Category: History
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Q. Notes on Exodus and Exile (con’d)
I recall once hearing the theme from ‘Exodus’ in a dream from which I awoke in sobs. The version I had heard could have been either of the two that were popular in 1961. Most stirring was the instrumental–– with the dual pianos of Ferrante &Teicher. It was stunning in stereo. The other was a…
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Q. Notes on Exodus and Exile (intro.)
Introduction: In April 2022, on the final day of a guided tour of Jordan, my wife and I looked down over the Jordan Valley from Mount Nebo. In the bible, the area was referred to as the land of Moab. The 800-metre hill, just a few kilometers east of the present Israeli border, was believed…
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T. An Old Soldier’s Warp and Weft
Introduction: Norman McLean, author of the novella ‘A River Runs Through It‘ (better known for the celebrated 1992 film version), did not publish that memoir-based work until he was in his seventies. Presumably, it took the wisdom of that age for him to strike the right tone in writing about difficult memories. I was in…
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S. A Few Pinches of Native Soil (con’d)
A Kentucky-born friend and I have joked about the commonalities of our respective boyhood territories. In growing up, we both found ourselves at odds with ole timey religion, country music and conservative ‘values’… Outside of Acadia, the Canadian Maritimes–– like southern Appalachia–– retains a dominant Scots-English-Irish population. There is considerable evidence that rural Maritimers are…
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S. A Few Pinches of Native Soil (intro.)
Introduction: About a decade ago, I planned to write a monograph about my oft uncomfortable relationship with the province of my origin. That project faltered with the usual exigencies. From the muddle of notes made in preparation for a first draft, I have pulled out pieces which I have hopefully, battered into some coherence……
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R. In a Darker Light (intro.)
Introduction: ‘You want it darker?’ the great Leonard Cohen called out in a seeming challenge to the enveloping void… Inspired by his courage to work to the very end, I take the title for this thematic set from the signature song on the album released just days before his death… A few of these pieces…
Coprolites in Amber (etc.) 