Tag Archives: books

On Poe and Writing with Purpose

Posted on April 22, 2024 by Lee

H.P. Lovecraft said the genius of Edgar Allan Poe was that he expressed human sensations the way they really are. The sensations he was interested in describing were those of pain, decay, and terror. Poe was carrying out a scientific … Continue reading →

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The Admonishing Stars

Posted on March 11, 2024 by Lee

Imagine if the stars came out only once every thousand years, says Ralph Waldo Emerson. How people would gather to see them, and preserve the memory of them, passing down the story of the stars from generation to generation. (Imagine … Continue reading →

Posted in books, Philosophy | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Friday, 21st February 1997

Posted on February 21, 2024 by Lee

Besides getting his toilet fixed by a man called “Dirty Dave,” William Burroughs spent the day reading Asylum by Patrick McGrath. It’s been a long time since I read that book. I remember I enjoyed it but little more. What … Continue reading →

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Fact and Fiction

Posted on January 31, 2024 by Lee

I’m making notes for my Substack and I came across this passage from Hume, quoted by Barry Stroud in his 1977 book on the philosopher: “If one person sits down to read a book as a romance, and another as … Continue reading →

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Friends and Readers

Posted on January 11, 2024 by Lee

I’ve been reading Jack Kerouac’s Vanity of Duluoz, towards the end of which he describes the way William Burroughs showed support for him in the early years, motivating him to write more as he experimented and found his voice and … Continue reading →

Posted in Beat Generation, Literature | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

On David Hume and Perception

Posted on December 11, 2023 by Lee

I’m putting together some notes for a long-term project I’m planning to share on my Substack (which you can go and look at and even subscribe to if you like! It’s a bit bare for now but I will begin … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Fire and Tears

Posted on December 8, 2023 by Lee

According to the Mahabharata, there was a time when there was no death. Creation was the big thing, and a fiery god created and created things until the universe was packed. Until even he had to admit he’d overdone it. … Continue reading →

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Home

Posted on November 24, 2023 by Lee

I finished reading Future Home of the Living God by Louise Erdrich this morning. The Earth is our home, and the future home will be the Earth to come. In the story, the planet is changing fast and the future … Continue reading →

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Sharing Dreams

Posted on November 14, 2023 by Lee

I’m reading Assassin’s Fate by Robin Hobb this week. Not telling the prophetic dreams makes them sick. It’s like an obsession, says one of the dreamers. It feels, upon waking, like the dream must be told, or at least written … Continue reading →

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Doors

Posted on August 3, 2023 by Lee

To make a short story by Kafka even shorter: A man approaches a door and is told by the doorkeeper that he cannot enter. The door is wide open and the man thinks about just strolling through and the doorkeeper … Continue reading →

Posted in books, Literature | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments