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/BioRC
Document Number: H1000004475
____________________________________________________________________________________
A pair of views ...
... Rowan the Resonant.
... and The Nonbelievers. (Hat tip, Rus Bowden.)
Of course, the real test is staying power. Religion has definitely demonstrated - and continues to demonstrate - that it has what it takes when it comes to longevity. Of course, atheism has been around a long time, too. ("The fool saith in his heart, 'There is no God.' ") I think it will continue, but as a distinctly minority viewpoint, one of its main problems being a disinclination on the part of its adherents to breed (not very Darwinian of them, I must say).
... and The Nonbelievers. (Hat tip, Rus Bowden.)
Of course, the real test is staying power. Religion has definitely demonstrated - and continues to demonstrate - that it has what it takes when it comes to longevity. Of course, atheism has been around a long time, too. ("The fool saith in his heart, 'There is no God.' ") I think it will continue, but as a distinctly minority viewpoint, one of its main problems being a disinclination on the part of its adherents to breed (not very Darwinian of them, I must say).
One more time ...
... another attempt to link to my colleague John Timpane's Two Poems. (I subscribe to Vocabula, and this is probably restricted to subscribers.)
Today's Inquirer reviews ...
... Carlin Romano goes ballistic: Zuckerman or Roth? Both are predictable.
... Sandy Bauers tells a fish story that is sadly true: The grim history of disappearing fish.
... Thomas Devaney is much taken with Charles North's poetry: Patter up: Verse that covers all the bases.
... Richard DiDio is impressed by a real Indiana Jones: On the trail of objects taken from Second Temple.
... Martha Woodall finds Elise Juska's latest novel enchanting: A Phila. family seen fresh from Ireland.
... Katie Haegele follows Walter Dean Myers back to 145th Street: Young Adult Reader | A return to '145th Street' to look at young people in love.
... Sandy Bauers tells a fish story that is sadly true: The grim history of disappearing fish.
... Thomas Devaney is much taken with Charles North's poetry: Patter up: Verse that covers all the bases.
... Richard DiDio is impressed by a real Indiana Jones: On the trail of objects taken from Second Temple.
... Martha Woodall finds Elise Juska's latest novel enchanting: A Phila. family seen fresh from Ireland.
... Katie Haegele follows Walter Dean Myers back to 145th Street: Young Adult Reader | A return to '145th Street' to look at young people in love.
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Peace offer ...
... God and Evolution. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
Of course, this will surely be dismissed by the likes of Dawkins and Hitchens. You can never accommodate true believers.
Avery Dulles has, of course, exerted more than a little influence on my own thinking, since he co-authored the book Introductory Metaphysics that was the textbook for the course I had in the subject many decades ago. Interestingly, I have just been reading Josef Pieper's Living the Truth, which deals with some of the matter touched upon in Cardinal Dulles's article.
In an altogether different connection, though, I particularly liked this:
Justin Barrett, an evolutionary psychologist now at Oxford, is also a practicing Christian. He believes that an all-knowing, all-powerful, and perfectly good God crafted human beings to be in loving relationship with him and with one another. “Why wouldn’t God,” he asks, “design us in such a way as to find belief in divinity quite natural?” Even if these mental phenomena can be explained scientifically, the psychological explanation does not mean that we should stop believing. “Suppose that science produces a convincing account for why I think my wife loves me,” he writes. “Should I then stop believing that she does?”
In an altogether different connection, though, I particularly liked this:
Justin Barrett, an evolutionary psychologist now at Oxford, is also a practicing Christian. He believes that an all-knowing, all-powerful, and perfectly good God crafted human beings to be in loving relationship with him and with one another. “Why wouldn’t God,” he asks, “design us in such a way as to find belief in divinity quite natural?” Even if these mental phenomena can be explained scientifically, the psychological explanation does not mean that we should stop believing. “Suppose that science produces a convincing account for why I think my wife loves me,” he writes. “Should I then stop believing that she does?”
Of course, this will surely be dismissed by the likes of Dawkins and Hitchens. You can never accommodate true believers.
Jury duty ...
... a look at the Booker deliberations: What happened to the big guns? (Hat tip, Vikram Johri.)
Friday, September 14, 2007
Our times ...
... An insider's view of a secular age. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
Roger Simon, however, links us to a reminder that some things never change: In Praise of Victor Davis Hanson. (By the way, take a look at some of the comments attached to Hanson's article. They go far to prove his point.)
Roger Simon, however, links us to a reminder that some things never change: In Praise of Victor Davis Hanson. (By the way, take a look at some of the comments attached to Hanson's article. They go far to prove his point.)
Bashing liberals ...
... oh, wait: Let’s Play Guess Who’s Defending The Liberal. (This link was inspired by a comment attached to this post: Skool Days. Understand, of course, that I've just put up with a couple of days being bashed by liberals for my piece about Laura Ingraham.)
Congratulations to me ...
... after all, what's the point of having a blog if you can't from time to time toot your own horn and pound a bit on your own drum? Anyway, my poem "Entering the Black Sea" - a take on the Orpheus and Eurydice myth - appears in the latest issue Boulevard, presumably already in bookstores. I also make a contribution to their monthly Symposium. The topic this month Literature and the Internet. Boulevard really does deserve your support.
One more time ...
... James Frey's First Novel Gives Him a Second Chance. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
Well, we know he does fiction. Wonder if Oprah will have him on again.
Well, we know he does fiction. Wonder if Oprah will have him on again.
Rhyming for laughs ...
... Guidelines for the Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest. (Hat tip, Laurie Mason.)
Good luck ...
... Christopher Hitchens On the Limits of Self-Improvement, Part I. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
Had I not given up the sauce 18 years ago I'd probably be writing this from inside a jar on a shelf in some medical lab. Luckily for me I've always walked a lot and eaten well (not much taste for fast food and sparing of the cheese steaks and pizza). So, except for a bum knee (product of a kneecap fractured in a collision with concrete) I'm in pretty good shape. Unfortunately, I will still die.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
March of the pretentious ...
... Logistics.
The word, of course, was originally a military term, referring specifically to what quartermasters were charged with doing. It has been coopted by businesses in their ongoing attempt to make what they do seem more dramatic than it in fact is. Their use of it, in other words, is one more exercise in pretentiousness.
Willy beats Harry ...
... Dahl beats Rowling as young adults' favourite author. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Skool Days ...
... I'm Ok, You're Not Ok.
I find this bit about teaching "college students to use analytical thinking in the development of new ideas" interesting. Before you develop new ideas, you should first make sure you understand the ones that are already in existence, some of which have been around for a long time and were developed by some very sharp cookies.
I have a beard ...
... in fact, I've had once since my 20s - I always wanted to have one. That said, there are, as Nige suggests, perils: Just Say No.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Monday, September 10, 2007
Sunday, September 09, 2007
Does it get better ...
... than this? James Brown & Luciano Pavarotti. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
... also here's a younger, lighter, clean-shaven Pavarotti: Ingemisco. (Hat tip, Barry Zukerman.)
... also here's a younger, lighter, clean-shaven Pavarotti: Ingemisco. (Hat tip, Barry Zukerman.)
Today's Inquirer reviews ...
... Carlin Romano considers an unnatural act - reading: Why it's hard for people to learn to read.
... Roger Miller likes Hanna Rosin's book about Patrick Henry College: Schooling a generation to 'take back the nation'.
... Katie Haegele listens to some poetry podcasts: Podcast options aplenty for poetry.
... Susan Balee rather likes Stef Penney's debut thriller: A whodunit that tracks craftily through the wilderness.
Here are Carlin's fall book recommendations:
Fall Arts Preview: Nonfiction recommendations
Fall Arts Preview: Fiction recommendations
... Roger Miller likes Hanna Rosin's book about Patrick Henry College: Schooling a generation to 'take back the nation'.
... Katie Haegele listens to some poetry podcasts: Podcast options aplenty for poetry.
... Susan Balee rather likes Stef Penney's debut thriller: A whodunit that tracks craftily through the wilderness.
Here are Carlin's fall book recommendations:
Fall Arts Preview: Nonfiction recommendations
Fall Arts Preview: Fiction recommendations
Saturday, September 08, 2007
Support for ...
... but not proof of something I have increasingly come to suspect, namely, that a lot of highly trained scientific specialists do not know how to think clearly: Junk Science Is Contagious.
I think this is Richard Dawkins's problem. Dawkins can explain science well enough, but when he start extrapolating into other areas, his incompetence is soon manifest.
I think this is Richard Dawkins's problem. Dawkins can explain science well enough, but when he start extrapolating into other areas, his incompetence is soon manifest.
The Associated Press ...
... specialist in Revisionist History.
I link to this because it is just the sort of thing journalism doesn't need and needs to guard against. God, getting your facts straight isn't even lesson No. 1. It's the premise of the whole enterprise. You read this, and then you read some grouchy print journalist gabble on about the careful fact-checking and skilled editing that distinguishes the work of print journalists from bloggers ... and what do you think?
More on darkness ...
... Hitchens on Mother Teresa's Dark Night of the Soul. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
This is pretty much right on the money: People like Hitchens and Dawkins and Dennett simply don't understand religion, which is why what they have to say on the subject strikes those with some understanding of it as so tedious.
The comments are quite good, and don't miss the link to Moonrise.
The comments are quite good, and don't miss the link to Moonrise.
Bryan gets libelled ...
... but only mildly: The Childhood Superstition of Secularism.
This is linked to in the Comments, and should not be missed: Daniel Dennett Hunts the Snark.
I could quote plenty from this, but I'll confine myself to this:
Precisely.
This is linked to in the Comments, and should not be missed: Daniel Dennett Hunts the Snark.
I could quote plenty from this, but I'll confine myself to this:
In the end, nothing of any significance is decided by talking about religion in the abstract. It is a somewhat inane topic, really, relevant neither to belief nor to disbelief. It does not touch on the rationales or the experiences that determine anyone’s ultimate convictions, and certainly nothing important is to be learned from Daniel Dennett’s rancorous exchanges with nonexistent persons regarding the prospects for an impossible science devoted to an intrinsically indeterminate object. If Dennett really wishes to undertake a scientific investigation of faith, he should promptly abandon his efforts to describe religion in the abstract and attempt instead to enter into the actual world of belief in order to weigh its claims from within. As a first step, he should certainly-purely in the interest of sound scientific method and empirical rigor-begin praying. This is a drastic and implausible prescription, no doubt, but it is the only means by which he could possibly begin to acquire any knowledge of what belief is or what it is not.
Precisely.
Not what you might think ...
... Rewards of education.
I'm no scientist, so I only got half of the nano quiz questions right. Oh, well.
I'm no scientist, so I only got half of the nano quiz questions right. Oh, well.
Swan's way ...
... Pastor Rod has been drawing lessons from Nassim Nicholas Taleb and applying them to religion. Here are his latest thoughts: The Missional Swan. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
Pastor is certainly right when he says this about Taleb's book: "You literally cannot afford not to know what it says. You will not look at the world the same ever again.
Pastor is certainly right when he says this about Taleb's book: "You literally cannot afford not to know what it says. You will not look at the world the same ever again.
It has numerous implications for your personal, professional and spiritual life."
Lavatory semiotics ...
... and other, less arcane matters: Caught with His . . . (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
Friday, September 07, 2007
The virtue of humility ...
... Darwin's Angel: An Angelic Response to the God Delusion. (Thanks to Dave Lull, who also sent me a link to this.)
More on Miller ...
... Michael Gove has this to say in The Times of London:
We discovered last week that the playwright Arthur Miller, who abandoned his disabled son after the child was born because he was, in Miller’s words, “a mongoloid”, avoided all contact with the child until they met, to the playwright’s surprise, at a meeting where Miller was championing a better deal for disabled people. This sort of behaviour is beyond satire. To seek applause for your stance on behalf of suffering in general, while being so indifferent to the fate of individual suffering, is the quintessence of canting left-wingery. But for The Guardian Miller was as much the victim as anyone.
I hadn't known that Miller had actually met his son, let alone under such circumstances.
Whither criticism ...
... Say It Loud (I’m an Innovator and I’m Proud). (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
I'm neutral on the question of literary innovation. Fine if necessary and if it works, but I don't really believe in progress in art. That said, a work has to be judged on its own terms, and there is much in this piece that I agree with.
I'm neutral on the question of literary innovation. Fine if necessary and if it works, but I don't really believe in progress in art. That said, a work has to be judged on its own terms, and there is much in this piece that I agree with.
At his best ...
... Luciano Pavarotti singing an aria from Donizetti's L'Elisir d'Amore: Una furtiva Lagrima. (Hat tip, Barry Zukerman.)
Bound to offend ...
... that's what this Michael Lewis column is going to do to a lot of people. I link to it simply because the views it expresses are so utterly unfashionable: A Wall Street Trader Draws Some Subprime Lessons.
Vincible ignorance ...
... OK, it's understandable that Andrew Keen might take umbrage at Glenn Reynolds's review of Keen's book. But this is ridiculous: Ex-law professor?
Thursday, September 06, 2007
The internet ....
... and the English language: Would Orwell have been a blogger? (hat tip, Dave Lull.)
"Yet the democracy of the web is in danger of becoming a cacophonous nightmare. For every carefully crafted, thoughtful expression of opinion, there are a score of half-baked rants: ignorant, bilious, semi-literate and depressing."
You would think that everything that ever appeared in print was thoughtful and perfectly phrased. Truth be told. huge amounts of garbage continue to be printed, gobbled up by those with a taste for it and ignored by those with more refined palates.
"Yet the democracy of the web is in danger of becoming a cacophonous nightmare. For every carefully crafted, thoughtful expression of opinion, there are a score of half-baked rants: ignorant, bilious, semi-literate and depressing."
You would think that everything that ever appeared in print was thoughtful and perfectly phrased. Truth be told. huge amounts of garbage continue to be printed, gobbled up by those with a taste for it and ignored by those with more refined palates.
Sidelined ...
... Arthur Danto on Richard Rorty: Margins for Error. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
According to Rorty: "The professionalization of philosophy, its transformation into an academic discipline, was a necessary evil. But it has encouraged attempts to make philosophy into an autonomous quasiscience. These attempts should be resisted. The more philosophy interacts with other human activities—not just natural science, but art, literature, religion and politics as well—the more relevant to cultural politics it becomes, and thus the more useful. The more it strives for autonomy, the less attention it deserves."
I don't know if the professionalization was necessary or not, but it has proved a bad idea - though
it has happened over and over again throughout history. Socrates was not a professional philosopher. He was a guy trying to get people to think, preferably accurately and precisely. I don't think he aimed at devising a system of thought or was interested in constructing theries for their own sake.But the point was to live an enhanced life, not be "relevant to cultural polticis," whatever the hell that means.
According to Rorty: "The professionalization of philosophy, its transformation into an academic discipline, was a necessary evil. But it has encouraged attempts to make philosophy into an autonomous quasiscience. These attempts should be resisted. The more philosophy interacts with other human activities—not just natural science, but art, literature, religion and politics as well—the more relevant to cultural politics it becomes, and thus the more useful. The more it strives for autonomy, the less attention it deserves."
I don't know if the professionalization was necessary or not, but it has proved a bad idea - though
it has happened over and over again throughout history. Socrates was not a professional philosopher. He was a guy trying to get people to think, preferably accurately and precisely. I don't think he aimed at devising a system of thought or was interested in constructing theries for their own sake.But the point was to live an enhanced life, not be "relevant to cultural polticis," whatever the hell that means.
Usually I agree ...
... with Patrick Kurp and Anthony Daniels, but I think we part ways On the Cult of Kerouac. The link to Daniels's piece isn't working, so I've only been able to read bits and pieces of what he has to say. I can't tell if he has read anything of Kerouac's other than On the Road. I happen to think - and plan on elaborating the point in print in the not too distant future - that it has been Kerouac's misfortune to be judged solely on the basis of On the Road. I think he wrote better books and, like any author, deserves to be judged on the basis of his best, not his most famous, work.
Update: Thanks to Dave Lull, I have read Daniels's piece and he does not seem to be familiar with any Kerouac other than On the Road. He also doesn't seem to consider that what he discerns in the book is precisely what Kerouac may have been trying to get across.
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
Yes ...
... this has it exactly right: Rob Mackenzie on Wallace Stevens's Domination of Black. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
I had read this poems for years before ever hearing the cry of a peacock - not a pleasant sound at all.
I had read this poems for years before ever hearing the cry of a peacock - not a pleasant sound at all.
Nige and I ...
... agree on so much: Killer Crocs. (Recall that Bryan, a while back, felt called upon to disagree with both of us simultaneously.)
Uh-oh ...
... we've been found out: Writing as Performance. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
People are always dismayed to discover what a dull, uninteresting person I am compared with my scintillating performance in prose.
People are always dismayed to discover what a dull, uninteresting person I am compared with my scintillating performance in prose.
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Truth and the mind ...
... God and Imaginary Numbers. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
Of course, there's truthiness, too, but we won't go there.
Of course, there's truthiness, too, but we won't go there.
In case you're wondering ...
... How To Hate The Non-Existent. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
I have experienced something of this myself: "I have never received such hate mail as when I suggested that religious people were better than non-religious in their conduct. It seemed that many of the people who responded to me were not content merely not to believe, but had to hate."
I have experienced something of this myself: "I have never received such hate mail as when I suggested that religious people were better than non-religious in their conduct. It seemed that many of the people who responded to me were not content merely not to believe, but had to hate."
You can't be too careful ...
... Odd clothes and unorthodox views - why MI5 spied on Orwell for a decade. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
Some strong evidence as to why "intelligence" is very often not.
Some strong evidence as to why "intelligence" is very often not.
Book reviewing ...
... the long form: Goodbye to All That. (Hat tips to Dave Lull and Lynne Scanlon.)
This covers more bases than may well exist, but there are some key points. That "the argument that it is book sections’ lack of advertising revenue from publishers that constrains book coverage is bogus" almost goes without saying, though not for any reason adduced herein. It's bogus because it is a syandard applied to no other section of the paper. Sports sections get less ad revenue from teams than book sections do from publishers. No, as is made plain, "the real problem was never the inability of book-review sections to turn a profit, but rather the anti-intellectual ethos in the nation’s newsrooms." It is an assumption that is made about who reads the paper, the assumption that readers are principally interested in TV and sports and pop music. There is also the assumption that all newspapers readers are policy wonks. Surveys indicating otherwise notwithstanding, the sales figures for books indicate that lot of people buy them and presumably read them. Ignore a segment of the population that large at your peril.
That said, by the way, A couple of weeks ago, The Inquirer's main book page featured a review of the Collected Poems of Cesar Vallejo and a novel by Simenon first published in 1933. Nobody complained.
This covers more bases than may well exist, but there are some key points. That "the argument that it is book sections’ lack of advertising revenue from publishers that constrains book coverage is bogus" almost goes without saying, though not for any reason adduced herein. It's bogus because it is a syandard applied to no other section of the paper. Sports sections get less ad revenue from teams than book sections do from publishers. No, as is made plain, "the real problem was never the inability of book-review sections to turn a profit, but rather the anti-intellectual ethos in the nation’s newsrooms." It is an assumption that is made about who reads the paper, the assumption that readers are principally interested in TV and sports and pop music. There is also the assumption that all newspapers readers are policy wonks. Surveys indicating otherwise notwithstanding, the sales figures for books indicate that lot of people buy them and presumably read them. Ignore a segment of the population that large at your peril.
That said, by the way, A couple of weeks ago, The Inquirer's main book page featured a review of the Collected Poems of Cesar Vallejo and a novel by Simenon first published in 1933. Nobody complained.
Hear, hear ...
... On Interpretation. I absolutely detest this sort of thing and agree with every word Nige says. I also detest those damned audio tours museums try to saddle you with. For God's sake, just look at the pictures. (I corrected my error regardingt who said this, thanks to Dave Lull.)
Monday, September 03, 2007
First, though ...
... consider what Bryan has to say about Diana and the Media.
"... if [people] wanted a magazine, they had to have one with Posh or Di on the cover and the marketing goons concluded that, therefore, only Posh and Di sold mags because it was 'what the people wanted'." This, I think, is what is contributing to the decline of the media - media people thinking they know what people want ... without really bothering to get to know any people.
Alert as always ...
... Dave Lull sends a link to Maxine's first post in a while: The Economist on the semantic web.
I should think all mail would seem uninteresting after a week in the Lake District. But this post does bring to mind thoughts of the Noosphere.
I should think all mail would seem uninteresting after a week in the Lake District. But this post does bring to mind thoughts of the Noosphere.
Sunday, September 02, 2007
Hard to believe ...
... that Bryan ever sleeps: God, Music and Diana links to three piece in the Sunday Times, one about the 10th anniversary of the sainted Diana's passing, another about the science of music, and the third on broadcaster and journalist John Humphreys and Humpheys's struggles with faith - plus his original report on Diana's funeral. They are all excellent.
I feel such a slacker.
I feel such a slacker.
The debate continues ...
... The blog haters have barely any idea what they are raging against. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
"Most journalists' understanding of the nature of blogging has been circumscribed by a focus on how it might affect our profession. We write articles about whether blogging can be journalism, we worry about whether bloggers can or will replace journalists, and we miss the real stories."
Cape May aficionados ...
... will be interested in this piece by Jacqueline Urgo: Beach Theatre in preservation spotlight.
Here's the theatre's site: Save the Beach.
Here's the theatre's site: Save the Beach.
Check out ...
... the latest issue of Quay. Notice that our friend Christine Klocek-Lim has some poems and photos. I especially like Twenty-year love poem. Also note the interview with Roland Merullo. In fact, take a good look. There's lots of interest there.
The faith ...
... of an unbeliever: Q&A with Robert Alter. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
"I think certain modes of imagination by which we conceive who we are, the nature of the human animal, once they get started in the culture, maintain a certain momentum and continue to shape us."
Today's Inquirer reviews ...
... represent, in my admittedly biased opinion, a rather intriguing mix.
... Ed Champion thumps the tub for Warren Ellis's Crooked Little Vein: Comic-book master brings forth a novel.
... David Walton considers what's in a name: Importance of being Amerigo.
... Scott Esposito has mixed feelings about some early Ryszard Kapuscinski: Young reporter travels with ancient Greek as guide.
... Elizabeth Fox enjoys Laurie Viera Rigler's Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict - up to a point: L.A. girl lives a fantasy life: Austen's.
Imagine: Two bloggers reviewing on the same printed page. What will people say?
... Ed Champion thumps the tub for Warren Ellis's Crooked Little Vein: Comic-book master brings forth a novel.
... David Walton considers what's in a name: Importance of being Amerigo.
... Scott Esposito has mixed feelings about some early Ryszard Kapuscinski: Young reporter travels with ancient Greek as guide.
... Elizabeth Fox enjoys Laurie Viera Rigler's Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict - up to a point: L.A. girl lives a fantasy life: Austen's.
Imagine: Two bloggers reviewing on the same printed page. What will people say?
Saturday, September 01, 2007
How faith works ...
... Deciding When You Don’t Know for Sure. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
Oddly, it is when I am least satisfied with what I do, and when it least interests me, that I am most likely to get a sneaking suspicion that I am doing what I was meant to do.
Oddly, it is when I am least satisfied with what I do, and when it least interests me, that I am most likely to get a sneaking suspicion that I am doing what I was meant to do.
Dirty books ...
... that got your attention, didn't it? Bryan wonders: Whatever Happened to the Dirty Book?
I'm not there ever were any. Only dirty minds. Which is not to say there are not books that take a distasteful view of things. Why there's ... no, I'm going to exercise a bit of self-control.
I'm not there ever were any. Only dirty minds. Which is not to say there are not books that take a distasteful view of things. Why there's ... no, I'm going to exercise a bit of self-control.