A walk in a park, and a reading of Vasily Grossman inspired those lines. There is the city by the wide river, beyond it there is only the immense steppe, to the sea. There was a turning point, they say, a combat of titans. Here, the river is slow and narrow, feeling its way … Continue reading A tale of two cities
World War II
Between absence and presence
A reading of Killing Commendatore by Haruki Murakami This is Mr Murakami's latest work, published in Japan in 2017, and translated by Philip Gabriel and Ted Goossen (I guess: a tour de force). First of all, I must say that, in my view, this is Mr Murakami's most accomplished work thus far, a fascinating, … Continue reading Between absence and presence
Of a Bottle of Coke, and a Typewriter
In 1937 the city of Berlin celebrated its 700th anniversary. 1237, was the year when the first artefacts and documents attested of the existence of an organised municipality, in what was then the town of Cölln, as Berlin was still then a mere nearby hamlet. In 1937, the NSDAP, the party of Adolf Hitler, had … Continue reading Of a Bottle of Coke, and a Typewriter
Blindly #DailyPrompt
Today’s one-word prompt He watches the City born again, the ghosts of the past walking, silently, amidst the joyous crowds. The ancient monuments look old and cleansed, no longer ruins martyred by war. Yet he does not follow the script, blindly, but, rather, reflects on the meanings, the hidden messages, the untold truths. Here were … Continue reading Blindly #DailyPrompt
Teufelsberg, or, of the Vanity of Wars…
The woods are silent, high above the hills a hawk observes the few walkers: we are aware of what we are treading on: a still intact Nazi building that resisted attempts at destroying it, on top layers after layers of rubbles from ruined homes and monuments destroyed by the war. We admire the views, the lakes … Continue reading Teufelsberg, or, of the Vanity of Wars…
Envy #TheDailyPost
Write a new post in response to today’s one-word prompt. The fools, if only they knew! As we run along the path, near the canal, early in our morning routine, I see them, their eyes on you, on the golden girl, sometime on me... I can read their puzzled minds, jealous, tortured to see … Continue reading Envy #TheDailyPost
The depth of sorrow, a reading of “Prague Fatale” by Philip Kerr
The year is 1942, and the gods of war appear to be still smiling to the conquering nazis. Bernie, back from the Ukrainian front, is in Berlin, already besieged by restrictions, lack of petrol, lack of good bier and of most amenities. In the West, German cities are now targeted by allied bombers. There … Continue reading The depth of sorrow, a reading of “Prague Fatale” by Philip Kerr
Of Thanatos, Ansky’s Notebook and a City in the Desert, a #reading of “2666” by Roberto Bolaño
"Jesus is the masterpiece. The thieves are minor works. Why are they there? Not to frame the crucifixion, as some innocent souls believe, but to hide it." 2066 "Now what sea is this you have crossed, exactly, and what sea is it you have plunged more than once to the bottom of, alerted, full of … Continue reading Of Thanatos, Ansky’s Notebook and a City in the Desert, a #reading of “2666” by Roberto Bolaño
Pale criminals, a reading of Berlin Noir by Philip Kerr
Bernhardt Günther is a tough guy, a survivor of the trenches of the Great War, a cop, a man who loves women, and his city, Faust's metropolis, Berlin in the 30s. In March Violets - evoking the cynical opportunists who join the Nazi party late, and buy their way to a low number party card … Continue reading Pale criminals, a reading of Berlin Noir by Philip Kerr
#AtoZChallenge2015: Hegemony
For students of world history, and of world-historical thought, hegemony is one of the Sesame keys: from ancient Greece, to the Italian city-states of the early Renaissance, to the Netherlands of the 17th century, to imperial Great Britain, to todays' United States of America, the presence of "great powers", and among them that of a … Continue reading #AtoZChallenge2015: Hegemony
