Translator - Emily Wilson I learned of the new translation of the Odyssey last summer and figure that perhaps I should revisit classic that I had last read in college. This new translation makes the old story sparkle. Wilson does a marvelous job of avoiding the baroque language of previous translations and presents the adventures of Odysseus in a fresh and riveting manner. a bright new face on a classic … [Continue reading]
Letter Home — 29 Jan, 2019
"I never could get the hang of Thursday"Arthur Dent Thursday is easy. It is preceded by Wednesday and followed by Friday. Wednesday is the pivot point of the week. The day of looking forward to the work I have to do and looking back to see how … [Continue reading]
Four Books on the Modern Essay
In the last couple of months I have been reading a lot about essays. Of the four books reviews here, the one I’d most recommend for the general reader is the D’Agata. It’s a collection of essays with short introductory notes suited those curious … [Continue reading]
Letter Home 4 Aug, 2018
Dearest ones, I went to a lecture last week. Ilya Kaminsky, a famous Ukrainian poet, began by asking “How is life on this shiny planet?” I did not know how to answer him. He taped pictures by Diego Rivera to the wall and read from Calvino’s … [Continue reading]
Ragtime — E. L. Doctrow
It starts out so oddly. It’s off putting. There is a family whose members have no names only markers for their places Mother, Father, Younger Brother, the Boy. Then Houdini crashes his car into a tree and ends up sweating out an afternoon in the … [Continue reading]
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