I see those boys once more, in the afternoonsun, how they pinch their nosesand jump into Istanbul’s seafrom a low concrete embankment.Then they came straight from the water,shining like damp pebbles,and jumped back in again—as if there could really be perpetuum mobile.I don’t know if they were happy, but Iwas, for a moment, in the […]
Original source: https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2022/11/24/istanbul-adam-zagajewski/
In the spring of 2017 I met Reginald Dwayne Betts. I began to read his poetry, his memoir of how he became a poet in prison, and his essays about what it meant for a felon to become a lawyer, legal scholar, and activist bringing literature to the incarcerated. Some two years later, when the […]
Original source: https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2022/11/24/holding-a-gun-reginald-dwayne-betts-serhiy-zhadan/
from a poem by Sir Thomas Wyatt What we try to snag and hold fastof laughter, wood smoke, but especiallythe necessary ignorance to go forward, to trust: I have nettedbaubles from air bubbles, pictures of cozylife in books, the way hot cider by a warm stove completes winterand sunset was sunset because you said“Look at […]
Original source: https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2022/11/24/sithens-in-a-net-april-bernard/
The Holocaust has long loomed large in the American imagination, but in recent years it has come to seem ubiquitous, with Holocaust-related symbols and slogans infiltrating political discourse, flooding social media, and even spilling over into the streets. Politicians, provocateurs, and protesters of various kinds have cast themselves as Jewish victims of Nazi persecution. President […]
Original source: https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2022/11/24/the-jewish-authenticity-trap-dara-horn/
“How the Abraham Accords came about is pure Midtown,” writes Joshua Cohen in a review of Jared Kushner’s memoir from the magazine’s October 20 issue, referring to the 2020 agreement among Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain that was negotiated by Jared Kushner on behalf of the Trump White House. In typical New York […]
Original source: https://www.nybooks.com/online/2022/11/05/gods-of-chaos-and-stupidity-joshua-cohen/
Transgression follows a boy and his parents as they escape the Nazis during WWII and face danger as they make their way to America. Why was this an important book for you to write?
I was the last American boy to leave Bulgaria in 1942 after the Nazi occupation of the Balkans. It seemed important to document that fact as well as life for Americans at ACS, the American College in Sofia.
The novel is in four parts: Sofia, Istanbul, the Middle East, and America.
Writing Transgression was a catharsis. I wanted to show readers how to expunge doxa,i.e., ready-made values and beliefs transmitted by family, schools and the church, especially when doxa interferes with the maturation and wellbeing of a teenager.
Transgression is part of a trilogy: The Eye of the Needle (Viking Books, 1967) and Valley of Roses (Trafford Publishing, 2003) are set in Bulgaria during WWII. They narrate similar themes. Like Virginia Woolf’s The Waves, cinematic montage in The Eye of the Needle frames the world through the mind’s eye of one person.
What scene in the book was the most emotionally impactful for you to write?
There were four scenes: a. Archangel taking the boy’s soul on a wild ride down the Himalayas, floating it on the Ganges River into and over the Indian Ocean, down the Nile, west across the Mediterranean Sea, and south through the Sahara Desert past Ouagadougou to the jungle in Central Africa. I wanted to communicate the “emotional hurt” that Archangel and Satan were inflicting on the boy.
b. The narrator’s and Mireille’s love scene after reading Baudelaire’s Flowers of
Evil; especially the poem “To One Who Is Too Cheerful.” There are two parts to the love
scene: one scene describes what happened and the other one describes what the boy
imagined would happen; both scenes were written with words. Was one more real
than the other, and, if so, which one?
c. The evening after the baptismal scene when the boy walks along the shoreline of the Sea of Galilee, looks at the stars in the sky, locates Orion, the hunter, who also walked on water, listens to the lapping of the wavelets, and feels a oneness with creation.
d. The Eureka moment when the narrator realizes that he is not going to hell because his soul is all around him, going everywhere and nowhere.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
My answers above explore and explain four themes that were important to me. A fifth theme was structural foreshadowing: Describing the wind in the trees outside Sofia, the clicking of the palm fronds in Beirut, and the wind in the trees on the farm on Germany Hill, New York; these and others like them are all part of the boy’s experience. Throughout the novel I wanted events and images to echo each other, from beginning to end.
Flowers are also an important foreshadowing theme, beginning with the narrator’s botany collection and the language of flowers as metaphors of seduction by Mirka. Following that, Baudelaire’s Flowers of Evil play an important role in the boy’s relationship with Mireille; they echo Mirka’s earlier seduction.
Fear is a theme: fear of internment by the Germans, fear of going to hell, fear of a submarine attack in the Mediterranean Sea by a German submarine, and fear that the battleship Tirpitz will attack the fifty-ship convoy crossing the Atlantic Ocean. The Bermuda Triangle functions as a hoax fear.
Books and writing are important themes. From part one of Transgression to the end, the novels, plays, and poetry of American, British, French, German, Greek, and Russian authors help the boy navigate through mazes of doxa. The Bible is frequently invoked.
Nightingales are another theme: the birds warble in the woods outside the boy’s house in Bulgaria; they sing all night during his parents’ honeymoon in Shiraz, Iran; they trill in the foothills of Mount Sannine north of Beirut; and the narrator writes a paper for his English teacher entitled The Nightingales in Literature. He even builds a birdhouse, hoping to attract a nightingale.
Oriental rugs and the symbolic colors in their patterns are yet another theme. They appear in Istanbul, Aleppo, Beirut, and a friend’s house by the Sea of Galilee.Many foreshadowing images and metaphors are woven into the woof and weft of the writing process. They are the figure in the carpet–the golden thread.
Music is a theme, starting with Lily Marlene, a nostalgic song for the girl left behind. It was popular with both German and Allied soldiers who sang it in German and in English; also, the very popular and ubiquitous “dream” songs such as Dream, I Dream of You, Buy the Dream, and My Dreams Are Getting Better All the Time–Big Band songs that were heard in Europe, the Middle East, and America.
Capturing the sounds and colors of an outdoor food market in Istanbul was a challenge. I tried to use the connotations of words and the rhythms of language to capture the auditory and visual impact of vendors hawking their foods in high-pitched melodious voices.
Another challenge was describing the song of a nightingale–its joyful warbling and trilling in Sofia and Beirut that awaken the boy in the middle of the night.
All kinds of sounds echo each other. So do colors.
Stars, particularly Orion, play an important role. You see them in the night sky above the Sea of Galilee, above the pyramids at Giza, and in many other places.
Hitler and war are constant themes. Transgression begins with Hitler’s invasion of Poland in 1939 and ends with the dropping of the A-bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki; the fighting scenes in Europe and North Africa are objective correlatives for the boy’s private battles with Archangel and Satan. Descriptions of the 1916 Turkish genocide of Armenians predates Hitler’s death-camps where Jews, Roma, and other “undesirables” were killed.
Flaubert uses foreshadowing images that anticipate future ones in Madame Bovary and so does Hemingway in A Farewell to Arms.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
I’m working on a book entitled Baja: The Puma Drinks the New Moon. It’s a collaborative venture with Judith Palmer, my artist wife. Her pen-and-ink drawings and photo-etchings accompany my 70 haiku and illustrate our travels over the years, up and down the Baja peninsula. They embellish the topography, the flora, and the fauna of the region. The book will probably come out sometime in 2023.
Author Links: Amazon | GoodReads
With compelling prose Stoltzfus makes each character come vividly alive: Mirka, a Gypsy, the family maid who seduces the boy, Mireille, a precocious French girl who introduces him to Sade’s Philosophy in the Boudoir, his devout father, a pacifist, Archangel and Satan fighting over the boy’s soul, which he thinks is going in one direction but, because soul is all around him, is going everywhere and nowhere.
Although Transgression describes war and seduction, it is also a trip through international literature. Throughout, the wind, flowers, nightingales and symbolic colors in Oriental rugs foreshadow things to come. Hitler’s rants, poetry and dreams appear as recurring tropes–images that are woven into the woof and weft of the writing process. They are the golden thread. Subtly honed with hallmark precision and keen insight, Transgression exemplifies the best in narrative art.
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2022/11/05/writing-transgression-was-a-catharsis/
Dream Big… even when you’re small, follows a Sea Star who wants to travel and see different parts of the world; what he learns is traveling is fun but home is best. What was the inspiration for your story?
I was inspired to write a children’s story that encouraged kids to dream using their imagination and creativity. I hoped that the colorful illustrations would not only entertain but also, foster their ability to dream with a plan. I chose a sea star as the main character because like children, they are: beautiful, resilient and curious!
What came first when creating this picture book, the illustration or the story?
The script of the story came first but, was quickly followed by the Sea Star character along with his many quirky friends.
What educational aspects were important for you to include in this children’s book?
Children benefit from positive encouragement to use their creativity and think innovatively. Our ability to learn bravery, resiliency and self confidence develop from trying new activities and embracing new experiences. Children flourish and mature when they learn to appreciate the wonderful blessings that already exist in their life – such as family, friends and “home” .
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
A new book staring Sea Star and his friends is well underway! In this new book – Book One of a new Sea Star Series – our little star realizes he is “different” from his sea creature friends because he is not a fish. The story highlights how our differences make us each unique, special, and likable. The cheerful illustrations with rhyming and repeating verse demonstrate how positive words and actions build self confidence and a positive inner voice.
The publishing date for the new book is anticipated in early 2023.
Author Links: Amazon | GoodReads
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2022/11/05/encouraged-kids-to-dream/
A Portion of Malice follows two men, one a journalist, the second an immortal looking to fulfill biblical prophecy, as the world prepares for the coming apocalypse. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
The story came from a contemplation concerning Cain murdering his brother, being marked, then cast out. My entire life I’ve contemplated God’s nature, the nature of Humanity (created in God’s image, yet imperfect), and the reasons why the modern world is so filled with mayhem, avarice and despair. From that, the idea sprang and became richer and more provident as I explored. Thus, A PORTION OF MALICE was born.
Was there anything from your own life that you put into the characters in your novel?
I think they all represent me in some way and were born from those facets. Emery as long suffering, in over his head, a metaphor for how I’ve felt through so much of my life. Cain for his dark side, his search for redemption while fulfilling a destiny even he can’t imagine. Longinus for his strength, his boldness, and the darkness that blooms when any single trait becomes too magnified. Igneus for his fear, his confusion, his self-doubt, surprised when he rises above his flaws to become the man he never knew he was. I am all of these and none of these. To me, that’s the thrill.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
It was important to explore the concepts of sin, redemption, religion, time, God, Man, history, legend, myth and folklore. Somewhere in there, truth lies (pun intended).
I wanted to write a story that challenges paradigms, that provokes thought and sparks curiosity about the world in which we live and how we all can improve that world.
I seek to give readers an abundance of fodder so they might discern, for themselves, their own truths, and challenge their own beliefs.
Some of my readers are elated, some get angry, but all experience emotions that challenge their paradigms. That’s the reason I’m writing the AGES OF MALICE series, to provoke, to confront, to bend the trunk and strengthen the tree.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
A MEASURE OF RHYME, book II of the AGES OF MALICE series, is complete and will release in spring of 2023. EMBERS OF SHADOW, book III, is complete and will release in fall of 2023. I’m currently working on Book IV, THE TEMPESTS OF TIME.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2022/11/05/challenge-their-paradigms/
There is no place better to have an adventure than the zoo, and Hoppin’ Hankaroo is about to find out exactly how interesting it can be. When Kathy and Hoppin’ Hankaroo head off to the zoo, they meet up with animals both big and small. From a monkey to an elephant, Kathy and Hankaroo see everything the zoo has to offer before they head back to their bus. What they don’t know is that their next adventure is already getting started thanks to someone special who is following them home.
Hoppin’ Hankaroo, written by Janet Earnest Jenkins and illustrated by Terri L. Earnest, is a children’s book featuring Hankaroo, the dog, and his owner Kathy (with a K). Jenkins and Earnest have created a fun rhyming story geared toward younger readers featuring eye-catching illustrations of everyone’s favorite zoo animals. This easy-to-read book is perfect for both emerging readers and beginning readers in grades Pre-K to 2nd grade.
I highly recommend Jenkins and Earnest’s work to parents and teachers who are interested in incorporating rhyme into their read-aloud sessions. The author/illustrator team leaves readers in anticipation of a fun sequel–the perfect way to end a children’s story!
Pages: 32 | ASIN: B0BHFFKXH5
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2022/11/05/hoppin-hankaroo/
Fearless follows a young Catholic girl who enters a Convent rather than having a family of her own. While serving God, she finds her voice to also speak out for women and reproductive rights. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
I wasn’t so much inspired to write this story as the story found me and occupied space in my head for a long time. Eventually, Sister Maggie Corrigan’s voice became too strong to ignore and I decided to go ahead. Once I made that decision the story wrote itself.
The impetus to sit down and begin writing came from watching society deliberately and systematically erode women’s reproductive and other rights. The fire-breathing feminist in me knew I needed to push back. I did not, however, think Roe v. Wade was in danger of being overturned when I began the book, and the fact that it was just as the book was released is coincidence.
The seeds for the story were planted during years I was an active academic poverty researcher and met strong-minded, determined nuns who toiled in the trenches of poverty every day and were staunch advocates for women. They recognized that their Church’s position on women’s reproductive rights was wrong-headed, and quietly disregarded it as they helped poor women gain control over their lives, which included control over their reproductive choices. Some nuns were more forthright and outspoken than others, but all were strong feminists without realizing it.
Behind all this is the realization that while the Catholic Church is a major player in the American social welfare system, the Church’s core message toward women, and poor women in particular, creates dependency rather than fostering empowerment. Worse, the Church’s position against women’s reproductive rights is harming the women they are proposing to help. This has always bothered me.
Maggie grew up in a traditional Catholic community and enters the Convent. As time passes her views and beliefs start to change and she becomes a voice for change. What were some driving ideals forces behind your character’s development?
Maggie is a very complicated, conflicted personality who thirsts for justice, believes what she believes and doesn’t care who disagrees with her. I don’t think anyone can truly feel that way and proceed to do what Maggie tried to do unless they are deeply wounded and very angry, and those traits defined Maggie. She tried to turn these traits into a force for good—although if asked, she would deny this.
Raising hell just because she can is another of Maggie’s traits. A good fight is in her blood, and her ability to stand her ground, even if it means provoking one is the key to her survival in the world and the family she was born into. She lacks the ordinary social and emotional filters that cause most people to think twice about what they are doing or saying. Maggie doesn’t care how others view her and is prone to knee-jerk reactions rather than thinking things through. Emotionally, this works for her often enough to keep doing it.
Maggie also personifies the reality that nuns and priests are flawed people who possess all the faults and failings everyone struggles with. There is nothing about choosing religious life that elevates them above ordinary human beings. It’s hard not to respect Maggie for what she tries to do, but she’s not very likeable.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
This is a story about the fight for women’s reproductive rights within the wealthiest, most powerful institution on the planet. To fully grasp this, one must understand that the Catholic Church is foremost a patriarchal political institution that operates off of a political agenda designed to preserve its power on the world stage. The more Catholics there are in the world, the easier it is to maintain its power, and the surest way to increase the Catholic population is to forbid Catholic women from exercising any choice over their reproductive lives.
As a patriarchal institution, the Church always acts in its own best interests, which clearly are not the best interests of Catholic women. It is also a business whose product is selling religion in the form of hope and the promise of eternal salvation, which is a very powerful and appealing message, especially to society’s most vulnerable members. The barriers to full social and religious equality women face as the result of patriarchal dominion over society’s major policy-making institutions are substantial and extremely difficult to overcome—and the fight for women’s reproductive rights is a perfect example.
All of this said, at the heart of this story is a strong woman who fights hard every day for what she believes in, regardless of the personal cost.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
My next book also involves the Catholic Church, which I view as an endlessly fascinating, socially dangerous institution that both promotes ideals of goodness and mercy and advocates for policies that bring great harm to women. Tentatively titled “Conflicted”, the plot involves a Catholic priest with a golden future in the institutional Church who struggles with his vocation and a Jewish woman who forces him to confront everything he believes about Christianity, the institutional Catholic Church, and relationships with women. The first draft is about 80% complete, so don’t expect it to be released before sometime in 2024.
Author Links: Amazon | GoodReads
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2022/11/05/this-has-always-bothered-me/