In examining the fruits of the New Deal, The Conscience of a Liberal does far more than simply provide a nostalgia-seeped account of post-war prosperity. Instead, the book, written by Paul Krugman, provides a consistent and cogent argument for the New Deal’s expansion. Krugman, a New York Times columnist and respected professor of economics at Princeton University, supports a government that promotes decency, not in the narrow, moralistic sense in which that’s usually meant, but rather in working to ensure comfort and care for all of its citizens.
Category Archives: Books
They Don’t Mean To, But They Do
The latest New Yorker has an article on poet Robert Hass. Reading it, I was struck by this excerpt, which follows a passage reflecting on the embarrassment induced by his alcoholic mother.
When we say “mother” in poems,we usually mean some woman in her late twentiesor early thirties trying to raise a child.We use this particular nounto secure the pathos of the child’s point of viewand to hold her responsible.
The sharpness of his childhood is reversed into an acknowledgment of his mother’s own struggles, one that forgives her. It’s a neat trick.
The poem is called Dragonflies Mating and could be found here in its entirety.
Make ‘Em Laugh
Steve Martin has a wistful piece in the October 29 New Yorker looking back at the origins of his career in comedy. It progresses through his first employment at Knott’s Berry Farm through the “avant-garde” excitement of the 1960s, complete with stops to lose his virginity, date Dalton Trumbo’s daughter (setting up the article’s hardest-hitting joke), and develop his theory of humor. It is infused throughout with the presence of a young man who was older than his age, and an older man struggling with the passage of time.
Only the abstract is available online, but comedy fans should try to track down the piece in print.
To Ogle an Ogre
I recently stumbled across a free pile of paperbacks from Piers Anthony’s Xanth series. Being the optimist that I am (“Sure, I have space for fourteen books as well as time to read them”), I gathered them in my arms and took them home with me. I’d read most of them before, when I was in middle school, and I had fond, if hokey, memories.
Banana Snapple Redux
FLYMF contributor Zachary Locklin has a short story, “Fifteen Things About DJ: A Biography,” published in the most recent issue of Poetic Diversity. In less than 1,000 words he gives us a touching snapshot of a personality (although I guess you really did have to be there for the rape joke).
There’s also a banana Snapple reference, which will be familiar to the few of you who remember FLYMF‘s second issue. He’s also wrote A Disgrace to the Gothic Establishment and America, the Suck Fest, or a Modest Tax Proposal for us, both of which showcase his wry, polished style.