Last December, the English Department gave out 200 copies of Kalooki Nights, the challenging, sprawling, inspired, and ambitious 2006 novel by English writer Howard Jacobson, this year’s British Council UK Writer in Residence. Jacobson is a novelist, broadcaster, and journalist; London’s Independent, which publishes his weekly column, calls him an “acerbic cultural critic … known…
You might know that Dan Brown’s latest mystery is set here in DC. You might not know that Professor Margaret Soltan has read it, and talked about the book last night on the Lehrer News Hour. From the transcript (here): MARGARET SOLTAN: [Mystery blockbusters] appeal to a large audience because they’re fun to read, they’re…
Professor Margaret Soltan was interviewed last night on the Lehrer News Hour about Nobel Prize winner Doris Lessing. Here’s the interview: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/ . Follow the link on the lower right of the page. For a full account of the adventure, see Professor Soltan’s blog University Diaries. Share on FacebookTweet
If you have been to a GW basketball game or a rained-out Fall Fest, you probably recognize the name Smith. “Smith” might be the most common surname in the United States, but it also has an illustrious history at GW. The Smith Center is named after D.C. real estate developer and GWU benefactor Charles E….
The detonation of explosives at Square 54 aside, a typical Friday afternoon in the English Department is as quiet as a stone.* The only sounds to be heard are those made by a few professors who are taking advantage of the lull at the end of the week to accomplish some grading, or by some…
While not Valentine’s themed, Robert Hass’s “Privilege of Being” is the first poem that jumps to mind when I think of great romantic poetry. For the in-love and love cynics alike, enjoy and Happy Valentine’s Day. Privilege of BeingRobert Hass Many are making love. Up above, the angelsin the unshaken ether and crystal of human…
