Category: Books
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Ulysses and Crossing the Bar on Tennyson’s birthday
Today is the birthday of Lord Alfred Tennyson (August 6, 1809 – October 6,1892). He’s one of the most popular poets in the English language, and was one of the last poets to sell as many books as a novelist. At his peak, he was one of the most famous…
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A love poem with shades of Donne
I read this love poem a few days ago on The Writer’s Almanac run by Garrison Keillor and it reminded me of John Donne. It is witty and playful like Donne’s love poems.
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To a Skylark on Shelley’s birthday
Today is the birthday of Percy Bysshe Shelley (August 4, 1792 – July 8, 1822) — and Barack Obama as well. He turns 51 today. I have always loved Keats and the older I grow the more I like Wordsworth. Much of Shelley, however, goes clean over my head. I…
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Gore Vidal remembered
Truman Capote once said of Gore Vidal: “I’m always sad about Gore – very sad that he has to breathe every day.” No more. Gore Vidal is dead, at the age of 86. There goes another literary lion. An acerbic literary lion, by most accounts. “I’m exactly as I appear,”…
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Shakespeare’s birthday and St George’s Day
Google.co.uk is running this image’s day. It’s St George’s Day — and traditionally celebrated as Shakespeare’s birthday, too. The Writer’s Almanac reminds us why it’s celebrated as Shakespeare’s birthday: Today we celebrate the birthday of William Shakespeare, born in Stratford-upon-Avon, England (1564 -1616). We don’t know his birthday for sure,…
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Reading The Road Not Taken on Robert Frost’s birthday
Today is the birthday of two poets, Robert Frost (March 26, 1874 – January 29, 1963) and A.E. Houseman (March 26, 1859 – April 30, 1936), and the playwright, Tennessee Williams (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983). Here are three poems by Frost.
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Checking Portnoy’s Complaint on Philip Roth’s birthday
Yesterday was John Updike’s birthday and today is Philip Roth’s. Updike (March 18, 1932 – January 27, 2009) was exactly a year older than Roth (born on March 19, 1933). Updike was born in Reading, Pennsylvania, Roth in Newark, New Jersey. Updike is one of my favourite writers. I read…
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Remembering Updike on his birthday
Has anyone written better than John Updike (March 18, 1932 – January 27, 2009)? Today is his birthday. He was a wonderful writer to the end of his days. I loved The Widows of Eastwick .He could make even adultery lyrical, as in Marry Me . And here is the…
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Reading William Gibson on his birthday
I just read on The Writer’s Almanac that today is the birthday of William Gibson (born on March 17,1948). No mention of that on his @GreatDismal Twitter account. His new book, Distrust that Particular Flavour, takes its title from the essay, Time Machine Cuba, contained in the book. Click on…
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Remembering Jack Kerouac on his birthday
Today is the birthday of Jack Kerouac, Edward Albee and Carl Hiaasen, according to the Writer’s Almanac. Three writers born on the same day! Albee is, of course, best remembered for Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Which starred Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor. Hiaasen is a bestseller. Kerouac (March 12,…
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