Though both recount stories, the two great
modes of narrative - fiction and history - can never be entirely synthesized.
In fact, the concordance and discordance between them becomes more recognizable
when each mode is put in dialogue with the other. Unlike novelists, on the one
hand, historians in their stories do aim to re-narrate the past and are
therefore subject to what once was. Plowing through documents, establishing
traces – marks or signs of passing through –, and reconstructing personal
encounters, all contribute to highlighting that a historian’s task cannot be
reduced to merely a literary achievement. Unlike historians, on the other hand,
novelists in their stories have few limits or restrictions. They’re free to be
more wide-ranging and imaginative in their work, while crafting a literary
adventure of a plot and characters that may be as sublimely real or unreal as they
please. Where does that leave us in the monumental debate concerning fiction
and history? I’d wager that fiction and history are related, since both modes
are telling stories that represent something, but they are also distinct
because they have different subject matter, purposes, and goals.
Thursday, May 11, 2023
Fiction and History
Thursday, May 4, 2023
Picasso, painting, & humanity
The significance of Picasso attempting to paint a painting without any trace of Picasso in it should give rise thought. Could he do it? Was it possible for him to be so disengaged from the work that its meaning and interpretation would be entirely up to the viewer? Picasso, intriguingly, set out to accomplish this, but I would wager he failed. What he was attempting – a total distinction of the subject from the object – is an impossible goal. Neutrality is not a plausible option, since intentionality is an inescapable dimension of who humans are. After all, being erased, unnoticed, excluded from participation in creativity is not humanly possible. Beings like us are present, involved, and continually leaving traces of ourselves in time. This dynamic truth amounts to the gift of a perspective of the world and humanity that shows us the subject and the object are commissioned to interact with each other.
Monday, May 1, 2023
Two Economies
There are at least two types of giving: obligation and desire. These are not mutually exclusive, but the latter is less duty orientated than the former. On the one hand, when we go to the store and buy something, we are obliged to give in order to receive - this is exchange. On the other hand, when we desire to give, we do so without receiving - this is gift. I'd wager therefore that there are two economies - the economy of exchange and the economy of gift. Life generally, and relationships specifically, amount to a radical negotiation between the two.
Monday, April 3, 2023
Am I Alone In The World?
This story is about us, our relation to self, other, and world, therefore, it's not entirely science fiction, but perhaps better a reality check. Who are we? Where are we going? What kind of universe do we live in? One of the challenges of reading this novel is it may not let you out of the narrative without considering these types of questions.
Friday, March 31, 2023
Philosophical Fiction
A perceptive reader said, that among other things, Am I Alone In The World? is philosophical fiction - a new genre. Maybe?
Thursday, March 23, 2023
Another review of my new novel - Am I Alone In The World?
Tuesday, February 28, 2023
Am I Alone In The World?
Sometimes I feel like I am alone in the world, which in one sense, but not another, may be the case. How about you? Do you ever feel this way?
Thursday, February 16, 2023
Tuesday, January 31, 2023
Survival - Am I Alone In The World?
We're being swept up in a tidal wave of technology and the horrible effects of climate chaos are upon us all. Both in their own ways threaten life on planet Earth. Survival is a burning question today and no doubt will continue to be in the future. The character 'I' (could be any of us) in my new novel, Am I Alone In The World? has to decide if survival at all costs is really worth it. What do you think? Read this entertaining, yet challenging story. It may help you make up your mind.
Tuesday, January 24, 2023
Am I Alone In The World? my new novel
Since Harry released his memoir it looks like my new novel, Am I Alone In The World? has no chance of being #1.
Monday, January 16, 2023
A review of my new novel.
Great Science Fiction with a Philosophical Twist!
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 10, 2023
Verified Purchase
AM I ALONE IN THE WORLD? is a cleverly written story that engages the reader at several levels. It’s a provocative, mind-bending novel about existence in a world filled with uncertainty. As the story unfolds, the main character “I” finds him or herself alone, struggling to make sense of a planet in disarray. Much to the character’s good fortune, a library is discovered that allows “I” to revel in the thoughts and lives of others throughout history. This mysterious setting serves as a vehicle to transport “I” (and the reader) into imaginary worlds filled with enchantment and meaning. It’s a formula where possible worlds of all types can be explored. This engaging style pulls the reader right into the struggle of the “I” in all of us. I highly recommend this book for its entertainment value and also the underlying philosophical thread that provokes deeper thought.
Wednesday, January 11, 2023
Am I Alone In The World?
I experienced a fair amount of anxiety and plenty of melancholic moments writing this new novel. The feeling of possibly being alone in the world and all the questions that raised, inside the story, started to freak me out. Uncertainty about the present and the future of the Earth and humanity due to climate chaos and other serious threats, as recounted in the book, made me realize to an even greater degree my own precarity, outside of it.
Thursday, December 22, 2022
Thoughts and New Novel - Am I Alone In The World?
Over the years many of us may have experienced a hermeneutical change of perspective concerning God and the biblical stories. Does God really exist and do the biblical accounts offer a reliable representation of God? When it comes to such questions, responses can often hang in the balance, fluctuating between the ‘possible’ and the ‘impossible.’ Perhaps, this is as it should be. Who knows? By the way, that question is a constant refrain in my new novel, Am I Alone In The World? You gotta read this one and please give me feedback if you do.
Tuesday, December 13, 2022
New Novel - Am I Alone In The World?
My new novel has just been released and is starting to be stocked in bookstores and online. Am I Alone In The World? is a gripping genre defying story about the present/future context and what might happen if we don't we address climate chaos and other issues that threaten Earth and our survival. Or is it already too late? You gotta read this one!
