A friend and I have a running disagreement. We both adore reading but we disagree on taste. To him, the act of reading is everything, what is read is immaterial. I disagree. Yes, reading is better than illiteracy, but not all written works are equal. Quality is one reason why some works disappear why others are revered and reread for centuries. This isn’t due to an edict of teachers or a ruling from t...
Biographies can be such intrusive things. Say an individual manages, through talent, work and luck, to make something good, something worth remembering. Now, that’s a difficult, desirable achievement but the is the world satisfied with it? No. When something wonderful is created, some Nosy Parker of a biographer will follow behind, trying to uncover the life and soul of the creator. On the other hand, a good biog...
It’s funny how some writers go in and out of style. Some storytellers are flaming hot properties in one decade, and out of print in the next. You never can tell who will outlast their lifetimes. Taylor Caldwell, Edna Ferber and Thomas Chastain were royalty on the mid-century best-seller list, but I doubt if they’re remembered at all today beyond Ferber’s writing the source novel for Showboat. &nbs...
Like I said last week, every civilization develops its own mythology to answer its questions and confront its fears. As the needs of the culture change, so change the heroes we worship. So, what happens to the older gods when these newer icons are developed? Do they resent being forced into retirement or do they transcend to a Sun City section of Mount Olympus where they can play endless rounds of shuffleboard and bore each other with...
Like I said last week, every civilization develops its own mythology to answer its questions and confront its fears. As the needs of the culture change, so change the heroes we worship. So, what happens to the older gods when these newer icons are developed? Do they resent being forced into retirement or do they transcend to a Sun City section of Mount Olympus where they can play endless rounds of shuffleboard and bore each other ...