Daily Archives: June 6, 2012

“The Lost Books of the Odyssey” by Zachary Mason

Posted on June 6, 2012 by Houyhnhnm

One of the best books I have read. 44 short (some very short) stories on the theme of Odysseus and his return from Troy. Poetic, mysterious, playful, jumping around in time, each one, for lovers of Homer, a pre-sleep daily … Continue reading →

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“My Week With Marilyn” or “quorum pars parva fui…”

Posted on June 6, 2012 by Houyhnhnm

A strangely unthinking film: Colin Clark’s diaries, the basis of the story, are used too straight: too often we hear a bon mot from a Great One (it may be Larry, it may be Sybil Thorndike), overheard at the door … Continue reading →

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Have we missed something?

Posted on June 6, 2012 by Houyhnhnm

Marx’s revolution? The proletariat are gliding through glass malls, tapping wirelessly-connected little glass screens. Workers swarm over stately homes, supping National Trust tea, while the rump of an aristocracy skulk in the cottage on the edge of the estate. Orwell’s … Continue reading →

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The Empty Church

Posted on June 6, 2012 by Houyhnhnm

Church has been likened to sport, concerts, or anywhere else where people gather, face the same direction, and share the same experience. But what’s the difference about church? It’s that at football people watch the football, and at a concert … Continue reading →

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“The Truth about Lorin Jones” by Alison Lurie

Posted on June 6, 2012 by Houyhnhnm

A deft novel about each other and ourselves, about the conflicting stories we hear and tell about us, about prejudice and, more profoundly, the logical unknowability of a person, even ourselves. Lurie’s characters’ names give this away: the heroine – … Continue reading →

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Hendiadys

Posted on June 6, 2012 by Houyhnhnm

For years (well, on and off) I’ve wondered what the point of hendiadys is. It’s an obscure term (which, btw, my iPad wants to correct to ‘he daddy’s’) meaning ‘one through two’, i.e. saying one complex idea as if it … Continue reading →

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“Ed King” by David Guterson

Posted on June 6, 2012 by Houyhnhnm

A fantastic book in its own right – i.e. judged as a novel, not an updating of Sophocles’ Oedipus the King. Guterson has an easy, just-self-conscious style – you know you’re being told a story, but he doesn’t intrude – … Continue reading →

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