1984 understands Trumpism like few other books.
Tag Archives: Donald Trump
Returning to a Desecrated Shire
Returning home after 7 weeks abroad feels like Frodo returning home to a devastated Shire.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Election 2024, J.R.R. Tolkien, Lord of the Rings, Steve Bannon, Vladimir Putin Comments closed
Rushdie on Dreams That Refuse to Die
While “Midnight’s Children” may apply only too closely to Trump-led America, there’s some room for hope in it as well.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Election 2024, Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie Comments closed
The Political Results of Collective Amnesia
Rushdie’s “Midnight’s Children” describes the kind of amnesia following a traumatic incident that may help explain one of the reasons why Trump beat Biden.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Covid, Joe Biden, Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie Comments closed
Stop the Clocks: This Is the Hour of Lead
Auden’s mourning poem “Stop All the Clocks” captures the mood of those who saw a fascist triumph in the American presidential election.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged "After great pain a formal feeling comes", "Stop All the Clocks", Election 2024, Emily Dickinson, Kamala Harris, King Lear, W. H. Auden, William Shakespeare Comments closed
Caliban Defeats Prospero
It’s Prospero vs. Caliban in America, with Caliban having a very good chance of triumphing.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Election 2024, Kamala Harris, Shakespeare, Tempest Comments closed
Our Lear Is Running to Be King Again
In an essay reposted from 2017 that is still relevant, I compare Trump’s narcissism with King Lear’s.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Election 2024, King Lear, narcissism, William Shakespeare Comments closed
Trump, His Billionaires, and Ayn Rand
Ayn Rand’s novels help explain why certain billionaires are gravitating to Donald Trump. Trump’s own enthusiasm about “The Fountainhead” is also revealing.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand, Election 2024, Fountainhead, Libertarianism, Mark Zuckerberg, Peter Thiel, Ronald Reagan, Thomas Hartmann, Tom Nichols, Trumpism Comments closed
Richard II and Our Own Succession Issues
Shakespeare’s “Richard II” maybe be about an absolute monarch but what it says about succession issues are relevant today.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Election 2024, Peaceful transfer of power, Richard II, William Shakespeare Comments closed
