Kurt Vonnegut: “A Man Without a Country”
Vonnegut’s sardonic charm and open-handed critical wit are turned all the way up in this brief collection of short essays and observations, personal curiosities and writing advice. Worth the stay!
Edith Wharton: “Summer”
Wharton’s hotter take on Ethan Frome is also far more nuanced, with a resolution worthy of much debate.
William Covino: “Magic, Rhetoric, and Literacy”
Covino’s thoughtful overview of the history of rhetoric does more than merely parallel empiricism’s relationship with magical thinking; it reveals blind spots in the awareness of each.
Aleksandar Hemon: “The Lazarus Effect”
Hemon’s tight crafting of sentence and omissions is a slow burn opening into history, politics, and identity, obscure and satisfying.
Camille Paglia: “Glittering Images”
Informative, brief, and too-safe book by the otherwise witty and insightful Paglia. Did I expect too much?
Joseph Campbell: “Sake & Satori”
Campbell’s sometimes quaint, sometimes uncomfortable musings on his daily travels across East Asia is definitely for fans: it lacks any substantive looks at his own life or the mythological thinking he will develop later. But great for some formative insights!
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