Posts tagged as London Review Of Books
It's Alan Bennett Diary Time
One of the few bright spots of any new year, apart from the holidays finally being over, is the London Review of Books' presentation of Alan Bennett's diary. The 2011 volume is only available to subscribers, but you can listen to some extracts here and then go buy yourself a copy of the issue. Or better yet, subscribe.
Feminism Complex
I am going to have to reread Jenny Turner's "As Many Pairs of Shoes as She Likes" at least seven more times before I can even engage with it simply on the level of comprehension, but even the first pass has left me exhausted. Every paragraph explodes with an almost impossible number of issues with which to contend. Perhaps (and probably so) you are brighter than I can get the whole thing in one go, but if not you'll want to get started now, right here.
Article About Mail Shockingly Good
Here is why the London Review of Books is my absolute favorite periodical going: It can take a topic on which I would guarantee you I have absolutely no interest—in this case, the privatization of postal delivery services in Europe—and turn out a 9000-word piece that is engaging, compelling and makes you feel more informed for having read it. The downside to this is that I have stacks of LRBs lying around the house waiting for me to get to them, but as problems go that is far more preferable than everything else I confront. Do check it out.
Telling Old Jokes About Catholics
The new issue of the London Review of Books is, as always, excellent-check out Elif Batuman's piece on creative writing programs-but I was particularly delighted by this bit from the letter section. READ MORE
Last Night: The London Review of Books Party
Last evening, Marisa Meltzer and Doree Shafrir went to the 30th anniversary celebration of the London Review of Books. READ MORE
"There really is a special sound of a key turning in a lock in an empty room."
Jenny Diski's latest Diary column for the London Review of Books is something you should probably read.
The "Family Newspaper," The Tabloid and the Rise of Rupert Murdoch
So this year came a scholarly book, called Family Newspapers?: Sex, Private Life, and the British Popular Press 1918-1978, by Adrian Bingham, a hot little number from the University of Sheffield. It recounts the delicate editorial dance performed by newspapers on behalf of the delicate minds of "the family" in the last century-an attitude which exists in various iterations to this day. READ MORE
Finalists in the LRB's Great Ongoing Personals Ads Competition
From time to time, we like to check in on the advanced mating competition that is the London Review of Books classified ads Personals section. Recently, the elaborate attempts to meet and dally have reached dizzying, mysterious new heights. We have three recent favorites! Now let us present the awards for best man-seeking-woman, best woman-seeking-man, and best homo. READ MORE
The English Patient
There's a rather remarkable letter in the current London Review of Books concerning the treatment of Britain's mentally ill. It begins this way: READ MORE
You Should Be Reading The London Review Of Books
"He divides people: those who value heart and flair, against those who are good at adding up on their fingers, sucking their teeth and shaking their heads. If you condemn him you are, like Robespierre, more in sorrow than in anger." That's Hilary Mantel on George-Jacques Danton, from her fantastic review of a new Danton biography ("fantastic" here refers to the review rather than the book, which Mantel is somewhat iffy about) in the new London Review of Books. I'm about halfway through the current issue, which I am reading straight through and uniformly enjoying: It is, quite possibly, the indispensable periodical I get these days in terms of breadth, brilliance, and the quality of the writing. Consider this an endorsement. READ MORE
