Browsing Archive: April, 2011
Posted by Roger Boylan on Friday, April 29, 2011,
According to research done at the University of Leicester, the Danes, Swiss, and Austrians are, more than anybody else. Having spent time in all three of those countries, I'm not surprised; if I lived there as a citizen, I'd be happy, too. The U.S. comes in at No. 22, which still makes us happier than the French or the Italians, denizens of glorious countries not known for their optimism and high spirits. (Having gone through 2000 years of history and all that.) Continue reading ...
Posted by Roger Boylan on Saturday, April 23, 2011,
Born April 23; by an odd coincidence, died April 23, 52 years later. Still the greatest glory of the English language, however much of his work may be obscure or awkward or bizarre; none has ever equalled him. Age cannot wither him, nor custom stale his infinite variety. Happy 447th, Will. Continue reading ...
Posted by Roger Boylan on Monday, April 18, 2011,
Having recently been engaged in writing an article on Flann O'Brien on the occasion of the centenary of his birth, I looked into his novels for choice quotes and, as always--it's happened before--I was drawn in utterly and found myself rereading all five, and rereading The Third Policeman twice. The last time I was struck by the high art of his parody and the fanciful gorgeousness of his physical descriptions, as here, from the latter misterpiece:
"I looked carefully around me. Brown bogs and ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Roger Boylan on Friday, April 15, 2011,
Inspiring--or do I mean depressing?--excerpts from the published work of selected dictators, from an article by Suzanne Merkelson in Foreign Policy: "Qaddafi rages against urban decay and Islamic fundamentalism"; "Saddam's literary prowess is shadowed by his stilted prose, a fondness for profanity, and blatant attempts to use his political enemies as the central villains of his stories"; "Kim Jong Il's books are written primarily to be showpieces for the regime, for display in libraries and m... Continue reading ...
Posted by Roger Boylan on Monday, April 11, 2011,
Fifty years ago, the trial of Adolf Eichmann started, in Israel, ending with his execution a year later for crimes against humanity. Hannah Arendt, covering the event for The New Yorker, coined her so-famous expression "the banality of evil" to describe Eichmann's mannerisms and appearance and the shallowness of his opinions and view of life. I've always thought it an entirely accurate description, not only of Eichmann, but of an entire class of people: the lower-level assistant managers, the... Continue reading ...
Posted by Roger Boylan on Wednesday, April 6, 2011,
Long ago, when I lived just down the road from here, I was confident in my thundering ignorance that someday I'd have a house--a villa or chalet--overlooking Lake Geneva. The sunlit shimmer of the lake's waters would illuminate the ceiling of my study in the morning as I worked industriously at the huge autobiography my publishers and fans had been pressing me to write. Grandchildren frolic outside. Wife takes her ease on the balcony. From across the water peals the bell of a church hidden in... Continue reading ...
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