Wait a minute, you're asking yourself, isn't Orwell dead? (At least I'm guessing that's what you're asking yourself...that's what I'd be asking myself...how am I supposed to know what you're asking yourselves? You expect too much of me.) But I digress...
The Orwell Prize is going to be publishing George Orwell's diaries, in blog form, starting August 9th. Originally written 9 August 1938 and continuing on until 1942, each diary entry will be published 70 years to the date after it was written.
For a long time I considered him to be my favourite writer (I still count Homage to Catalonia as one of my favourite books) so I for one am very excited to have this glimpse into his life and thoughts.
The blog can be read here.
30.7.08
29.7.08
Art Garfunkel's Library
I first came across Art Garfunkel's library in an article on the Guardian website. Art Garfunkel has kept track of every book he has read since June of 1968 and now one can, should one wish to, read through that list. He began way back when with Rousseau's Confessions and one thousand two hundred and twenty-two books later, sometime in 2007 (Is that the most recent update or has Art stopped reading? (Is Art even still alive? Editor's note: Yes, Art is still alive)) he read The Magnificent Ambersons by Booth Tarkington. Alternately, you can save yourself the trouble (and lose out on the joy) of the entire list and just take a look at his favourites.
Browsing through his list, combined with my love of lists, inspired me to do the same thing. Sometime in the late nineties I started keeping track of the books I read by recording them in my journals, along with any remarkable, thought provoking or interesting quotations. And even before I started doing this regularly I sometimes made mention of the books I was reading. So I was able to dig through these old journals, starting in January of 1995, and compile a list of 331 books I have read, though technically it is only 327 as four of them I repeated. (There are other books I have reread but they usually didn't make it into my journal, so there is no record of them.) My first book on the list is Gösta Berling's Saga by Selma Lagerlöf and just yesterday I finished reading Netherland by Joseph O'Neill. I really enjoyed the slow process of digging through old journals and finding the books I'd read, but it's also interesting now to be able to just look through my list and see what trends there are, what subjects captured my interest or what writer's I was taken with at any given time.
And maybe one day, if I'm bored or curious, I'll cross reference my list with Art's and see which books we have both read.
And should anyone care, I'm averaging about 26.48 books a year versus Art's 25.89.
But it's not a race.
Browsing through his list, combined with my love of lists, inspired me to do the same thing. Sometime in the late nineties I started keeping track of the books I read by recording them in my journals, along with any remarkable, thought provoking or interesting quotations. And even before I started doing this regularly I sometimes made mention of the books I was reading. So I was able to dig through these old journals, starting in January of 1995, and compile a list of 331 books I have read, though technically it is only 327 as four of them I repeated. (There are other books I have reread but they usually didn't make it into my journal, so there is no record of them.) My first book on the list is Gösta Berling's Saga by Selma Lagerlöf and just yesterday I finished reading Netherland by Joseph O'Neill. I really enjoyed the slow process of digging through old journals and finding the books I'd read, but it's also interesting now to be able to just look through my list and see what trends there are, what subjects captured my interest or what writer's I was taken with at any given time.
And maybe one day, if I'm bored or curious, I'll cross reference my list with Art's and see which books we have both read.
And should anyone care, I'm averaging about 26.48 books a year versus Art's 25.89.
But it's not a race.
17.7.08
Utah Phillips R.I.P.
I'm almost two month late on this, but I was saddened today to hear of the death of anarchist, hobo, peace and labour activist, Wobbly, story-teller, folk-singer and all around inspirational human being Utah Phillips.
You can read and listen to an interview of Utah by Democracy Now's Amy Goodman right here.
You can read and listen to an interview of Utah by Democracy Now's Amy Goodman right here.
16.7.08
UPDATE: Light On!
6.7.08
Light On!
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