Thoughts on literature, well, anything people write
The recently late Art Buchwald said something to the effect of that writing political humor meant he never ran out of ideas, he had five or six every morning (when I find that quote I’ll revise this). The even-more recently late Molly Ivins said something like she thanked the good Lord for giving her infinite […]
Earlier this century — hah! — I created a master’s thesis on how newspaper humor columns have changed. In figuring out how to tackle this, how to quantify the research to make it as solid as possible, I hit a problem: Not all humor writers are alike. Some seem to write with the intent of […]
A news release from the public relations office of the University of Arkansas, the “University Relations,” recently announced that noted writer Ellen Gilchrist, of the UA Creative Writing and Translation Program, had an essay published in last November’s Smithsonian Magazine, “Watching Water Run: My Kind of Town.” The essay is vivid; she explains why she […]
Copyright 2007 Ben S. Pollock Saturday was the 62nd Nazi Holocaust Remembrance Day, marking the anniversary of the Soviet army’s liberation of Auschwitz in 1945. The holiday was set up a long time ago by the United Nations. It’s not a sis-boom-bah holiday of course; if compassionate Americans note it at all, it’s like Flag […]
In slightly expanded context, from Ring Lardner: “Are you lost daddy I arsked tenderly. “Shut up he explained.” It seemed reasonable to wait for the blogs to calm, and then some. It took nearly two weeks, an eternity on the Ether. The topic is what was meant by the Tuesday offering of Los Angeles Times […]
Just to be self-referential, to refer to something I’ve published elsewhere, here is my review of the new biography of iconoclast commentator I.F. Stone. (No, not self-reverential.) Reading other reviews is very interesting. Essentially all the majors come in already liking or hating Stone, and that colors their write-ups. At least one is a fan […]