JA Baker’s The Peregrine exemplifies the best in nature writing. Short staccato sentences set the mis-en-scene and longer descriptions zoom in like a telescope into the plumes and colors of birds, with precision and care. The writing teaches us how to write interesting papers, to expose the brilliance of underlying ideas, even when bounded by rote “rules”.
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I’ll begin with a story that is one of my favorite essays, from Essays in Idleness (Tsurezuregusa) by Yoshida Kenko a world-wise Japanese monk from 1331. Kenko writes:
When I went to see the horse racing at the Kamo Shrine on the fifth day of the fifth month, the view from our carriage was blocked by a throng of common folk. We all got down and moved towards the fence for a better view, but that area was particularly crowded and we couldn’t make our way through…
Leave a CommentShould I read the book? Should I, having never surfed and having never been to Africa, Fiji or Australia? Surfing is a way of life and a “test of faith”. To be in water, is somewhat like exploring space with less-than-light-speed drives. We are simply suspending ourself in the medium, fighting ceaselessly against the wickedness of gravity.
Leave a CommentSome thoughts on why “low-brow” culture may save languages.
Leave a CommentThoughts on The Golden Notebook — a feminist classic.
It is a wild anti-Bildungsroman.
To understand China, its growth and society, its trade, outsourcing and manufacturing relationship with the US, it is imperative to understand its history. In this article, I discuss books, films, podcasts and web resources that helped me begin my journey of learning more about China. First in the set of notes from a long China trip.
Leave a CommentReviews of two (very) short books on China, as we explore the world, with a closer lens.
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