In which one of the 1980 Iranian hostages explains why “War and Peace” meant so much to him at the time.
Author Archives: Robin Bates
An Iranian Hostage Recalls Tolstoy
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, Emma, George Eliot, Homer, Iliad, Iranian hostage crisis, Jane Austen, Leo Tolstoy, Life and Fate, Middlemarch, Pride and Prejudice, Vasily Grossman, War and Peace Comments closed
Dorian Gray, a Parable for Our Time
A recent Broadway production of “Picture of Dorian Gray” provides insights into our own narcissist-in-chief.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged Anton Chekhov, Donald Trump, narcissism, Oscar Wilde, Picture of Dorian Gray, Uncle Vanya Comments closed
Trapped in Trump’s Morality Play
Trump’s administration resembles a medieval morality play like “Everyman,” what with its caricatured figures of vice. Luckily, the play has a happy ending.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged Everyman, John Bunyan, morality plays, Pilgrim's Progress, Trump administration, Trump's legal battles Comments closed
A Poem to Celebrate Cinco de Mayo
Rodriguez’s poem “Cinco de Mayo” observes that the battle for freedom that the day celebrates is still ongoing.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged "Cinco de Mayo", Luis J. Rodriguez, Mexican-American culture Comments closed
Feed My Sheep
A Mary Baker Eddy poem about Jesus instructing Peter to “feed my sheep”
Pricked and Bleeding Thanks to Trump
A mother, brutalized by federal agents who got the wrong house, seemed to be channeling “Merchant of Venice” in her response.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged Department of Homeland Security, Justice, Merchant of Venice, mercy, revenge, William Shakespeare Comments closed
Brecht Celebrated Overlooked Workers
Brecht and Neruda poems to celebrate International Workers’ Day.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged "Heights of Machu Piccu", "Questions from a Worker Who Reads", Bertolt Brecht, Pablo Neruda, Walter Benjamin Comments closed
My Restorative Father-Sons Reunion
The presence of my sons at my brother’s memorial service proved deeply comforting, just as Telemakhos and Odysseus are comforted when they reencounter each other.
