Heinrich Böll’s “Christmas Not Just Once a Year” captures the yearning to return to the past that animates many Trump supporters.
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Böll on Desperately Clinging to the Past
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged Christmas, Christmas Not Just Once a Year, Heinrich Böll, Nostalgia, Trumpism Comments closed
What Musk’s Favorite Books Reveal
In which I examine Musk’s favorite books to figure out what they reveal: Foundation Trilogy, Stranger in a Strange Land, Hitchhiker’s Guide, Atlas Shrugged, Waiting for Godot, and Lord of the Rings.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged Any Rand, Atlas Shrugged, Elon Musk, Foundation Trilogy, Golden age of science fiction, Isaac Asimov, J.R.R. Tolkien, Joseph Heller, Lord of the Rings, Robert Heinlein, Samuel Beckett, Stranger in a Strange Land, Waiting for Godot Comments closed
Trump as Putin’s Luca Brasi
The GOP’s switch from anti- to pro-Russia is like switching from Eurasia to Eastasia in “1984.” But rather than resembling mob boss Don Corleone in the scenario, Trump is more like Putin’s Luca Brasi.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged Donald Trump, Godfather, J.D. Vance, Lindsey Graham, Mario Puzo, mob boss politics, Russo-Ukraine War, Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelensky Comments closed
Erdrich, Snakes, and the Transfiguration
Erdrich’s “Sermon to the Snakes” in “Last Report of the Miracles at Little No Horse” probes the question of whether God’s love drives the universe.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged " Transfiguration, Catholicism, God's love, Last Report of the Miracles at Little No Horse, Louise Erdrich, Ojibwe Nation, snakes Comments closed
Trump vs. Zelensky, Harpy vs. Eagle
Trump and Vance attacking Zelensky is like the harpies of the shore plucking the eagle of the sea in Holmes’s “Old Ironsides.”
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged Donald Trump, J.D. Vance, Old Ironsides, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky Comments closed
Cixin Liu Predicted Musk-Style Takeover
Cixin Liu’s sci-fi thriller anticipates an Elon Musk-style takeover.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged Cixin Liu, dystopian sci fi, Elon Musk, Octavia Butler, speculative fiction, Three-Body Problem Comments closed
The Chainsaw-Wielding Doge of America
Musk’s “DOGE” and the Doge of Venice have some things in common–at least according to Danny Kaye’s “Court Jester” and Byron’s “Prophecy of Dante.”
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged "Prophecy of Dante", Budget cutting, Dante, DOGE, Elon Musk, Lord Byron Comments closed
Singing the Song of Angry Men
Suddenly Victor Hugo’s revolutionary energies apply to the United States after years of our being complacent about our democracy.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged Donald Trump, Fascism, fight for freedom, Freedom, Les Misérables, Revolution, Victor Hugo Comments closed
Revere Rides to Awaken Us
“Paul Revere’s Ride” by Longfellow suddenly seems relevant as Trump pushed toward autocracy or monarchy.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged "Paul Revere's Ride", American Revolution, Donald Trump, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Theses on the Philosophy of History, Walter Benjamin Comments closed
