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Coming Soon – Review of MORTE D’URBAN

Posted on March 13th, 2010

After I made several earlier attempts in past years (false-starts) to read J. F. Powers’ MORTE D’URBAN (when, for reasons not related to the quality of the book, I had to set it aside without finishing it), I am now well on my way into reading and finishing what I am beginning to regard as one of the most intriguing and important novels of the 20th century.

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Stephen King Talks About Short Stories

Posted on March 8th, 2010


Some people enjoy reading short stories, and some people–for a variety of reasons–avoid them. What about you? Why?


Before answering, consider the following:

Go to the link listed below, and view the brief video and hear prolific writer Stephen King talk about why people tend not to read short stories any more:

http://www.simonandschuster.com/multimedia?video=27791775001
POSTSCRIPT:
My rapidly shrinking attention span (which perhaps has something to do with aging) makes me a devoted reader of short stories, and novels often require more of me than my mind can lately muster.

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The FInal Five Postings

Posted on February 5th, 2010

The five postings appearing below will be the final offerings from me at NOVELS, STORIES, AND MORE.

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Revisiting Hemingway

Posted on January 28th, 2010

I have embarked on a personal challenge during the next several months: rereading and reassessing Ernest Hemingway’s novels and stories.


In that regard, I recall reading and reviewing an excellent book by Stephen Koch entitled The Breaking Point: Hemingway, Dos Passos, and the Murder of Jose Robles; my review, which I invite you to read, appeared in America Magazine, and you find it here.

Koch’s book and other works about Hemingway’s life (including Carlos Baker’s biographical treatments) put me in the uncomfortable position of admiring Hemingway’s work but disliking Hemingway, especially because of his treatment of friends, women, and family; so, each time I read his stories and novels, I become more conscious of (and more disgusted with) the author behind and beyond the pages.

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Noah’s Compass

Posted on January 19th, 2010

Noah's Compass

From the incomparable Anne Tyler, a wise, gently humorous, and deeply compassionate novel about a schoolteacher, who has been forced to retire at sixty-one, coming to terms with the final phase of his life.Liam Pennywell, who set out to be a philosopher and ended up teaching fifth grade, never much liked the job at that run-down private school, so early retirement doesn’t bother him.

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