"Man never sees things themselves, but always only their shadows", Plato once philosophized in his parable of the cave. And before Saramago's hero turns his back on the shadow on the wall of the cave and finds the exit from the cave, he must fear, doubt and hope for a long time - and the reader… Continue reading The Cave (Jose Saramago, 2000)
Category: Writers
Viet Thanh Nguyen’s The Sympathizer (2015)
Viet Thanh Nguyen's novel begins The Sympathizer with a riddle “I am a spy, a sleeper, a spook, a man with two faces”. What is he? Might we ask. The line was spoken by a double agent working for the North Vietnamese Communists as well as for the United States during and shortly after the… Continue reading Viet Thanh Nguyen’s The Sympathizer (2015)
Tales for winter nights
Reading some of Olga Tokarczuk greatest hits Polish author Olga Tokarczuk once compared her books to music videos. This analogy applies both to her collection of short stories and novels: They are self-contained, and the narratives are dense and short, so there is not even a moment of digression. The narratives vividly construct imaginative vignettes of ordinary… Continue reading Tales for winter nights
Walter Benjamin’s Breadmaking
On the versatile interests of Walter Benjamin and making a living out of writing Walter Benjamin's membership card for the Bibliothèque nationale de France (1940). While revisiting some passages in Radio Benjamin (Verso, 2014), I realized that I never once examined Walter Benjamin’s variegated interests. Specifically, how and why do his works exhibit a wide… Continue reading Walter Benjamin’s Breadmaking
North Atlantic White
A color walk piece inspired by William Burroughs. Originally written for Immanuel Iduma's class on narrative criticism. One similarity that struck me with Burroughs and a Filipino painter named Juan Luna is that they both killed their wives. In Luna it was the heat of passion and jealousy but for Burroughs it was the blur… Continue reading North Atlantic White
Maria Ressa temporarily arrested, again
Journalist Maria Ressa reports critically on the drug war of President Rodrigo Duterte. The authorities accuse her of slander as specified.The government-critical Filipino journalist Maria Ressa has been temporarily arrested six weeks after her release. "I'm being treated like a criminal, even though my only crime is to be an independent journalist," Ressa told reporters… Continue reading Maria Ressa temporarily arrested, again
The Buru Quartet (Pramoedya Ananta Toer 1980-1988)
The Buru Quartet refers to the the volumes Bumi Manusia ("This Earth of Mankind", 1980) , Anak Semua Bangsa ("Child of All Nations", 1980), Jejak Langkah ("Footsteps", 1985) and Rumah Kaca ("Glass House ", 1988). The books were banned by the regime of long time Indonesian president Suharto and his successor B.J. Habibie. The ban… Continue reading The Buru Quartet (Pramoedya Ananta Toer 1980-1988)
