First Lines: Michael Herr - Dispatches

There was a map of Vietnam on the wall of my apartment in Saigon and some nights, coming back late to the city, I'd lie out on my bed and look at it, too tired to do anything more than just get my boots off.

First Lines: Susan Sontag - Against Interpretation

The earliest experience of art must have been that it was incantatory, magical; art was an instrument of ritual.

First Lines: Joan Didion - Slouching Towards Bethlehem

This is a story about love and death in the golden land, and begins with the country.

From my library: Frieda Grafe - Filmtips

The BFI webpage "A pantheon of one’s own: 25 female film critics worth celebrating" (marking International Women's Day) doesn't mention Frieda Grafe, who, besides Lotte Eisner, was one of Germany's most important film critics. In the 70s and 80s I'd regularly read her reviews in the legendary film periodical Filmkritik and in the newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung, but it was especially her book on Fritz Lang that has always been my essential companion to this director's movies. This volume collects her short movie recommendations that were published in the Süddeutsche Zeitung. Looking her up for this entry I just found out that there now is 12-volume collection of her complete writings.

From my library: Pauline Kael - Deeper Into Movies

Pauline Kael was the first film critic I got a notion for in my teens, and I started to collect all her books, mostly collections of her reviews from The New Yorker. You didn't always have to agree with her opinions, but her reviews were usually very long and extensive insights into the movies and it was simply a joy to join her on those journeys. Along the way she lead me to cherish The New Yorker, and I've always tried to purchase a copy, if I got my hands on one, which was extremely seldom here in Germany.

From my vaults: Robin Day

Bio:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_Day

From my vaults: Dorothy Day

Bio:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothy_Day

From my vaults: Walter Cronkite

Bio:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Cronkite

From my vaults: Judith Crist

Bio:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judith_Crist

From my vaults: Alastair Cooke

Bio:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alistair_Cooke

From my vaults: John Chancellor

Bio:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Chancellor

From my vaults: Herb Caen

Bio:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herb_Caen

From my vaults: Dr. Joyce Brothers

Bio:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joyce_Brothers

From my vaults: Arthur Brisbane

Bio:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Brisbane

From my vaults: Jimmy Breslin

Bio:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Breslin

From my vaults: Carl Bernstein

Bio:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Bernstein

From my vaults: Lester Bangs

Bio:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lester_Bangs

From my vaults: Joseph Alsop

(ph: Francis Miller)

Bio:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Alsop