Category Archives: Writing

Chomsky Plus

Posted on May 12, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

via https://existentialcomics.com/comic/595  

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The Fall

Posted on May 9, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

“The Fall” by Russell Edson There was a man who found two leaves and came indoors holding them out saying to his parents that he was a tree. To which they said then go into the yard and do not … Continue reading →

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You have to find this book to own this book

Posted on May 8, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

For his 8th book, What the Dead Can Say, Philip Graham limited it to a print run of 1000 and distribution was entirely through stashing them in Little Free Libraries around the entire country. From the author : What the Dead … Continue reading →

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Stages of the reader

Posted on May 6, 2025 by Brian D. Butler
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Octavia Butler : Positive Obsession

Posted on May 4, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

I have been an enormous fan of the visionary writing of Octavia E. Butler for decades. The American science fiction writer won numerous awards for her works, including Hugo, Locus, and Nebula awards. In 1995, Butler became the first science-fiction writer to receive a MacArthur … Continue reading →

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“We are all living in Orwell’s world now”

Posted on May 1, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

“We are all living in Orwell’s world now” – The New York Times, 29 March The Orwell Festival is returning to Bloomsbury, London, this month with an interesting line-up of events exploring some of the urgent themes and questions arising from … Continue reading →

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Heaven and Hell

Posted on April 30, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

“Report on Heaven and Hell” by Silvina Ocampo translation by Edith Grossman Heaven and Hell, like the great auction galleries, have heaps of objects accumulated in their passageways, objects that will not surprise anyone because they are the same things … Continue reading →

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The Boat

Posted on April 29, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

“The Boat” by Robert Walser translated by Tom Whalen I think I’ve written this scene before, but I’ll write it once again. In a boat, midway upon the lake, sit a man and woman. High above in the dark sky … Continue reading →

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We nearly missed it

Posted on April 25, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

April is National Poetry Month. Waka, or Japanese poetry, flourished in the court culture of the 6th to the 14th century in Japan. One of the well-known waka poets of this period was Ono no Komachi (小野 小町, c. 825 … Continue reading →

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Found in translation

Posted on April 19, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

I am usually ambivalent about literary prizes, although like a good hypocrite I mine the lists for reading suggestions. Somehow I missed the announcement for this year’s International Booker Prize and was surprised to discover that I had read three … Continue reading →

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