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An extraordinary journey, Fév 24 1999

This novel, his first, captures perhaps more than any other debut the fantastic potential this young man would show in his later writings. There is an old maxim that states that one should write what he or she knows, and Thomas Wolfe did just that. Other writers, with less than sincere motives, portray their surroundings with cynicism and malice; Wolfe wrote with an idealism that is heartbreaking in its naivete.

Eugene Gant, like his real life counterpart, is a young man overflowing with a passion for life. Wolfe captured perfectly the ebullient and sensitive nature of this youth. But more than that, he somehow managed to portray Youth itself, with all of its passions,… Lire la suite

Surprisingly Great Photographs, Jui 4 1998

I have never been a devotee of photojournalism. Not for any of the ethical reason, but simply because the quality of most photojournalism I have seen is quite poor. There have been a number of exceptions, and this book is full of them.

It is astonishing to me that these photographers managed to create such beautiful images during the horror of war. I am speaking apart from subject matter, which too often gets in the way of any meaningful discussion about the particualr merits of a photograph. Yes, the subject matter is horrific, but the images themselves are incredible. Being a photographer myself, I am aware of the skill required to create a meaningful image. These artists who… Lire la suite

A gut-wrenching and soulful experience., Janv. 21 1998

It should be illegal for certain books to be translated into film. I pity the person who does not read, who for whatever reason, cannot create in the mind the vivd imagery laid down in this incredible novel. No movie can come close. I was about a third into "Germinal" when, coincidentally, my union of grocery clerks called for a strike. Of course, almost any similarity between the well-fed and well-compensated clerk of today and the starving, wretched lot portrayed in the novel are absurd. The thing that struck me most were the character representations of both the workers and the owners. The stakes were different, but the mood was exactly the same. I saw first-hand, the… Lire la suite