Author Archives: Brian D. Butler

A people who have never experienced autumn foliage are inclined to be backward.

Posted on October 2, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

When you were an infant in Italy I was very disconcerted to be told that much of the Italian population had never seen the beauties of the autumn foliage in Vermont and New Hampshire. High in the Abruzzi there are … Continue reading →

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Fatherlands

Posted on October 1, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

 

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Mapping the Bans

Posted on September 30, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

The onslaught of reactionary right wing book bans does not seem to be abating in the U.S.. This attack on freedom of expression is just one component of the political/cultural war raging in America. The American Library Association (ALA) reports that … Continue reading →

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Below down under

Posted on September 29, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

I’ve been pondering a trip to Antarctica ever since I sat by a beach near the bottom of New Zealand’s South Island and saw a sign that pointed south reading “South Pole 4897 km”. Now, 4897 km is no short … Continue reading →

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“Amargura Para Tres Sonámbulos”

Posted on September 28, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

“Bitterness for Three Sleepwalkers” is a 1949 short story by the Colombian writer Gabriel García Márquez. Published when he was just twenty-two years old, it is one of his earliest stories. “Bitterness for Three Sleepwalkers” by Gabriel García Márquez translated … Continue reading →

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It’s really all about mutual aid

Posted on September 27, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

It may seem to be a big leap from U.S. Presidential politics to a book published in 1902 by a Russian scientist and anarchist, but this week watching the electioneering I have been thinking about Peter Kropokin’s seminal work Mutual … Continue reading →

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Puffling

Posted on September 26, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

Regular visitors to TBTP will be aware that I am enamored with all things Iceland. Of course that includes the unofficial symbol of the country the puffin. In coastal cities in Iceland, including on the Vestmannaeyjar islands, it’s common to … Continue reading →

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I met a traveller from an antique land

Posted on September 25, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

Ozymandias, 2017 by Alasdair Gray (1934-2019)  

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Banned Book Wagon

Posted on September 24, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

For the second year in a row, the Banned Wagon–powered by Penguin Random House and in partnership with Unite Against Book Bans (UUAB), Little Free Library, and First Book–is visiting bookstores and libraries during Banned Books Week–and beyond–in areas in the South and Midwest where … Continue reading →

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Making of an Icon

Posted on September 23, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

Kafka: Making of an Icon is an exhibition marking the 100th anniversary of Franz Kafka’s death and celebrating not only Kafka’s achievements and creativity, but also his continuing inspiration for new literary, theatrical and artistic creations around the world. After … Continue reading →

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