A series dedicated to literature in translation whether classic or contemporary. Originally published in Czech as Osudy dobrého vojáka Švejka za světové války (1921 – 1923). Translated from the Czech by Cecil Parrott. Original illustrations by Josef Lada Published by … Continue reading Translation Tuesdays: The Good Soldier Švejk, by Jaroslav Hašek
Pop culture, politics, science fiction, and everyday surrealism combine into tiny literary confections. Continue reading Espresso Shots: Roses are Red, Violets are stealing loose change from my pockets while I sleep, by David S. Atkinson
The Freaks of Mayfair offers pleasant distraction with humane portraits of freaks, faddists, climbers, and fakers. Continue reading Forgotten Classics: The Freaks of Mayfair (1916) by E.F. Benson
Beckett exists in a kind of Irish Modernist Mount Rushmore beside other iconic writers like Oscar Wilde, William Butler Yeats, and James Joyce. Continue reading Translation Tuesdays: Samuel Beckett: The Complete Short Prose, 1929 – 1989, edited and with an Introduction and Notes by S. E. Gontarski
“Denver Noir is a fascinating exploration of this sunny city’s dark side.” Continue reading Denver Noir, by Cynthia Swanson @ nyjb
A series dedicated to literature in translation whether classic or contemporary. Originally published in 1945 as Na Drini Ĉuprija Translated from the Serbo-Croat by Lovett F. Edwards A Signet Classic from 1967 Yugoslavian literature, much like the nation forged in … Continue reading Translation Tuesdays: The Bridge on the Drina, by Ivo Adrić
“With every minute you change a mind,
And call him noble that was now your hate,
Him vile that was your garland.” Continue reading Commonplace Book: Coriolanus and the mob
Jack Burton: I don’t get this at all. I thought Lo Pan— David Lo Pan: Shut up, Mr. Burton! You were not brought upon this world to “get it!” Big Trouble in Little China (John Carpenter, 1986) Earlier in my life, I read Dubliners, Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, and Ulysses, all by James Joyce. This year I decided to read Finnegans Wake, a novel notorious for its inaccessibility. Like The Cantos by Ezra Pound, it is a text many know, few read, and less understand. While the Wake is difficult, this shouldn’t be seen as a … Continue reading Critic’s Notebook: The Wake without training wheels
“Recommended reading for those looking for a more lighthearted take on a region riven by suffering and war. Voroshilovgrad is yet another example of Ukraine’s cultural uniqueness and its post-Soviet literary scene.” Continue reading Translation Tuesdays: Voroshilovgrad, by Serhiy Zhadan @ nyjb
From posh districts to dangerous back-alleys, Inhospitable is an adventure involving this life and the next. Continue reading Espresso Shots: Inhospitable, by Marshall Moore
The Driftless Area Review 