Portrait of the Artist as a Kid

 In his new school James excelled at lessons and won prizes for the best English compositions. The money helped to buy clothes and food for the needy family and even allowed for little trips to…

Today’s One-Liner (#187)

I go to encounter for the millionth time the reality of experience and to forge in the smithy of my soul the uncreated conscience of my race. Stephen Dedalus, in James Joyce, A Portrait of…

Today’s One-Liner (#141)

Marginalia are the immediate indices of the reader’s response to the text, of the dialogue between the book and himself. –George Steiner, “The Uncommon Reader” Susan Sontag, with Joyce’s Finnegans Wake

Appreciating Jack Appreciating

Jack Kerouac, Selected Letters: 1940-1956, v. 1 As I’m convinced of the the utility of “pulling”* from my reading, I found the following gems in some of Kerouac’s letters up till  he had to deal…

Our Father

In the constellation of geniuses, he is a blinding light and father of us all. (I exclude Shakespeare because for Shakespeare no human epithet is enough.)… I think Ulysses is the most diverting, brilliant, intricate,…

Querida Aryanna

At last After thousands of lectures Tens of thousands of test questions Innumerable essays, interviews, rotations You’re now an M.D. And in the first week of your residency!