1989: Was It Really The End Of History?
“The basic point — that liberal democracy is the final form of government — is still basically right. Obviously there are alternatives out there, like the Islamic Republic of Iran…
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Michael Berger
118 posts
Reviewing The Reviewers
“Criticism and reviews are both meta-forms–if they don’t in some way amplify or complicate the subject of their focus, then they shouldn’t exist. So much of what passes for reviews…
The Beauty Of Black Sparrow Books
The love of reading and the love of books, while almost always coinciding are still, in essence two different things. If I loved to read as much as I loved…
On Being A Citizen Of Literature
“There’s a scene at the end of Ugrešić’s 1993 essay collection Have A Nice Day: From The Balkan War to the American Dream where the author describes an encounter that…
Are We Talking About Sex Differently?
My girlfriend is reading Henry Miller, we’re applying for food stamps and I’m having nightmares about children having died in my house. I spent the last weekend partying in Al…
Erick Lyle’s Secret History Of The City
If you live in San Francisco long enough, you start to wonder: “Where the hell can I go at 3 a.m. which isn’t home or a laundromat or a massage…
On The Forgotten Magic Of Writing
“I’m so, so tired of reading about how writing should be demystified, how it doesn’t work the way Cortazar describes at all, how you toil at it slowly like you’re…
Before You See “Antichrist,” A Few Other Romantic Films
It doesn’t take a Harvard-trained therapist to know that with love comes madness, obsession, jealousy, mind-fuckery, fear, panic and a healthy dose of psychosexual terrorism. Maybe these symptoms aren’t manifested…
Big Machine: The New Novel I’m Most Excited About Reading
Every Tuesday the new books arrive at my store. I get to slice open the boxes, pull out the books, price them and arrange them in the most appealing and…
Tamim Ansary At Red Hill Books
As both a Rumpus regular and as an employee of Red Hill Books, I’m pleased to announce that on Wednesday, October 7th at 7 p.m. at Red Hill fellow Rumpus contributor, Award-winning…
The Rumpus Sunday Book Blog Roundup
It’s your humble Sunday guest editor back in the hot seat again for another wild ride through the bookblogosphere! Today is special to me because the Folsom Fair will be…
The Rumpus Sunday Book Review Supplement
This week The Rumpus brings you essays, an interview, a blurb and a review or two from good people like Michelle Orange and Josh Bearman and other special luminaries.