Book News
by Lewis, July 28, 2006 11:27 AM
- One of Powell's favorite authors, Gary Shteyngart, writes of his summers in Russia as a small boy in today's New York Times. While his reminiscences are fascinating and seem so different to how many of us recall our childhood holidays, it is worth bearing in mind his opinion expressed in his interview with Dave for Powells.com:
Growing up, I always thought Russia would become more like America ? more democracy, some kind of functioning market system ? but I think America is becoming more like Russia. That's the sense I got when I was writing Absurdistan. Look, you have a country that spies on its own citizens ? it's straight out of Brezhnev.
- This has to be one of the television highlights of the week, the month, the season ? for me, anyhow: two of my favorite authors, Martin Amis and Margaret Atwood, speaking about religion on Bill Moyer's PBS program Faith and Reason. I'm picturing some sort of boxing match between Faith and Reason. I'm on Reason's side personally, although living in America you're a fool if you didn't put your money on Faith.
- Utne Reader shares its literate picks of the week and includes a nice plug for our upcoming (the month of August) Review a Day host Bitch magazine, and their divine new compendium, Bitchfest. And lookee there, an advertisement for Bill Moyer's television show! Am I living in some sort of cultural vacuum? Har Har ? what a silly question.
- Another favorite author of ours is Anthony Bourdain. Here he writes a truly tragic piece for Salon about watching Beirut burning from his hotel window. Bourdain went to Beirut to film a story about the thriving cultural capital city and, to paraphrase, he watched it die. Another round goes to Faith I guess...
I've been told that Brockman is making a good recovery, and should be back next week, perhaps on Tuesday. I hope my little political asides haven't made anyone too uncomfortable. Alright, be honest, it was the Hollywood Squares jokes that really made you squirm, didn't they? No? They didn't? well, just one more then. Peter Marshall: You've been having trouble going to sleep. Are you probably a man or a woman? Don Knotts: That's what's been keeping me awake.
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