PART TWO of BY HOOK OR BY CROOK: A HATER'S QUEST TO ENJOY SHAKESPEARE, in which i explore a few of shakespeare's contemporaries...

are you stalling...

new feature: BY HOOK OR BY CROOK: A HATER'S QUEST TO ENJOY SHAKESPEARE -- Introduction & Part One

ezra pound also seemed to think the histories were shakespeare's best work, though i've never read them for myself. maybe when you get to the henriad i'll read along with you...

new essay, A PLACE -- it's about where I live

introducing the SADDLEBALCKWELL LETTERS, a letter series featuring myself and my good friend saddleblasters

this series is the cutest thing i've seen. what a rollout. also insert that gif of the person looking sadly out the window as it rains

changed the GREAT BOOKS LIST to the BALCKWELL CANON. implemented a THREE-TIERED SYSTEM which makes it more clear why certain books are on the list -- generally made it a bit more personal and hopefully more interesting... but in the end, it is just a big list of books

new feature: AUTHOR OVERVIEWS, in which i write a little about each of an author's books (that i've read), trying to find connections and generally outline the trajectory of their writings. starting with one of my favourites, NATSUME SOSEKI. this will likely be continually updated as i read more of this works.

i'm curious how you'll feel about sanshiro when you get to it. imo it has some of the best atmosphere of his books. after i read it, i realized this was where a lot of modern japanese media's imagination of turn-of-the-century japan came from

added a more complete update log because i wanted to remind myself of the things i've done

new essay APOLITICAL BORGES, about the role of the "author", plus an APPENDIX: CAN WE SEPARATE THE ART FROM THE ARTIST? in which i do, in fact, answer the question

my long-form analysis of TRIBULATIONS OF A CHINESE MAN IN CHINA by Jules Verne

new essay: THE WEATHER IS GOING TO GET COLD SOON... in which i rediscover a long-lost anime from my past

i always feel strangely guilty when i forget the contents of books/movies/animation i claim to be formative, as though i'm supposed to retain encyclopedic knowledge of everything that's ever moved me. you're right though, forgetting allows us to re-experience where we came from with a fresh mind, and in the process have that wonderful feeling called "remembering", something akin to Plato's conception of amamnesis