This week at CCLaP, I review “Happy Talk” by Richard Melo, a novel set in 1950s Haiti about gun-toting student nurses, Baron Samedi, and UNESCO filmmakers. Continue reading CCLaP Fridays: Happy Talk, by Richard Melo
Today at CCLaP, Karl Wolff reviews “Escape From Paris,” a romantic suspense novel about the early years of the Second World War and two sisters’ battle to save downed British pilots from Nazi menace. Continue reading CCLaP Fridays: Escape From Paris, by Carolyn Hart
This week at the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography, I review Our Lady of the Flowers, by Jean Genet, about a drag queen hanging around with criminals and murderers in pre-World War 2 Paris, along with being a classic of the Western Canon. Continue reading The NSFW Files: Our Lady of the Flowers, by Jean Genet
This week at CCLaP, I review the Conduct of Saints, by Christopher Davis, a historical novel set in the immediate aftermath of postwar Italy involving a self-tortured hero reminiscent of Graham Greene’s novels. Continue reading CCLaP Fridays: The Conduct of Saints, by Christopher Davis
Today’s book review: Dennis Lehane and others edit “Boston Noir 2: the Classics,” bringing together a collection of Boston’s dark side, ranging from hard-boiled whodunits, out of print classics, and an excerpt from “Infinite Jest.” Says reviewer Karl Wolff: “For those unfamiliar with Greater Boston and its literary heritage, [this book] is a great place to start.” Continue reading CCLaP Fridays: Boston Noir 2: the Classics, edited by Dennis Lehane, Mary Cotton, and Jaime Clarke
My recent interview with author Joao Cerqueira has been translated in Italian for the arts website Fucinemute. Continue reading Joao Cerqueira interview … in Italian!
I. Burial of the Dead April is the cruelest month, breeding Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing Memory and desire, stirring Dull roots with spring rain. Winter kept us warm, covering Earth in forgetful snow, feeding A little life with dried tubers. Summer surprised us, coming over the Starnbergersee With a shower of rain; we stopped in the colonnade, And went on in sunlight, into the Hofgarden, And drank coffee, and talked for an hour. Bin gar keine Russin, stamm’ aus Litauen, echt deutsch. And when we were children, staying at the archduke’s, My cousin’s, he took me out … Continue reading Commonplace Book: April is the cruelest month …
The Tragedy of Fidel Castro by João Cerqueira can be read as alternate history, political fable, or dark comedy. The novel finds JFK and Castro in a fatal battle. Continue reading Translation Tuesday: The Tragedy of Fidel Castro, by João Cerqueira
Today in CCLaP’s essay series on subversive erotic classics, “The NSFW Files,” Karl Wolff looks at Petronius’s first-century AD ribald romp through the Roman Empire, “The Satyricon.” Continue reading The NSFW Files: The Satyricon by Petronius
In this installment of Mondays with the Supremes, we look ideological purity, the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Justice Clarence Thomas. Continue reading Mondays with the Supremes: Part VII: The Ideological Litmus Test
The Driftless Area Review 