“2666 is as consummate a performance as any 900-page novel dare hope to be: Bolaño won the race to the finish line in writing what he plainly intended, in his self-interrogating way, as a master statement. Indeed, he produced not only a supreme capstone to his own vaulting ambition, but a landmark in what’s possible for the novel as a form in our increasingly, and terrifyingly, post-national world.”
2. “Harsh Words About Obama? Never Mind Now”
“There is a great tradition of paint-peeling political hyperbole during presidential campaign years. And there is an equally great tradition of backing off from it all afterward, though with varying degrees of deftness.”
3. “My Music, MySpace, My Life”
“She has quickly established herself as the most remarkable country music breakthrough artist of the decade. In part that’s because she is one of Nashville’s most exciting songwriters, with a chirpy, exuberant voice. But mainly Ms. Swift’s career has been noteworthy for what happens once the songs are finished. She has aggressively used online social networks to stay connected with her young audience in a way that, while typical for rock and hip-hop artists, is proving to be revolutionary in country music. As she vigilantly narrates her own story and erases barriers between her and her fans, she is helping country reach a new audience.”
4. “The Show That Turned the Mockery Into the Message”
“MST3K may have been the first television show in which the commentary was more important than what was being commented on. You tuned in not to watch schlocky features like Fire Maidens of Outer Space or Manos: The Hands of Fate but to see how Mr. Hodgson and his crew would tear them apart.”
5. “When Science Fiction Morphed Into Politics”
“Begin with some element of established fact, embroider it and entertain while illuminating. When H. G. Wells wrote The War of the Worlds, he did not genuinely fear a Martian invasion; he was reflecting on the growing tensions in Europe, which indeed would bring World War I. What he, Mr. Crichton and other great science-fiction writers shared was a fascination with narratives that portray where man’s capacity to create new technologies undermines his ability to foresee the consequences.”
6. “Generation O Gets Its Hopes Up”
“The point is that communication technology is the tool that makes all things possible, from hook-ups and pop songs to protests or the president of their choice, said Neil Howe, a sociologist who studies young adults.”
“Fleming, the British intelligence officer turned newspaper man turned spy novelist born 100 years ago this year, spent winters on his Caribbean getaway for almost two decades. The airport and the Palisadoes both feature in James Bond novels; the hotel is where Bond chose to lay his head in Golden Gun. It was on Jamaica that Fleming wrote more than a dozen novels and short stories featuring Agent 007. Of these once best-selling volumes of action pulp, Dr. No, Live and Let Die, The Man With the Golden Gun and the short story ‘Octopussy’ are largely or partly set in Jamaica, and the films based on the first two were also shot there.”
“Brahms sat on one, as did Lenin, and millions of us have perched comfortably on them in cafes. Another admirer was Le Corbusier. ‘Never was a better and more elegant design and a more precisely crafted and practical item created,’ he said.”
