Tag Archives: Saul Bellow

Reading Lit to Cope with Prison

In his book about reading lit in prison, Genis talks about how novels helped him understand fellow inmates and discover his own Jewishness.

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Is Sexist Lit Gaslighting Women?

A Guardian article argues that critical praise for sexist male authors valorizes patriarchal attitudes.

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A Herculean Task: Purging Old Files

I’ve spent the last couple of days going through my father’s files (and throwing most of them away). I feel like Heracles cleaning out the Augean stables, as described by Seamus Heaney.

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The President Who Loved Literature

In a remarkable interview with “The New York Times,” Barack Obama spoke about the importance of literature in his life. The range of his reading and the sensitivity of his responses is astounding.

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Roger Ebert’s Kinship with Whitman

In reflecting on death and dying, Roger Ebert turned to literature rather than to film.

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Internet Nastiness: Crying to Be Heard

There has been a lot of complaining in recent years about the lack of civility in social discourse.  The breakdown of common courtesy and mutual respect in town hall meetings, Congress, and other venues threatens (some believe) the very foundations of our society. In his article this week, Jason Blake talks about how the internet […]

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