Thursday, November 12, 2026

'A Universally Acknowledged Truth'

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Boswell recalls several observations made by Johnson on September 22, 1777: “Dr. Johnson advised me to-day to have as many books about me as...
1 comment:
Wednesday, November 11, 2026

'As Though Nothing But Joy Came After!'

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At the back of the first American edition of his Great War memoir Undertones of War (1929), Edmund Blunden appends a selection of thirty-on...
Tuesday, November 10, 2026

'War Is an Ancient Imposter'

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“It was a sunny morning, that of July 1, 1916. The right notes for it would have been the singing of blackbirds and the ringing of the black...
Monday, November 09, 2026

'But You Call This Instinct'

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Tucked into a brief section at the back of The Poems of Edmund Blunden (Cobden-Sanderson, 1930) titled “Occasional Pieces” is “Under a Thou...
3 comments:
Sunday, November 08, 2026

'His Discreet Irony'

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An old friend tells me he’s reading Sir Thomas Browne for the first time – Religio Medici (1643) – and having a wonderful time. If you like...
1 comment:
Saturday, November 07, 2026

'A Future Close Enough to Smell'

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One of my favorite contemporary poets is Deborah Warren, who lives in Massachusetts. She’s smart, technically adroit, has a musical ear and ...
1 comment:
Friday, November 06, 2026

'Hope, Indeed, Is Very Fallacious'

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Some years ago I was diagnosed with a condition called MGUS (pronounced EM -gus) -- monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance. It’...