The Annotated Prison Writings of Oscar Wilde, ed. Nicholas Frankel
As an activist, Wilde persists as a necessary voice "from the depths" of these stark texts.
John L. Murphy
Medievalist turned humanities professor; overconfident accumulator of books & music; overcurious seeker of trivia, quadrivia, esoterica. Despite an incessant teaching load, I manage to devote free time to reading, listening, pondering big ideas while nagged by small ones. I'm at:"Blogtrotter".
On the Pleasures of Immersing One’s Self in Tolstoy and Dostoevsky in Print and Audio
With maturity, voracious readers may begin to judge which novels are worth precious time, and why. With the works of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky also available in audio and e-books , the pleasure is deepened.
Touring with the Replacements: A Roadie’s POV
The writing in Lemon Jail is at times as anarchic as a tour, occasionally bordering on incoherent.
In ‘The End of Outrage’ An Historian Peers into His Ancestral Irish Shadows
Culling local storytellers' accounts, land valuation records, field maps and more, Mac Suibhne exposes the clash between the secret society of the "Molly Maguires" in their homeland with the forces of law and order in this history of Ireland.
‘Dorothy Day: The World Will Be Saved by Beauty’ Memoir Rejects Hagiography
In Kate Hennessy, a cautious voice emerges over the pious chatter about her famous grandmother, activist Dorothy Day.
What Do We Mean When We Say America Is a Christian Nation?
Matthew Bowman provides a dutiful if rather too clinical examination of how Americans have clashed or convened as to what Christianity encompasses and how this concept alters as the nation debates itself.
Declan Kiberd Bridges the Gaps Between Ireland’s Offical Languages
After Ireland considers the changing culture, the changing identity, and a fast-changing Ireland in the varied voices and languages of its literature.
‘The Meaning of Belief’ Prefers Calm Logic to Bold Catchphrases
An atheist argues against the New Atheists by promoting an alternative reaction to religion.
Martin Luther Bio ‘A World Ablaze’ Burns with Righteous Heat
Craig Harline dramatizes the historical record, so we witness verified events as they occur. His style carries one into the considerable courtly power plays, keeping erudite ideas vivid.
‘Empire of Glass’ Reflects on Outsider Status
Solomine chooses not to delve too deeply into Chinese complexity, even as naturally she strives to express the foreignness of the encounter she has had in fact and fiction.
‘Solar Bones’ Rewards Immersion
The narrator's headlong rush and gasp recalls Samuel Beckett's put-upon protagonists.