L. Dann

Being out of control, Jun 25 2004

Jim Dixon is a man painfully aware of his loathesome existence which he in turn sparks up with booze and constant inappropriate wisecracks. He is best when he gives way to his impulses- saying aloud the insults that his innermind is shouting to another, drinking far too much before giving a speech in front of a jam-packed lecture hall where his job rests on the outcome, and being unable to stop making phoney phonecalls to his boss' wife and 'braying' artist son. He finishes writing his speech and then hops around like an ape only to be observed on the bed by his enemy. He is constantly at war with one of his housemates and plays childish pranks to get his goat. Though the setting is… Read more

He writes of us all., May 10 2004

This novel is the 4th Mahfouz that I have read and though I've loved them all, this one stands out as a masterpiece. At one level it is an historical interplay of the resistance to the subjugation of the Egyptian nation by the British at the end of the Ottoman Empire. Then there is the story of a family of powerfully drawn characters whose destinies are the subject of this first book- indeed all three books of this trilogy. Their lives, naturally are played out within the historical events and behind those cloistered doors where the matriarch, Amina, must stay overlong and dare not leave without permission. The daughters must never be seen, and yet one is so bold to attempt it. Hypocrisy… Read more

Power, Wealth and a Jewish Dynasty, Feb 26 2004

Ostensibly the study of a remarkable, wealthy dynasty, The Warburgs is a monumental history of Europe, the United States, Israel and even Africa. The author manages to faithfully document the lives of these international bankers, nobel prize winning scientists, explorers and philanthropists against some of the most haunting events in human history.

That the Warburg family loved their German homeland is indisputable. Even after WWII, some descendents could not resist returning to Hamburg, to see the old estates, to embrace old nannies, employees and to on one occassion, steal back a valuable vase that the Nazi's had appropriated elsewhere. They were passionate German citizens later of… Read more