Tag Archives: writers

“On The Ground Again”

Abbie is back from San Antonio’s American Academy of Religion meetings, at which she talked to publishers’ representatives about her just-completed-book, Confessions of a Young Philosopher.  She found the presenting of it in “brief but compelling style” more stressful but also … Continue reading

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“The Completed ‘Confessions of a Young Philosopher'”

“The Completed ‘Confessions of a Young Philosopher’” Last Sunday, I finished a life work. I mean, finished it to my satisfaction. It’s done – as I always hoped it could be. Some years back, I had published an earlier version … Continue reading

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Final Proofs

Final Proofs This week, amid a flurry of barely-caught typos, fonts of the wrong shade and misplaced style cues, Jerry, I, and his priceless crew of teammates finished going over the final set of proofs that go to the printer. … Continue reading

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“The Well of Time”

“The Well of Time” “Very deep is the well of the past.” So, in Joseph and His Brothers, Thomas Mann begins his monumental recreation of the Biblical Book of Genesis. In early adolescence, Mann’s Joseph was my favorite book, together … Continue reading

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“What the Fortune Cookie Said”

“What the Fortune Cookie Said” In the last few weeks, whenever we’ve brought home supper from the Chinese take-out place, and opened the fortune cookie, mine has been deplorable. Things like, “When climbing the hill of difficulty, don’t slip and … Continue reading

Posted in "Absolute Freedom and Terror", Absurdism, Academe, Action, Alienation, Anthropology, Art, Art of Living, Autonomy, Chivalry, Cities, Class, Contemplation, Contradictions, Cool, Courage, Culture, Desire, dialectic, Erotic Life, Ethics, Evil, Existentialism, Faith, Fashion, Femininity, Feminism, Freedom, Friendship, Gender Balance, Guilt and Innocence, Health, Hegel, Heroes, hidden God, History, history of ideas, Idealism, Ideality, Identity, Ideology, Idolatry, Institutional Power, Legal Responsibility, life and death struggle, Literature, Love, Male Power, Martyrdom, Masculinity, master, Memoir, Mind Control, Modernism, Past and Future, Philosophy, Political, Political Movements, Power, Propaganda, Psychology, Public Intellectual, Reductionism, relationships, Religion, Roles, Seduction, Sex Appeal, Social Conventions, Sociobiology, Spirituality, Suffering, Terror, The Examined Life, The Problematic of Men, The Problematic of Woman, Time, twentieth century, twenty-first century, Work, Writing, Zeitgeist | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

“Jews and Christmas”

“Jews and Christmas” Lord! What a topic! No, please no. Years ago, I attended an interfaith discussion group peopled mostly by clergy, Jewish and Christian, also theologians and philosophers – all “religionists” as they are sometimes called today. It was … Continue reading

Posted in "Absolute Freedom and Terror", Absurdism, Action, Alienation, Anthropology, Art, Autonomy, Christianity, Contradictions, Courage, Culture, Desire, dialectic, Erotic Life, Eternity, Ethics, Evil, Faith, Fashion, Films, Freedom, Friendship, Guilt and Innocence, Heroes, History, history of ideas, Identity, Ideology, Idolatry, Immortality, Institutional Power, Jews, Law, Legal Responsibility, life and death struggle, Love, Martyrdom, master, Medieval, Messianic Age, Mind Control, Mortality, Mysticism, Past and Future, Peace, Philosophy, Political, Political Movements, Power, Psychology, Public Intellectual, relationships, Religion, Roles, Seduction, Sex Appeal, Sexuality, slave, Social Conventions, Sociobiology, Spirituality, Suffering, Terror, The Examined Life, The Problematic of Men, The Problematic of Woman, Theism, Theology, Time, twentieth century, twenty-first century, Utopia, Violence, War, Zeitgeist | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

“Meta-Narratives”

“Meta-Narratives”  There is a French post-modern philosopher who writes, “I define postmodern as incredulity toward metanarratives.” By that is meant, there is no large story – no history of humanity as such – into which our private stories, the novellas … Continue reading

Posted in "Absolute Freedom and Terror", Absurdism, Academe, Action, Alienation, Anthropology, Art, Autonomy, Cities, Class, Contemplation, Contradictions, Cool, Culture, Desire, dialectic, Erotic Life, Ethics, Evil, Existentialism, Faith, Fashion, Femininity, Feminism, Freedom, Gender Balance, Guilt and Innocence, Health, Heroes, History, history of ideas, Identity, Ideology, Idolatry, Institutional Power, Jews, Legal Responsibility, life and death struggle, Literature, Love, Male Power, Masculinity, master, Memoir, Mind Control, Modernism, nineteenth-century, Phenomenology of Mind, Philosophy, Poetry, Political, Political Movements, Power, Psychology, Public Intellectual, Race, Reductionism, relationships, Religion, Roles, Seduction, Sex Appeal, slave, Social Conventions, Sociobiology, Spirituality, Suffering, Terror, The Examined Life, The Problematic of Men, The Problematic of Woman, Theism, Time, twentieth century, twenty-first century, Utopia, Violence, War, Work, Writing, Zeitgeist | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

“Unhappiness”

“Unhappiness” Now there’s a rich topic! It seems easier to do (achieve) than happiness, or at least easier to write about. The New York Times Book Review — where you have a weekly roundup of what the people who read, … Continue reading

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“Agent”

“Agent” I may have a literary agent. At least, it’s suddenly a possibility. What happened was this. Every Friday I repair to a genuinely French café in a nearby town where I review the last six days and pull it … Continue reading

Posted in Action, Alienation, Art, Autonomy, Cities, Class, Contemplation, Contradictions, Cool, Courtship, Culture, Desire, dialectic, Erotic Life, Existentialism, Faith, Fashion, Femininity, Feminism, Freedom, Friendship, Gender Balance, Guilt and Innocence, History, history of ideas, Identity, Institutional Power, Literature, Love, Memoir, Philosophy, Poetry, Power, Psychology, relationships, Roles, Seduction, Sex Appeal, Social Conventions, Spirituality, Suffering, Terror, The Examined Life, The Problematic of Woman, Theism, Time, Work, Writing, Zeitgeist | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

“Writing”

“Writing” I grew up among people whose most-oft-voiced concern was whether they would get their book, or next book, written. Without the book, the life-worth dwindled down to a small pile of ash, as my child’s mind pictured it. It … Continue reading

Posted in Academe, Culture, Evil, history of ideas, Literature, Memoir, Philosophy, Power, Psychology, relationships, Spirituality, The Examined Life, Theism, Work, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments