V.S. Naipaul’s Defense of Civilization
As a public figure, V.S. Naipaul is often outrageous, but his 30+ books speak eloquently in defense of civilization.
Colson Whitehead
Colton Whitehead's new novel The Underground Railroad, and how he researches his books.
The Linguistics of Other People’s Pants (and Other Dishonorific Epithets)
The linguistics behind "dishonorifics." In this kind of naming construction, clearly honorifics are added in an ironic, tongue-in-cheek way.
Russia, China, and Patty Hearst
News books from Han Han, Jeffrey Tobin, Lara Vapnyar, and more with related links to JSTOR.
Why Was Turkish Delight C.S. Lewis’s Guilty Pleasure?
Austerity during WWII was hardly the time for pounds of exotic candy. Yet The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe prominently features Turkish delight.
The Olympics, Dave Eggers, and Your Idiot Brain
Our Friday Reads are these five new books out this week, and links to related content you won’t find anywhere else.
What Sir Walter Scott’s Historical Fiction Reveals About the Brexit
A scholar locates early European Unionism in the works of Sir Walter Scott. How would Scott have voted in the Brexit referendum?
The Monstrous Words Lurking in Your Language
“You have hissed all my mystery lectures. I saw you fight a liar in the back quad; in ...
New International Books
Five new books out this week, and links to related content you won’t find anywhere else.
Joy Williams, Tennessee Williams, and More
Five new books out this week, and links to related content you won’t find anywhere else. Prose master ...