Rather more subtle is Hercule Poirot, whose name contains elements of both "Hercules", the classical hero, and "Pierrot", the Italian clown - an interesting combination of heroism and buffoonery. The name reflects Christie's practice of presenting Poirot alternately as a
In waking we tend to think The Dream vanishes, evaporates in daylight like morning dew on grass. But it doesn't. The unsettling Matrix-esque truth here is that we all live in world-simulations, pretty much all of the time. The brain
It was partly in reaction to the religious discord and iconoclasm of the Reformation, that artists in Europe around 1700 began seeking inspiration from sources removed from Christian spirituality. And where European innovators led, artists of other traditions and cultures
I did not know that Neanderthals once lived hereabouts; that farmers first settled here six thousand years ago; that nearby, down on the Campagna, the Gauls defeated the Romans in 390 B.C. before going on to take Rome itself. I
If I had to pick a single overall theme in the book, I would say it's to rectify the misunderstanding of what fascism is and to highlight the deep historical, ideological and emotional ties between progressivism (now called liberalism) and
In twelve short years - from 1788 to 1800 - the world changed, with the late eighteenth century emerging as one of the most momentous, if restless, eras in human history. In Russia, a great dynasty would be toppled; in
The man lifted his arm and fired a single shot in Danny's back. Danny was able to turn and fire one return shot at Abu-Jamal that hit him in the abdomen. Danny then fell onto the sidewalk. Mumia Abu-Jamal approached
Her home was invaded in her absence. Both muddy boot prints and anti-abortion pamphlets were left behind. Her driveway was barricaded with barrels of concrete to keep her from going to work. Threatening phone calls and letters arrived regularly. Her
But at that point most of the expeditionaries perished as a result of Indian attacks, illness, and starvation. In fact, several expedition members resorted to cannibalism to stay alive. Eventually, out of three hundred men comprising the original land contingent,
Hobbie suffers from acne vulgaris, which has forced him into a retreat from life. 'Other than work, I rarely go out, avoiding people as much as possible. I shop the 24-hour Wal-Mart, rent movies from the Internet, and basically stay
Drama number three was the presence on the podium of Daniel Barenboim, the child prodigy born in 1942 in Argentina to Russian parents, who moved with him to Israel when he was ten. This opera performance, which furthermore inaugurates the
In Alem's world-view, one might expect to see objects morph into people, animals writhe in henna tattoos, and stones grant bearers restoration or doom. There are no rules of physics in this vision of Mecca and the city springs up
Jane Austen, whose sharp tongue barely left her cheek during her short lifetime, and, whose caustic satire survived the intervening centuries of industrialization, through revolution and war, as well as the whirligig of literary fashions (whose onslaught took down others
In a shocking and vaguely incestuous move, she seduced T'ai-tsung's son, the Emperor Kao-tsung, and from there used a combination of feminine wile and strong arming to claim the throne of one of the most powerful empires the world has
Let us be clear on one thing: physically fit people tend to get more out of this place. One can sit and admire the mountains from a bench on Elk Avenue, or from a car out on the summer roads,
Because he's a damn good writer James Lee Burke knows how to keep a plot going from start to finish with no loose ends or out-of-the-blue surprises that amateurishly attempt to explain and finish off a narrative.
Counts who stank of garlic-as did the whole country-had sponged on him for seats in his box at the opera. He was meeting diplomats who had "titles as long as a flagstaff, and heads as empty as their hearts." These
There is another criticism that Auchincloss has had to counter in his long and illustrious career as writer (he also worked as a lawyer). In his books, there is a constant struggle to capture a bygone world â€" in a
There are red herrings aplenty, but once finished reading the novel I'm left with a sense of annoyance at these diversions, so often delightful necessities in other mysteries, but close to being filler in this one.
