Category Archives: Bookworm Bob

Deliverance turns 40

Posted on August 24, 2010 by Bob Benz

Nice piece in the New York Times about Deliverance’s 40th anniversary. I had the pleasure of interviewing James Dickey in the late ’80s when I was reviewing his novel Alnilam. Fascinating guy. Deliverance is one of the few movies I’ve … Continue reading →

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An inverted NPR moment, thanks to Hank Stuever

Posted on July 2, 2010 by Bob Benz

NPR likes to define its “moments” as those times you sit in your driveway with the car running, waiting for a particularly enthralling story to end before going into your house. Thanks to Hank Stuever and his marvelous book “Tinsel,” … Continue reading →

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An elegy for Peter Orlovsky

Posted on June 2, 2010 by Bob Benz

Steve Silberman offers this wonderful tribute to Peter Orlovsky, who died Sunday. Orlovsky was a poet and, more prominently, Allen Ginsberg’s lover for decades. I heard Orlovsky had died but couldn’t find anything Sunday to confirm it with the exception … Continue reading →

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The darkest hour on the Western Front

Posted on April 25, 2010 by Bob Benz

In my ongoing obsession with books related to the First World War, I just finished Peter Hart’s “The Somme: The Darkest Hour on the Western Front.” The book is dense, perhaps providing more detail about the senseless slaughter of 1916 … Continue reading →

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Is the joke on me?

Posted on March 9, 2010 by Bob Benz

“The truth will set you free. But not until it is finished with you.” — David Foster Wallace I finally finished David Foster Wallace’s Infinite Jest a few weeks ago. I’m still not sure what to make of it. The … Continue reading →

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The Mac as poetry …

Posted on January 23, 2010 by Bob Benz

Via BoingBoing, I found this New York Times article about Gary Snyder, where he offers his unique take on modern tech, including a previously unpublished ode to the Mac, “Why I Take Good Care of My Macintosh.” “Because my mind … Continue reading →

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The war to end all wars …

Posted on May 12, 2009 by Bob Benz

I’ve been fascinated with the First World War for a long time, probably working backward from post-war literature to find out more about this event that tore the very core of Western man’s belief in humanity and God. So when … Continue reading →

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Hail Caesar

Posted on April 16, 2009 by Bob Benz

I just finished Caesar: Life of a Colossus. I think my interest in things Roman dates back to St. Anselm Catholic school, where I survived two years of Latin (nomen mihi est Robertus) and stumbled across the Robert Graves masterpiece … Continue reading →

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Getting Stoned

Posted on April 16, 2009 by Bob Benz

I had never heard of Robert Stone. I’m not sure how I missed him given my interest in the Beats, the Pranksters and other assorted distortions in the literary canon that occurred in the ’50s and ’60s, but I finally … Continue reading →

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An ode to nonagenarians

Posted on March 24, 2009 by Bob Benz

Lawrence Ferlinghetti, perhaps my favorite Beat poet after Gary Snyder, turns 90 today. And Pete Seger hits 90 on May 3. Literary Kicks has a nice tribute to these American icons. I hope we get to enjoy their genius for … Continue reading →

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