Cultured Neuron

I’m thinking a big part of ending a book well is having...

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:30:26 -0400

I’m thinking a big part of ending a book well is having scenes in which invisible elements laid down long before crystallize, with no sign of the hand sprinkling the element that makes them do so.

Photo

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:27:26 -0400

“A hot spurt of greed.” Jeezum, John Casey is...

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:22:17 -0400

“A hot spurt of greed.” Jeezum, John Casey is awfully good when in stride.

Sex at sea. Or not. From John Casey’s...

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:16:15 -0400

Sex at sea. Or not.
From John Casey’s ‘Spartina.’ Which I’m re-reading and enjoying a lot, despite a few quibbles. In another life I will have a big ol fuckin’ boat and take it through a hurricane. (at the library)

How The Deniers Win: Question Motives

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 07:01:33 -0400

James Gilbert has the goods over at The Conversation: Climate sceptics have won, Martin Wolf...

This is what you get these days for Father’s Day: two sons...

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 09:20:30 -0400

This is what you get these days for Father’s Day: two sons telling you how to take pictures with your phone. Plus you get to pay for breakfast. @taylordobbs (at Coffee Corner)

"I have no idea whatsoever of the reason so many people have taken to reading my books. Years ago the..."

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 15:09:52 -0400

“I have no idea whatsoever of the reason so many people have taken to reading my books. Years...

"The writers of fan letters: they fall into four main classes. One, those who say, I love your books..."

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 15:08:22 -0400

“The writers of fan letters: they fall into four main classes. One, those who say, I love your...

"INTERVIEWER Would you describe where you write. O’BRIAN Our house is built on the side of a steep..."

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 14:02:20 -0400

“INTERVIEWER Would you describe where you write. O’BRIAN Our house is built on the side of a...

"INTERVIEWER How about the material about the sea. Have you ever had that wrong? O’BRIAN No...."

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 13:59:57 -0400

“INTERVIEWER How about the material about the sea. Have you ever had that wrong? O’BRIAN No....

Patrick O'Brian on errors in print

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 11:41:30 -0400

INTERVIEWER Do readers ever find errors? O’BRIAN A Cambridge don who interviewed me for the Times...

"When words are flowing faster than one’s pen can catch them, writing is a strong though wearing..."

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 11:38:52 -0400

“When words are flowing faster than one’s pen can catch them, writing is a strong though...

In which George Plimpton sneaks himself into the Patrick O'Brian interview

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 11:26:55 -0400

INTERVIEWER [Plimpton] How do you name your characters? I note that a Plimpton turns up—a seaman...

"A freewheeling mind can conceive a virtually infinite number of sequences, but just how that mind..."

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 11:23:40 -0400

“A freewheeling mind can conceive a virtually infinite number of sequences, but just how that...

"A freewheeling mind can conceive a virtually infinite number of sequences, but just how that mind..."

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 11:22:30 -0400

“A freewheeling mind can conceive a virtually infinite number of sequences, but just how that...

"Yet there are many who have certainly and directly taught me admiration, and yes, I do read them..."

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 11:02:02 -0400

“Yet there are many who have certainly and directly taught me admiration, and yes, I do read...

"[O’Brian’s] work accomplishes nobly the three grand purposes of art: to entertain, to..."

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 10:56:15 -0400

“[O’Brian’s] work accomplishes nobly the three grand purposes of art: to...

Paris Review - The Art of Fiction No. 142, Patrick O'Brian

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 10:48:57 -0400

O’Brian’s eloquent admirers include not merely distinguished critics and reviewers but noted...

Paris Review - The Art of Fiction No. 142, Patrick O'Brian

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 10:47:40 -0400

(“I had been reading naval history for years and years, and I knew a fair amount about the sea: I...

"(“I had been reading naval history for years and years, and I knew a fair amount about the sea: I..."

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 10:46:46 -0400

“(“I had been reading naval history for years and years, and I knew a fair amount about the...