Thanks for sharing! I haven’t read Dickens since high school (A Tale of Two Cities) and haven’t felt compelled to revisit him. I don’t recall feeling impressed by the literary quality of A Tale of Two Cities. But you certainly make a strong case for Bleak House!
I didn't like Dickens until I was out of high school and able to enjoy his work at leisure, rather than having to take a test on it. BTW I actually wrote about "Bleak House" last year, through the prism of Nabokov's lecture on it:
Interesting lens! I have that Nabokov book somewhere, at my parents’ house. My grandmother took one of his literature lecture classes at Wellesley in the 40s!
The Lillian Review of Books is HIGH on my (tiny) list of must-read items. She does more than review books - she takes you inside them, and puts them a unique cultural context. If all reading were this pleasurable, this would be a nation of fanatic readers.
BTW, I'd like to hear more about your internship at Folkways, assuming you're allowed to talk about it. I have a bunch of Folkways recordings, and have always been interested in the folk musics of the world.
Will think of a way to incorporate more about Folkways into future posts! My year there was a very gentle way to launch into the post-college world. I had a wonderful boss, Atesh Sonneborn, who really took me under his wing and told lots of great stories. I spent a lot of time scanning contracts but also got to do somewhat cool things like do research in the archives and copyedit liner notes.
Unmatched flavor combo. Both my Eastern European and East Asian ancestors smile upon me every time I eat it. (Pro-tip: Salmon roe [ikura] or flying fish roe [tobiko] work almost as well as actual sturgeon caviar and are much cheaper)
Well, you have a fascinating track record/resume/wild ass ride. Might I offer this little waltz with Charlie D?? as an introductory salvo??
https://substack.com/@johnnogowski2/note/c-85241258?r=7pf7u&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=notes-share-action
Thanks for sharing! I haven’t read Dickens since high school (A Tale of Two Cities) and haven’t felt compelled to revisit him. I don’t recall feeling impressed by the literary quality of A Tale of Two Cities. But you certainly make a strong case for Bleak House!
I didn't like Dickens until I was out of high school and able to enjoy his work at leisure, rather than having to take a test on it. BTW I actually wrote about "Bleak House" last year, through the prism of Nabokov's lecture on it:
https://lakefrontreview.substack.com/p/nabokov-on-dickens
Interesting lens! I have that Nabokov book somewhere, at my parents’ house. My grandmother took one of his literature lecture classes at Wellesley in the 40s!
Fascinating. Did she have any interesting memories of him?
The Lillian Review of Books is HIGH on my (tiny) list of must-read items. She does more than review books - she takes you inside them, and puts them a unique cultural context. If all reading were this pleasurable, this would be a nation of fanatic readers.
Thank you for your support, Rich!!
BTW, I'd like to hear more about your internship at Folkways, assuming you're allowed to talk about it. I have a bunch of Folkways recordings, and have always been interested in the folk musics of the world.
No NDAs at Folkways, haha. I touch on my experience there a little in my review of The Ballad of Beta-2: https://open.substack.com/pub/lillianreviewofbooks/p/ethnomusicology-in-hyperspace?r=rvz6b&utm_medium=ios
Will think of a way to incorporate more about Folkways into future posts! My year there was a very gentle way to launch into the post-college world. I had a wonderful boss, Atesh Sonneborn, who really took me under his wing and told lots of great stories. I spent a lot of time scanning contracts but also got to do somewhat cool things like do research in the archives and copyedit liner notes.
I’m gonna have to try caviar & latkes
Unmatched flavor combo. Both my Eastern European and East Asian ancestors smile upon me every time I eat it. (Pro-tip: Salmon roe [ikura] or flying fish roe [tobiko] work almost as well as actual sturgeon caviar and are much cheaper)