John Crowley's Blog, page 44

Reviewed

 I said to someone at Readercon recently, in what connection I've forgotten, that I have rarely if ever got a bad review.  I have got a few misguided reviews, that is, reviews that respected, or admired, or critiqued a book on what seems to me the wrong basis, or having missed an essential component of the thing, whether from their own short sight or my failure.  (Richard Eder reviewed The Translator and was convinced I had simply lost it at the end and tossed away the virtues of the book in ...

Readercon

 

A very pleasant Con this time (that  sounds like others haven't been, but actually I can't think of one.)  I did end up in a couple of panels largely concerned with science, not my forte, but I am willing to talk about anything.  

If the person who, through a surrogate, delivered to me a couple of bags of very nice coffee beans would reveal him/herself, I would be very glad to thank him/her.  On the other hand I suppose it's nice to have a Secret Admirer.

I apologize to all Readerconners (Read...

Miscellanea

 

Here is a simple math puzzle that us early-onset dementia sufferers are having trouble with.  If the nine digits were actors, what's the minimum number of actors it would take to be able to represent, in turn, all the dates in the twentieth century (that is, 1900 - 1999)?  Note:  each actor can represent only one digit, and nobody can double, but only four need to be on stage at any time; for instance, "1900" would require one person to be 1, another to be 9, and two people playing zeroes.) ...

Book Query

 In the last year there was a book published that described in detail North America before the coming of humans, or possibly before the coming of europeans.  Anyone remember this?

Whiz/Kagan

 Thanks to all for the Whiz responses, which neatly divided into those who took the word "present" as an adjective and those who took it as a verb, with "us" as object.  I personally liked the latter, as being the more surprising, but I have to admit that the former had a better case, as evinced by the original, which comes from an essay by the hot new novelist Rivka Galchin (cf th New Yorker's "20 under 40" list of rising fictioneers.)  The essay was on Borges, and the sentence -- so involut...

New Whiz

 

Like most of these it will doubtless be solved in  seconds.  

Add words to either end or both of this phrase to make a good English sentence.  No adding punctuation or capitalizing or thinking-outside-the-box (e.g. turning words into meta-words or objects in themselves.)'

the shadows of present us with

Kagan Query

 What do you think this sentence (from Slate) is having difficulty explaining about General Kagan? 

One of the things that's been difficult to explain is why anyone who's ever met her—from her students to her colleagues at Harvard to her staff at the Solicitor General's office—lights up when talking about her.

In the Midst of Death we are in Wal-Mart

  joculum   has trumped all other Crowley references, as well as finding a place for me to lay my body down when my earthly race is run.  (Actually he posted it some time ago and I missed it.)  Syracuse U. English dept. might want to check it out too.

joculum.livejournal.com/241939.html

Crowleys in the News

 
I want to hold a celebration of something in the John Crowley Nature Center and Astronomical Observatory at Garret Mountain. Maybe a birthday or publication party? They felt the earhtquake up there the other day:
 www.northjersey.com/news/environment/97153644_Quake_causes_Woodland_Park__Hackensack_building_evacuations.html 

I also learn from a Google Alert that the father of Aleister Crowley, the Beast 666, was named -- John Crowley!   "Most sources list Crowley's parents as the abstemious ...

Have you ever been across the sea to Ireland

 

Perhaps you'd like news of my Irish farm: www.meattradenewsdaily.co.uk/news/250610/ireland___farm_open_day_.aspx   (Almost all the Irish Crowleys are from Co. Cork.)

I'm glad it seems to be doing well.  My job as Church of England bishop has recently caused pain, but I am glad to be on the right side of the issue, and hope that I can avoid censure on the one hand and mealy-mouthed explanations on the other: www.cathud.com/links/bishops/john_crowley.htm 

On the other hand things have been unqui...