Writing Worth Reading
Writing Worth Reading
Divisive inequality of wealth; rising unemployment and inflation; anarchist riots on the streets of Europe; rise of extremist political parties. 2012? No, 5th Century AD. What can fall of the Roman empire tell us about euro crisis?
"As the nation celebrates six decades of Elizabeth II’s reign, it is worth taking the long view of monarchy, by asking not what is so modern about the Crown in the new Elizabethan age, but what remains ancient"
Archaeologists believe chickens were first domesticated not for eating but for cockfighting. Today they're "cogs in a system designed to convert grain into protein with staggering efficiency". What happened inbetween?
There may be no good options, but can history guide us to the least bad ones? Let's consider: German reunification, collapse of Austria-Hungary, Argentina's abandonment of dollar peg, 14th century Florence, 20th century Panama
Admiring review of "The Jews In Poland And Russia", by Antony Polonsky. "He has created the field of modern Jewish history as a subject to be considered and understood rather than simply a tragic past to be mourned"
Goebbels knew he had to engage the public, at home and abroad. "It was an effort that led directly to the creation of that oxymoron in four-bar form: A Nazi-approved, state-sponsored hot jazz band known as Charlie and His Orchestra"
Against Robert Kagan, and his "Copernican interpretation of contemporary history": America the sun around which all else orbits. His new book, "The World America Made", is "a slim volume of mythopoeia decked out in analytic drag"
Latest Hemingway column from Star's archives finds the great man reporting on the arrival of craps in Toronto society. If you've ever walked past a casino table and wondered what the hell was going on, now's your chance to find out
More fine stuff from the Star's Hemingway project. "Toronto women were present at prizefights for the first time last Saturday night... 'My, that one was over quickly!' said one of the women back of me, with obvious disappointment'"
Remembering Intervision, Soviet Union's version of Eurovision song contest. Concept came from Wladyslaw Szpilman, hero of Polanski's film The Pianist. Aim was "to prove to the West that 'anything you can sing, we can sing better'"
Captivating review of Laurent Binet's new historical novel "HHhH", about rise and fall of Reinhard Heydrich. SS intelligence chief known as "Himmler's brain". Planned Kristallnacht, convened infamous Wannsee Conference. Assassinated
"Bahrain has become a symbol of the failure of the Arab Spring to deliver real democracy and freedom. What is hardly ever mentioned is that this very system of oppression in Bahrain was largely created by the British"
