Category Archives: Well Worth Reading

Fiction: Louise Erdrich – “Nero”

Books, Well Worth Reading

I typically enjoy Louise Erdrich’s short stories in the New Yorker, but her last one was a real delight. “Nero” blends a half-feral watchdog with courtship by combat in a half-civilized frontier town. (The time period isn’t clear, but the citizens seem to have just figured out how to get themselves into trouble with the electricity that’s been wired to their homes.)

In the midst of the story is a bravura scene where a tarantula and python turn on their showman during a visit to an elementary school. My only complaint is the ending feels a little preordained; any other direction would have been more satisfying. But that’s a small part of the story, which is well worth a read.

Update: Just saw this quote from Erdrich in the interview, which is fitting:

You probably read more short stories than anyone else on earth, so you know the rules. If a person gets romantic justice in the story, the dog must suffer, or vice versa. Also, I have never liked cocker spaniels.

Meals from the Museum

Well Worth Reading

The New Yorker has had some great features lately exploring the heritage of  regional cuisines. In the April 16 issue, Julia Ioffe has an excellent article about Maksim Syrnikov, a Russian chef who’s dedicated to exploring and recreating that nation’s traditional diet, going as far as to build one of the massive brick ovens that used to dominate peasant homes. Borscht and potatoes aren’t really Russian he argues; the meals he does cook are fascinating, even if critics charge they’re unhealthy or anachronistic.

The Ioffe article called up a 2011 story by Burkhard Bilger about Homer Sean Brock, a Charleston chef committed to rediscovering classic southern recipes, going as far as to establish his own farm to grow the right ingredients. That one’s also top-notch.

Match Point

Well Worth Reading

They stood near the rail, an infirm man and his only child, and said their goodbyes. As they were speaking, one of the ship’s enormous smokestacks came crashing down. Dick darted out of the way. Charles was crushed, instantly killed. At that point Dick jumped into the ocean.

In the April 2 Sports Illustrated, L. Jon Wertheim has a fascinating story about two Hall of Fame tennis players who survived the sinking of the Titanic, played each other three months later and never quite revisited their ordeal on the ocean.

Strolling the Streets of Ancient Rome

Well Worth Reading

I’m a sucker for stuff like this–the Rome Reborn project is dedicated to creating a virtual model of Rome as it stood in 320. This video tour swoops you past all the sites that gave you blisters if you’ve visited the Eternal City. I liked it a lot, even as the music and animation made me feel like I’d just built a new wonder in Civilization.

Rome Reborn 2.2: A Tour of Ancient Rome in 320 CE from Bernard Frischer on Vimeo.

ht: Open Culture