There are times when I read what passes for intelligent discourse in this country – be it academic, political, news media, literary, what-have-you – and can only scratch my head. This seems to be a particular issue with our so-called elites. I was reminded this week that it’s not the first time in American history when the people at the top of American society seemingly lost their minds, It happened 100 years ago, when American (and Canadian) elites embraced eugenics. It wasn’t only Margaret Sanger and Planned Parenthood, and it wasn’t only Nazi Germany.
Writer Michael Katz has just published a new translation of The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky. And he notes there is a particular challenge in translating this author (Katz previously published a translation of Crime and Punishment). Dostoevsky likes his characters to mumble.
Between 2010 and 2019, one of every seven crime novels was authored or co-authored by one writer – James Patterson. He talks with Rick Pullen at CrimeReads about the experience of publishing his first book – with 31 rejections before Little, Brown and Company bought it.
Back in the 1960s and 1970s, it was Greenpeace and “Save the Whales”! Today, it’s climate change and “Too Bad about the Whales.” The research is coming in on wind turbines off New England’s shores and the impact on whales – and the story isn’t a good one. But don’t talk about it on Facebook, or you might get censored.
Can you name a song that rocketed to the top of the charts almost as soon it was released? Two weeks ago, no one had heard of Oliver Anthony. Then came “Rich Men North of Richmond,” which in nine days has had more than 21 million views on YouTube. Rob Smith at The Gospel Coalition explains what happened – and why.
Writing and Literature
Learning to Listen: On writing a biography of St. Augustine – Peter Brown at The Lamp.
Why is YA no longer booming? – Janet Reid, Literary Agent.
CS Lewis on Reading Dead Guys – Nathan Eshelman at Gentle Reformation.
Writers Who Make You Furiously Jealous Are Your Best Mentors – Ann Kroeker, Writing Coach.
New Generative AI Tool Simulates the Worst Imaginable Speechwriter, Working for the Jerkiest Imaginable Client (in This Case, Me) – David Murray at Writing Boots.
Ukraine
Why Ukraine’s counteroffensive hasn’t failed – Philip O’Brien at The Spectator.
Life and Culture
The Cultured Hedonist: An Essay – Joseph Salemi at Society of Classical Poets.
A Tale of Two Houses – David Davis at The Imaginative Conservative.
The Delusion of Scientific Omniscience – John Horgan, The Science Writer.
Why Bill Watterson Vanished – Nic Rowan at The American Spectator.
News Media
The Assange case is about much more than Assange himself – Ricky at Council Estate Media.
When journalists self-censor – Phil Craig at The Critic Magazine.
Poetry
After the Ballet – Christian Wiman at Kingdom Poets (D.S. Martin).
Dog days – poem by Kathleen at The Course of Our Seasons.
Faith
What We Know about the People behind the Dead Sea Scrolls – Anthony Ferguson at Text and Canon Institute.
American Stuff
A Bluegrass Sojourn to Lexington Cemetery – Derek Maxfield at Emerging Civil War.
You’ve Already Won – Shane & Shane
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