The Dark Magic of Words: Why Fascism and Illiberalism Are So Seductive to Writers

The Dark Magic of Words: Why Fascism and Illiberalism Are So Seductive to Writers

Ed Simon Looks at Eduard Limonov, Gabriele D'Annunzio, Yukio Mishima, and Others

By Ed Simon | June 23, 2025

L. Frank Baum’s Literary Vision of an American Century: <em>The Wizard of Oz</em> at 125 Years

L. Frank Baum’s Literary Vision of an American Century: The Wizard of Oz at 125 Years

Ed Simon on Grifters, the Chicago World Fair, and Oz as Symbol of a Modern USA

By Ed Simon | May 16, 2025

American Literature’s White Whale: Why the “Great American Novel” is Still Worth Pursuing

American Literature’s White Whale: Why the “Great American Novel” is Still Worth Pursuing

Ed Simon on the Importance of Chasing an Elusive Literary Ideal in an Era of National Decline

By Ed Simon | April 2, 2025

Punk, Poet, Prophet: In Praise of the Late, Great Shane MacGowan

Punk, Poet, Prophet: In Praise of the Late, Great Shane MacGowan

Ed Simon on One of Music’s Great Lyricists  

By Ed Simon | March 17, 2025

In Praise of <em>Wonder Boys</em> (Both the Book AND the Movie)

In Praise of Wonder Boys (Both the Book AND the Movie)

Ed Simon on Michael Chabon’s Iconic Campus Novel at 30

By Ed Simon | February 25, 2025

“Anarchism Means That You Should Be Free.” On the Literature of Liberation

“Anarchism Means That You Should Be Free.” On the Literature of Liberation

Ed Simon Considers the Life Alexander Berkman, Anarchist, Would-Be Assassin, and 19th-Century Luigi Mangione

By Ed Simon | January 27, 2025

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How Walter Benjamin’s Iconic Antifascist Essay Escaped Europe

By Ed Simon | December 13, 2024

In Praise of Print: Why Reading Remains Essential in an Era of Epistemological Collapse

By Ed Simon | November 25, 2024

Deadly Sins and Heavenly Virtues: On the Timeless Duality of Being Human

By Ed Simon | November 15, 2024

Exhuming Dracula’s Ancestors: What Vampires Reveal About Our Latent Fears

Exhuming Dracula’s Ancestors: What Vampires Reveal About Our Latent Fears

Ed Simon Explores the History and Tradition of Unearthing the Long-Buried Past in Eastern Europe

By Ed Simon | October 31, 2024

Life Imitates Art: On <em>The Sorrows of Young Werther</em>, Moral Panic and the Power of Books

Life Imitates Art: On The Sorrows of Young Werther, Moral Panic and the Power of Books

Ed Simon Considers the Phenomenon of Killing Yourself (and Others) in the Name of Literature

By Ed Simon | September 27, 2024

Boccaccio’s Modern Life: What <em>The Decameron</em> Reveals About Contemporary Anxiety

Boccaccio’s Modern Life: What The Decameron Reveals About Contemporary Anxiety

Ed Simon Considers the Act of Storytelling as a Means of Preserving Our Humor and Humanity in Tumultuous Times

By Ed Simon | August 5, 2024

A Deal With the Devil: What the Age-Old Faustian Bargain Reveals About the Modern World

A Deal With the Devil: What the Age-Old Faustian Bargain Reveals About the Modern World

Ed Simon on "The Most Important Story Ever Told," That of Humanity's Transactional Relationship With Evil

By Ed Simon | July 9, 2024

Remembering Samuel Roth, the Bookseller Who Defied America’s Obscenity Laws

Remembering Samuel Roth, the Bookseller Who Defied America’s Obscenity Laws

Ed Simon on Free Speech, Book Bans and Court-Mandated Censorship, Then and Now

By Ed Simon | July 3, 2024

In Praise of the Paranormal Curiosity of Charles Fort, Patron Saint of Cranks

In Praise of the Paranormal Curiosity of Charles Fort, Patron Saint of Cranks

Ed Simon on the Porous, Ever-Shifting Boundaries Between Science and Speculation

By Ed Simon | June 10, 2024

In Honor of Duke Ellington: Here Are 15 Great Books About Jazz

In Honor of Duke Ellington: Here Are 15 Great Books About Jazz

Ed Simon Recommends Langston Hughes, Dorothy Baker, Geoff Dyer, and More

By Ed Simon | May 24, 2024

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