Saturday, May 15, 2010
First Lines: Philip Roth - The Human Stain
It was in the summer of 1998 that my neighbor Coleman Silk - who, before retiring two years earlier, had been a classics professor at nearby Athena College for some twenty-odd years as well as serving for sixteen more as the dean of the faculty - confided to me that, at the age of seventy-one, he was having an affair with a thirty-four-year-old cleaning woman who worked down at the college.
New Stuff: William T. Vollmann
I must admit I came across this author's name only recently (in the New York Times) and was so intrigued that I ordered this latest work and another book, Poor People, hopefully to arrive soon.
Liberty Stands Still (2002)
The wife of a gun manufacturer is held hostage by a man seeking revenge for the death of his daughter in a high school shooting incident.
Suspenseful, but a bit illogical and naively preachy thriller.
Friday, May 14, 2010
William S. Burroughs: The Cat Inside
I remember the one time I ever slaaped Ruski attacking one of the kittens. The way he looked at me, the shock and hurt, was identical to the look I got from my amigo Kiki. I was sleepy and petulant. He came in and started pushing at me, and finally I slapped him. In both cases I had to make amends. Ruski disappeared but I knew where ge was. I went out to the barn and found him and brought him back. Kiki sat there with a tear in the corner of his eye. I apologized and finally he came around.
The Men Who Stare at Goats (2009)
A reporter in Iraq might just have the story of a lifetime when he meets a guy who claims to be a former member of the U.S. Army's New Earth Army, a unit that employs paranormal powers in their missions.
Ambitious absurd comedy which never really takes off and remains unfunny in most parts.
From my vaults: Vladimir Arsovski
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Thursday, May 13, 2010
William S. Burroughs: The Cat Inside
A Nazi initiation into the upper reaches of the SS was to gouge out the eye of a pet cat after feeding the cat and cuddling it for a month. This exercise was designed to eliminate all traces of pity-poison and mold a full Übermensch. There is a very sound magical postulate involved: the practitioner acieves superhuman status by performing some atrocious, revolting, subhuman act. In Morocco, magic men gain power by eating their own excrement.
But dig out Ruski's eyes? Stack bribes to the radioactive sky. What does it profit a man? I could not occupy a body that could dig out Ruski's eyes. So who gained the whole world? I din't. Any bargain involving exchange of qualitative values like animal love for quantative advantage is not only dishonorable, as wrong as a man can get, it is also foolish. Because you get nothing. You have sold your you.
"Well, how does a beautiful young red-haired body grab you?" Yes, He will always find a sucker like Faust, to sell his soul for a strap-on. You want adolescent sex, you have to pay for it in adolscent fear, shame, confusion. In order to enjoy something you have to be there. You can't just sweep in for dessert, dearie.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
First Lines: A.A. Milne - Winnie-the-Pooh
Here is Edward Bear, coming downstairs now, bump, bump, bump, on the back of his head, behind Christopher Robin.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
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