Ever wonder what your favourite writers' doodles look like? Back in the days before word processing, writing was a matter of putting pen – or pencil – to paper. As writing is a slow, laborious and often dull activity, writers were prone to distraction or even, perish the thought, procrastination. Often they would resort to doodling.
Flavorwire has published a fascinating overview of doodles by some very famous scribes. Featured writers include Sylvia Plath, Kurt Vonnegut, Franz Kafka, Charles Bukowski and Vladimir Nabokov. There is a particularly affecting self-portrait by Jorge Luis Borges, drawn after he had gone blind. While the Wheeler Centre is normally not given to editorialising, we must admit to a particular fondness for Kurt Vonnegut’s doodle. Now there’s something we never thought we’d say.
Judy Horacek’s take on book critics
Two related pieces appeared in The Observer on the weekend, signalling more debate over the role of the critic. Neal Gabler, author of Walt Disney: The Biography, writes, “It is Twitter, Facebook, myDigg, Yelp and dozens of other sites where, sometimes just by sheer quantity of opinion, the people are overrunning the Winter Palace of cultural elitism.”
In a related piece, a group of artists and critics adds to the swell. Here’s Hari Kunzru, novelist: “Critics praise work that doesn’t upset them. So much looks like art but just tastes of cardboard.”
And over at the Huffington Post, critic Anis Shivani has asked major American critics the question, “"How can book reviewing be relevant to the new generation of readers?”
Regular readers of the Dailies may remember our story last week on the spat between playwright David Williamson and Crikey’s theatre critic Jason Whittaker (currently the subject of our Talking Point). Indeed, attendees of Wheeler Centre events will recall our Critical Failure series on theatre, film, books and music.
How times change. Twenty years ago, when the Iron Curtain came tumbling down, readers in Australia observed the historical events through the prism of the Australian media. As some 2 million Cairenes gather in Tahrir Square chanting (according to Al Jazeera) ‘Irhal!’, or ‘Leave!’, onlookers from around the world are observing events from their computer screens. Here are some shortcuts for those wanting to know more.
The Nieman Foundation reports on how New York Times journalist Nick Kristof is covering events on his blog, Facebook and Twitter, as well as more old-fashioned places like his newspaper’s website.
Events in Egypt have produced some firsts: the first time a national government has reacted to a crisis by shutting down the Internet. Here’s the hows and wherefores. Al Jazeera has distinguished itself throughout the crisis – here’s a look at how its coverage has been breaking new ground.
Crikey’s Guy Rundle has a refreshing take on the international context, and Tom Cowie reminds us of how WikiLeaks is helping stoke the flames of anti-Mubarak sentiment.
The New Yorker’s Steve Coll has published an interview with a member of the Egyptian opposition.
Readers seeking background to better understand current events can’t go past the Daily Beast’s primer on the top 10 books to read about recent Egyptian history.
Addendum: Mother Jones on Mubarak’s human rights record.
