Dante, a serious rival to Shakespeare as the world’s greatest literary genius, was born in Florence, Italy 750 years ago. Italy properly celebrated the birthday of its national poet (indeed he who virtually invented the modern Italian language) on May … Continue reading
St. Nicholas is in fact the greatest saint in the history of Christianity. Forget Peter, Paul, or Mary; St. Nicholas has them all beat. No other saint enjoys his unique relationship to all three branches of Christianity—Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and … Continue reading
“On the vigil of the hallows, it was gloomily and steadily raining.” And so it is. I am quoting from a story set in 1945 London, but here we are on another eve of All Hallows and Hurricane Sandy is … Continue reading
“Whoever wants to know the heart and mind of America had better learn baseball” –Jacques Barzun Right off the bat, Jacques Barzun’s pitch about baseball strikes us today as coming out of left field. First asserted in the 1950s, his … Continue reading
What is it with Democratic inaugurations and poetry? Poetry and politics do not mix. Never have. One or the other never fully measures up to the task of the historic moment. Alexander the Great lamented that he did not have … Continue reading
At this very time of year, on a dreary night, and during a lightning storm, Victor Frankenstein first gave life to his hideous creation in Mary Shelley’s tragic novel. And so was born both the connection between Halloween and Frankenstein … Continue reading
Seven years ago, Sept. 11, 2001, we all remember where we were and with whom and what we were doing. I was rushing off for my 9:25 AM class; it was my first semester as a tenure-track professor. Teaching John … Continue reading
On this anniversary of Roe v. Wade let us consider legalized abortion as not just a court case but a sign, and ask, “What does it signify for us as nation, a culture, a civilization?” At the height of another … Continue reading
