Monthly Archives: May 2007

Dyspeptic. Isn’t that a good word? Means both “indigestion” and “disgruntled.” I like a word that is a multi-tasker. Barkeep! Another round of dyspepsia! And fresh horses for the men! +++++ There are none so blind…as those trying out new … Continue reading →

Here is a good list from the UK Guardian on the “Top 10 Satires.” The only one I’ve read is Catch-22 (long, long ago, in a galaxy far, far away). Coupla TBRs in here:1) Um, didn’t know Cervantes wrote stories.2) … Continue reading →

From “Diddling Considered as One of the Exact Sciences,” (a mock scientific treatise) by Edgar Allan Poe: A crow thieves; a fox cheats; a weasel outwits; a man diddles. To diddle is his destiny….Diddling, rightly considered, is a compound, of … Continue reading →

My secret thought, exposed on a public web site. This is what keeps me up at night (and far away from my keyboard): The physical act of writing a book may not be difficult, but there’s a big difference between … Continue reading →

What is wrong with modern literary novel, asks Julian Gough in the May 2007 Prospect. Even if you don’t think anything is wrong, this article delivers some interesting food for thought for readers and writers alike. His basic premise is … Continue reading →

Red-letter day: I finished the second volume of Proust’s Remembrance of Things Past. While In the Shadow of Young Girls in Flower wasn’t as satisfying overall as Swann’s Way, it did provide the patented Proust moments of awe, as well … Continue reading →

Amanda A. at The Blog Jar tagged me on this meme, but I state unequivocately that I cannot top her list! Hard to come up with much; I’m neurotic, but only in the most mundane sort of way. But here … Continue reading →

Okay, if you’re a regular reader, you know I’ve been enmeshed — er, enrossed — in Proust. As many pages as I can stand, each evening. In my previous Proust post, I pondered on how his prose struck me like … Continue reading →

Check out this interesting article from the NY Times, in which publishing bigwhigs debate about the industry and how little they know about the marketplace: …other industries…have made a point of using new technology to gain a better understanding of … Continue reading →

If reading is a drug, then Proust is the literary equivalent of an LSD trip. You read Proust, and you see writing and the world in an entirely different way. You’ve glided through the doors of perception, tuned in, experienced … Continue reading →