Joseph Heller transformed English-language satire by exposing the absurdity of bureaucratic logic and institutional speech. With Catch-22, he introduced a lasting idiom, reshaped the war novel, and showed how English can both reveal and distort reality. His work endures as a critique of power, language, and contradiction.
Death of Joseph Heller (1923–1999) – The Novelist Who Gave English Its Most Famous Paradox
The biopic “Deliver Me From Nowhere” chronicles Bruce Springsteen’s struggles with depression while creating the album “Nebraska.” It explores themes of male friendship, creative drive, and the impact of his tumultuous relationship with his father. The film emphasizes the importance of belief and support in overcoming mental health challenges.
Deliver Me From Nowhere: A Study of Mental Health Through Music
This week Paul Dry Books made me a very happy man. My translation of Alexander Voloshin’s mock epic Sidetracked: Exile in Hollywood, which will officially appear in April of next year, now has a cover, blurbs from four of my idols in disparate fields, and a foothold on Amazon. The people I approached to endorse, […]
From Mandelstam to Mr. Peanut: Another Hollywood Émigré Journey
On August 13, 1946, H. G. Wells died, leaving English richer with phrases like “time machine,” “World State,” and “War of the Worlds.” His visionary blend of science, politics, and storytelling rewired the language for speaking about the past, the future, and everything between.
Death of H. G. Wells (1866–1946) – Giving English a Vision of Tomorrow
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