Book, Authors, Entertainment, More
Because so many of the truths in our lives are hidden, denied or twisted in disguise, it’s nice to have the occasion to state a truth that is unanimously agreed upon. If you dislike the central concept of a book, it is…
Graphic novels, or in this case graphic biographies, are a new world to me. I’ve always looked at the arts rather like a primary school gym teacher: words over here, pictures over there, no talking in lines! PWEET! But then again, as…
Virtually every novel you’ve ever read is a historical novel. The only exceptions I can think of are speculative or future-set science fiction, or romping through the woods and fields with anthropomorphic animals (and even then, there’s Animal Farm). Dickens and Defoe,…
The great nations of the world, the ones whose internal or external intrigues are guaranteed global headlines, all seem to have a neighbor that serves the role of awkward younger sibling. I’ve lived in two of them. Believe me, I get tired…
Whether they consciously realize it or not, all the works of great novelists are testament to Sigmund Freud’s model of the mind. Hacks have it easy – apply some sparkly phrases to formula, stir, bake and sell. There’s nothing wrong at all…
It wasn’t until I finished reading The Parcel (Knopf Canada) and then, having rolled a cigarette to recover from this harrowing yet strangely heroic journey through Bombay’s prostitution district of Kamathipura, that I realized I had reviewed Anosh Irani’s work before. That…
There is a phrase I have used many times that is usually met with a shocked expression. It is this: The universal voting franchise was a terrible idea. “You can’t possibly mean that,” is the helpful response from people who evidently know…
While indeed elections are contests, their likening to a violent athletic contest makes as much sense as their likening to a beauty contest. In both types of contests, there is a winner, yet the media rely on metaphors that invite notions that…
Reviewed by Hubert O’ Hearn (This is the first of a series of reviews and author interviews examining the current state of US politics.) Let me put it to you this way: We want our governments to decide like Vulcans, yet we…
by Hubert O’Hearn Let’s imagine a scene together. You’ve received an invitation to a swank literary event, one of those champagne and piano evenings where the conversation is all dry wit and sincere chuckling; hands are kissed, cuffs are linked, and may…