January 24 was the birthday of Hedwig “Vicki” Baum (1888-1960). The Viennese-born writer is not widely known by name in the U.S. though it ought to be: her name is on over a dozen Hollywood movies, the biggest success of which was MGM’s smash 1932 adaptation of Grand Hotel, along with many remakes and sequels. […]
Vicki Baum: “Grand Hotel” and Beyond
Hey all! I’m speaking about a relationship model that is most common associated with heterosexual couples. BUT BUT BUT here’s the real truth… It’s a relationship model for any kind of relationship when there is an imbalance of power. And Hollywood can claim that it wants strong women all it wants EXCEPT it released that […]
An Old Relationship Model is awful with Spoilers
Anthony Hopkins proves that spoken English is a disciplined music. By honoring syntax, meter, and pause, he makes complex writing audible, precise, and alive. His performances teach that clarity comes from structure, emotion from grammar, and authority from restraint—English realized, not approximated, through decades of stage and screen mastery alone.
Birth of Anthony Hopkins (1937– ) – The Actor Who Taught English How to Be Spoken with Absolute Precision
For the second leg of my attempt to read Saul Bellow’s novels – or, as I’ve read several already, should I say to enjoy Saul Bellow’s novels – in fact, as I’m not that ambitious, make that to get Saul Bellow’s novels – I thought I would go for one that’s even thinner than Dangling […]
Saul Bellow: Seize the Day
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
penwithlit