Examining Chekhov's life within the context of his art, Mr. Callow finds him astonishingly modern: the new kind of man, uncomfortable in the world and refusing to sentimentalize his unease. But the love theme that is central to his biography and his art, which Mr. Callow explores with a novelist's skills and sensitivities, has been somehow slighted by Chekhov scholars. It is the hidden ground from which his work sprang and on which his divided life stood. We must constantly remind ourselves that Chekhov was for years a doctor first and a writer second, seeing writing as a frivolous, irrelevant activity. He exhausted himself with this double life and was soon in bad health. Mr. Callow's portrait reveals a puzzlingly elusive man who constantly surprises us: a modest genius who finds the whole nature of fame unseemly; a man furious at injustice who is apolitical; a humorist in despair before the mediocrity, stupidity, and cruelty of the world; a generous spirit unable to stop working to improve the lot of others, incapable of turning anyone away, who remains stubbornly apart and hidden.
Setting / LocationGlobal
Story EraModern Era
Protagonist / CoreChekhov, the hidden ground Lead Character
Hall of Fame disc jockey Tom Joyner uses his signature brand of humor to discuss everything from business to careers to relationships as he shares the insights and lessons he's learned along the way.Now the host of a radio show that is the most popular media outlet ever among African Americans, Joyner started his career at a small AM radio station in his home state of Alabama, working his way across the midwest, and eventually landing in Chicago.In 1985, he made headlines as "The Hardest Working Man in Radio" when he worked a morning show in Dallas in addition to his afternoon show in Chicago. His daily commute earned him the nickname "The Fly Jock." In 1994, he convinced ABC Radio to syndicate his program, and The Tom Joyner Show?a mix of comedy music, and guests who range from Stevie Wonder to Tipper Gore?was born.
Pp. 120-123 deal with Ehrenburg's attitudes to Judaism and antisemitism as reflected in the discourse on the Jewish question in his first novel "Julio Jurenito" (1922). States that in general he tried to view the world from a genuinely cosmopolitan standpoint. The Jews are described by Jurenito as a people who constantly question the established order and try to undermine it by inventing subversive religions (e.g., Christianity, communism) which eventually become the established order and must then be repudiated. Ehrenburg was proud of this tragic and unique destiny of the Jews, who were persecuted because of it, and he was opposed to a nationalist solution (Zionism). Pp. 226-240 deal with Stalin's postwar anti-Jewish campaign, and Ehrenburg's role as the regime's "token Jew, " a cover for its antisemitic policies. States that there is no evidence that Ehrenburg betrayed his Jewish friends who were murdered by Stalin, but faults him for lying about what was happening to them at the time.
One New Year's Day, Noelle Oxenhandler took stock of her life and found that she was alone after a long marriage, seemingly doomed to perpetual house rental and separated from the spiritual community that once had sustained her. With little left to lose, she launched a year's experiment in desire, forcing herself to take the plunge and try the path of Putting It Out There. It wasn't easy. A skeptic at heart, and a practicing Buddhist as well, Oxenhandler had grown up with a strong aversion to mixing spiritual and earthly matters. Still, she suspended her doubts and went for it all: a new love, a healed soul, and the 2RBD/1.5 BA of her dreams. Thus began her initiation into the art of wishing brazenly.In this charming, compelling, and ultimately joyful book, Oxenhandler records a journey that is at once comic and poignant, light and dark, earthy and spiritual. Along the way she wonders: Does wishing have power? Is there danger in wishing? Are some wishes more worthy than others? And what about the ancient link between suffering and desire? To answer her questions, she delves into the history of wishing, from the rain dance and deer song of primeval magic to modern beliefs about mind over matter, prosperity consciousness, and the law of attraction.As the months go by, Oxenhandler is humbled to discover the courage it takes to make a wish and thus open oneself to the unknown. She is surprised when her experiment expands to include other people and other places in ways she never imagined. But most of all, she is amazed to find that there is, indeed, both power and danger in the act of wishing. For soon her wishes begin to come true--in ways that meet, subvert, and overflow her expectations. And what started as a year's dare turns into a way of life.A delightfully candid memoir, unfettered, poetic, and ripe with discovery, Oxenhandler's journey into the art and soul of wishing will inspire even the most skeptical reader to search the skies for the next shooting star.Praise for THE WISHING YEAR"This is a wonderful book, full of wisdom gleaned from a year of Noelle Oxenhandler's daring to embrace what she had previously denied herself--her own personal wishes. I highly recommend The Wishing Year for anyone wanting to learn more about what life has to offer when we pay attention to our heart's desires." --Sarah Susanka, author of The Not So Big Life "Do you want to know how wishes come true? Then read The Wishing Year. It's a book that beautifully illuminates the art and mystery of wishing--and it does so in a way that is inspiring, funny, serious, honest, heartfelt, and irresistibly readable."--Jack Kornfield, author of After the Ecstasy, the Laundry "The Wishing Year is an elegant exploration of the way thought shapes reality. Writing with great personal honesty and candor, Noelle Oxenhandler's exhilarating prose takes us deep into the pain and glory of being human." --Mark Epstein, M.D., author of Open to Desire"Oxenhandler's new book makes it okay to be a smart, sophisticated grow-up who also believes in magic. She dives beneath the new age veneer and deconstructs how wishes really come true." --Susan Piver, author of How Not to Be Afraid of Your Own LifeFrom the Hardcover edition.
"Beloved actress and bestselling author Shirley MacLaine contemplates a wealth of subjects from the mundane to the esoteric in this all-new collection of musings that begin with two simple words: What if--What if hope is the most dangerous emotion? What if a frog had wings? (Answer: He wouldnt bump his ass so much.) What if our political leaders actually led? What if Downton Abbey was full of Americans? What if, for some reason, I couldn't be creative and work? These are just a few of the what ifs that Shirley Maclaine considers in her new book written in the style of her beloved and laugh-out-loud memoir I'm Over All That. In What If, she speculates on a wide range of matters both spiritual and secular, humorous and profound, earth-bound and high-flying, personal and universal. This is Shirley MacLaine at her most funny, acerbic, imaginative, and irresistible"--
Chekhov, the hidden ground by Philip Callow | Literally Just Books
