Monthly Archives: August 2009

Liberalism and Fascism

There are two different modes of ideological mystification which should in no way be confused: the liberal-democratic one and the Fascist one. The first one concerns false universality: the subject advocates freedom/equality, not being aware of implicit qualifications which, in

Liberalism and Fascism

There are two different modes of ideological mystification which should in no way be confused: the liberal-democratic one and the Fascist one. The first one concerns false universality: the subject advocates freedom/equality, not being aware of implicit qualifications which, in

kinkakuji-temple

The Death of the Father

Yukio Mishima’s The Temple of the Golden Pavilion is a novel that gives the reader remarkable insights into the convoluted realm of the human psyche. The story of a Buddhist acolyte who burned one of Japan’s historical and cultural landmarks

kinkakuji-temple

The Death of the Father

Yukio Mishima’s The Temple of the Golden Pavilion is a novel that gives the reader remarkable insights into the convoluted realm of the human psyche. The story of a Buddhist acolyte who burned one of Japan’s historical and cultural landmarks

The Tragedy of Macbeth: Shakespeare and Polanski

Historical events has often provided literary producers material for their written works. In the case of William Shakespeare’s Tragedy of Macbeth, what we have is a dramatization of 11th Century Scottish history recorded by Ralph Holinshed’s Chronicles. The story of

The Tragedy of Macbeth: Shakespeare and Polanski

Historical events has often provided literary producers material for their written works. In the case of William Shakespeare’s Tragedy of Macbeth, what we have is a dramatization of 11th Century Scottish history recorded by Ralph Holinshed’s Chronicles. The story of

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The Long Goodbye

The opening of Yury Trifonov’s The Long Goodbye[*] describes to us a place where beautiful lilac bushes used to grow two decades earlier but which have since been replaced by a grey eight-storey apartment. Thus the novella’s narrative of a

417dr0m0gml-_sx160_

The Long Goodbye

The opening of Yury Trifonov’s The Long Goodbye[*] describes to us a place where beautiful lilac bushes used to grow two decades earlier but which have since been replaced by a grey eight-storey apartment. Thus the novella’s narrative of a

Premodern Postmoderns

I was led to a list of the “61 Essential Postmodern Reads” published by the LA Times via Obooki’s Obloquy. The list includes premodern classics such as Chaucer, Tristram Shandy, and Don Quixote. Obooki’s (who also leads me to another

Premodern Postmoderns

I was led to a list of the “61 Essential Postmodern Reads” published by the LA Times via Obooki’s Obloquy. The list includes premodern classics such as Chaucer, Tristram Shandy, and Don Quixote. Obooki’s (who also leads me to another

Circumcision, Text Messaging, the Guillotine and Photography

In one of my classes, our professor pointed out a structural parallelism between the traditional practice of male circumcision and text messaging using cellphones.

Circumcision, Text Messaging, the Guillotine and Photography

In one of my classes, our professor pointed out a structural parallelism between the traditional practice of male circumcision and text messaging using cellphones.

1Q84: Murakami’s New Novel

Haruki Murakami is very popular among young people these days.[1] So it is no surprise that I’ve known of Murakami’s new novel, 1Q84, for some time already. It is now available in Japan. Unfortunately, a translation in English has yet

1Q84: Murakami’s New Novel

Haruki Murakami is very popular among young people these days.[1] So it is no surprise that I’ve known of Murakami’s new novel, 1Q84, for some time already. It is now available in Japan. Unfortunately, a translation in English has yet

The Book as Art

A semi-recent piece from The Hindu Literary Review looks at the book beyond its literary content and illustrations. It looks at the form and poetics of book art, an art that involves “all aspects of the physical book: bookbinding, typography,

The Book as Art

A semi-recent piece from The Hindu Literary Review looks at the book beyond its literary content and illustrations. It looks at the form and poetics of book art, an art that involves “all aspects of the physical book: bookbinding, typography,