Sacred Disorder | Cliff Bostock's blog – 'Finally, I came to regard as sacred the disorder of my mind' (Rimbaud)
Sleep, dreams and creativity
The New York Times has been publishing a blog, “All-Nighters,” which it describes as “an exploration of insomnia, sleep and the nocturnal life.” It’s of personal interest to me since I’ve suffered insomnia ever since my mother’s death four years ago. I found the March 19 entry, “Why We Need to Dream” by Jonah Lehrer, […]
Rimbaud and Swedenborg — two of a kind?
The current issue of the Gay and Lesbian Review includes an interview with Edumund White about his new biography of the poet Arthur Rimbaud (right). If you know Rimbaud’s work, you already know I’m a huge fan. The name of my blog, “Sacred Disorder,” is taken from a line in his long poem, “Une Saison […]
One more time….
This is what Federico Garcia Lorca wrote while living in New York City during 1929 and ’30,when the stock market crashed. It sounds awfully familiar. “The terrible, cold, cruel part is Wall Street. Rivers of gold flow there from all over the earth, and death comes with it. There, as nowhere else, you feel a […]
The power of imagination
J. K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter books, spoke at Harvard’s commencement on June 5. Her topic was “The Fringe Benefits of Failure and the Importance of Imagination.” It’s a wonderful talk, particularly in its explanation of the way empathy is a function of imagination. Here’s a link to both the video and written […]
Gore Vidal tells all
Any leftie worth his peace-symbol lapel pin has a soft spot for Gore Vidal, 82 and as relentlessly acidic as ever. The Independent recently featured an interview with Vidal on the cover of its book section (see image). I call him a leftie, but here’s an excerpt from the piece: He hands me a copy […]