As I write, impassioned protests in Kenosha and elsewhere attest to the anguish experienced by many Americans at the racialized violence meted out to African Americans. The incomprehensible shooting in the back of Jacob Blake, father of three, by a white police officer is the latest in a string of … [Read more...]
The Rise of the Digital Robber Barons: Is government up to the task at hand?
Given Canada’s history, we can anticipate that any plans for the federal government to use its “super powers” could erode our civil liberties. We must vigilantly protect fundamental rights and look to the courts to affirm, and in some instances extend, the reach of our Charter protections should … [Read more...]
1919 by John Dos Passos: A requiem for the defeated and outcasts
I have always intended to work my way through all three volumes of Dos Passos’ U.S.A. trilogy, published between 1930 and 1936 and clocking in at 1,300 pages. During today’s strange pandemic times, I have taken advantage of the opportunity to do so. And I can tell you that, while at times it was a … [Read more...]
Democracy in Ruins: Flaubert’s Sentimental Education and the fate of radical Democrats
I recently read Peter Brook’s book Flaubert in the Ruins of Paris: The Story of a Friendship, a Novel and a Terrible Year. The book provides a fascinating account of the composition and the literary and wider political history of Gustave Flaubert’s 1869 novel Sentimental Education. Brook’s book led … [Read more...]
Searching for Hopeful Signs in a Dark Wood, Rapidly Shrinking: Laws to address the climate emergency
Missing In Action Donald Trump continues to audition for the job of World’s Greatest Practical Joker. You may have heard about the pending release of a new book by Edward Russo, entitled Donald J Trump: An Environmental Hero. Russo is a consultant who has advised Trump. He is also a staunch Trump … [Read more...]
Gold Dust Nations: The Ayn Rand effect
In 1977, Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac sang “Gold Dust Woman, … take your sliver spoon , dig your grave.” A mere two years later, Margaret Thatcher was elected prime minister of Britain. She declared there is no such thing as society, and progressive politics based on democratic socialism must be … [Read more...]
Re-opening the Case of L’Etranger
Albert Camus’ early masterpiece The Stranger, published in 1942, is an enigmatic fable that has entranced generations of readers. One such reader, the Algerian journalist Kamel Daoud, has expressed his admiration for Camus’ writings. Despite his appreciation, he also poses serious questions about a … [Read more...]
The White Angel: An excursion from Chinatown to posh Shaughnessy Heights and back
John MacLachlan Gray is a celebrated playwright who penned the immortal masterpiece Billy Bishop Goes to War. Having not seen any new plays from Gray for many years, I had wondered whatever had become of him. Not to worry. It turns out that in recent years he has reinvented himself as a mystery … [Read more...]
Revolution Mañana: Carlos Fuentes and the revolutionary potential in law and politics
For me, Carlos Fuentes (1928-2012) remains one of the great writers of the Latin American Boom. He combined his talents as an imaginative novelist and short story writer with an unwavering dedication to participation in the major political and social debates of his time. He operated as a leading … [Read more...]
Building the New Jerusalem, One Clause at a Time
The Saskatchewan Bill of Rights, 1947, was landmark legislation that inaugurated a new era in Canadian law. The Bill, which contained a clear description of the rights and freedoms to be protected by the provincial government, anticipated the much better known document of the United Nations, which … [Read more...]
