history

Literal Nazis and the Retro-transing of History

 Researching Marienbad and the Savoy led me to Erika Mann and all the gossip, scandal, politics, and drama of her…

2 years ago

Ronald Blythe, Akenfield, and The Age of Illusion

I follow the art historian Richard Morris on Twitter and his tweets are a daily delight - each one providing…

2 years ago

Fizz and Filth – Kate Atkinson and Babylon London 1926

A novel by Kate Atkinson is always something to look forward to and I've just finished reading her latest -…

2 years ago

Put Out More Flags

My heart sinks down when I behold A rainbow in the street. With the end of June, in sight, I’m…

2 years ago

Four Little Girls

Carole Robertson (14), Carol Denise McNair (11), Addie Mae Collins (14), and Cynthia Wesley (14) died on September 15, 1963,…

3 years ago

The Thinking

This post is in answer to the question "Operation Pied Piper: What were they thinking?" At least in terms of…

4 years ago

Out of the London Mud Come the London Cabbages

A friend is reading Steven Johnson's The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic--and How It Changed Science,…

4 years ago

From Minty to Moses – the Extraordinary Fierce and Fearless Harriet Tubman

In September we heard Ta-Nehisi Coates in conversation with Oprah Winfrey at the Apollo in NYC. The topic was his…

5 years ago

Much Ado About Deception and Delusion: Kate Atkinson’s Transcription and London 1940

The sandwich was no comfort, it was a pale limp thing a long way from the déjeuner sur l'herbe of her…

5 years ago

The Art of Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am

Two Sundays, two documentaries and two very satisfactory movie experiences. The first was Maiden at The Moviehouse in Millerton, NY.…

5 years ago

The Pentrich Martyrs and Peterloo

I was intrigued when I discovered that I am distantly related to the last person beheaded in England. The year…

6 years ago

David Lammy and the Fraud that is Brexit

David Lammy is the Labour MP for Tottenham. He made the speech and took the stand that many of us…

6 years ago

Back to the Future in Search of Doris Bass

I'm early but the staffroom is already blue with smoke and full of strangers who know each other. A row…

6 years ago

The Golf Links

The Manumit School was an experimental Christian socialist boarding school in Pawling, NY. and later Bristol, Pennsylvania. Manumit means freedom and…

7 years ago

Ballad of the Three Spectres

In Ivor Gurney's nightmarish vision, the dead among the living bear dire warnings and mockery. Ballad of the Three Spectres…

7 years ago