Author: penwithlit
Freelance writer and radio presenter
Categories
Dust yourself off!
Regular readers of this blog are probably aware of my fondness for Barbara Comyns – a startlingly original writer with a very distinctive style. Her novels have a strange, slightly off-kilter feel, frequently blending surreal imagery and touches of dark, deadpan humour with the harsh realities of life. This wry sense of the absurd is […]
The Juniper Tree by Barbara Comyns
Born on October 19, 1931, John le Carré transformed espionage fiction into moral literature. His spare, elegant prose exposed the human cost of secrecy, creating a lexicon of betrayal and introspection. Through characters like George Smiley, he redefined English realism—where truth whispers, loyalty trembles, and language itself becomes deception.
Birth of John le Carré (1931–2020) – The Chronicler of Betrayal and Moral Ambiguity
Jeanne Mandello (1907-2001) was a German-Jewish-Uruguayan modern artist and experimental photographer. #PalianSHOW
Jeanne Mandello (1907-2001)
Born in the heyday of the denial of the human animal’s animality, in a world where nature was considered an ember of wildness to extinguish with civilization, its partitioned mystery dissected by various sciences walled off from one another, Alexander von Humboldt (September 14, 1769–May 6, 1859) set out to “establish the unity and harmony […]
I Feel, Therefore I Understand: Humboldt on the Essence of Science and How to Read the Poetry of Nature
Categories
Friedrichstraße Station
Berlin, October 2, 2025.
Friedrichstraße Station
While strikes have long been a defining feature of industrial society — serving as a collective means through which workers demand recognition and reform from those in power — the growing frequency of strikes in the United Kingdom reflects a deepening class crisis. Historically, industrial action was largely confined to working-class unions in sectors such as mining, transport, and […]
Strikes, Protests, & The Fight To Be Heard
Categories
penwithlit 