I interviewed Arthur J. Magida, author of the Nazi Seance, about a Jewish clairvoyant active in Nazi Germany. We discuss serendipity, critical reading, and sensationalism in the media. Continue reading The Arthur J. Magida Interview
A general update on the business of the Driftless Area Review blog. Continue reading Driftless Area Review Metapost
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
Drugs are bad. Over at CCLaP, I review The Heroin Chronicles, edited by Jerry Stahl. Continue reading CCLaP Fridays: The Heroin Chronicles, edited by Jerry Stahl
Today at CCLaP, Karl Wolff reviews “Keeping Bedlam at Bay in the Prague Cafe,” by M. Henderson Ellis, a comedic ride through post-communist Prague with John Shirting in his quest to set up a coffee franchise. Says Karl, “Like some madcap mashup of ‘Confederacy of Dunces’ and ‘The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret.'” Continue reading CCLaP Fridays: Keeping Bedlam at Bay in the Prague Cafe, by M. Henderson Ellis
Recently I reviewed Seth Kaufman’s “reality TV novel” The King of Pain over on CCLaP. We discuss literature, TV, reading, and The Jersey Shore’s responsibility for the cultural apocalypse. Continue reading An Interview with Seth Kaufman
Karl Wolff begins 2013 reviewing Seth Kaufman’s novel “The King of Pain,” about a reality TV producer lodged beneath his giant home entertainment system, his predicament complicated by reading a short story collection about prisons written by someone named Seth Kaufman. Continue reading CCLaP Fridays: The King of Pain, by Seth Kaufman
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
Today at CCLaP: In his last essay for On Being Human, Karl Wolff looks at ‘The Man Who Fell to Earth,’ Nicholas Roeg’s 1976 sci-fi art-house masterpiece. Continue reading On Being Human: The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976, Nicholas Roeg)
A review of Deconstructing Organized Crime, a uncommonly readable academic text about the intersections of organized crime, terrorism, and globalization. Continue reading Reviews in Brief: Deconstructing Organized Crime: a historical and theoretical study, by Joseph L. Albini and Jeffrey Scott McIllwain
The Driftless Area Review 