A 4 Million Word Betrayal
By some estimations, Marcel Proust’s In Search of Lost Time is the longest novel ever written. It is also considered one of the best. Though broken up into seven volumes, with the last three still rough drafts at the time of Proust’s death, the 1,200,000 word novel is lauded as a singular work of “daily epiphanies.” Christopher Hitchens … Continue reading
Nine Classics to Read in the Winter
Why is it we only get reading lists during the summer? With its short days and achingly cold nights, winter seems the far better season to pick over neglected bookshelves. But I don’t like to read just any book in the winter. Breezy romances set in SoCal climes? Ech. (Well, for me that kind of … Continue reading
Book 1.2 If on a winter’s night a traveler
Reading about yourself reading the book. Calvino’s If on a winter’s night a traveler opens with an eye-widening phrase: “You are about to begin reading Italo Calvino’s new novel, If on a winter’s night a traveler.” That’s true, I think to myself. Then the author uses polite directives on how to read his book. … Continue reading
Letters Republic 