Jon Morris

‘Teaching Plato in Palestine’ Marks a Valiant Effort, but Falls Short of Consolation
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‘Teaching Plato in Palestine’ Marks a Valiant Effort, but Falls Short of Consolation

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 / 1 June 2015
Carlos Fraenkel champions two causes: the first is a culture of debate; the second is an allegiance to the principle of fallibilism. Unfortunately, both are hard to come by.
Shooting Back: Kamel Daoud’s Reply to Albert Camus’ ‘The Stranger’
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Shooting Back: Kamel Daoud’s Reply to Albert Camus’ ‘The Stranger’

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 / 29 May 2015
There is going to be a lot of hype about The Meursault Investigation, and you should believe every word of it.
James Wood on Why Fiction and Criticism Matter
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James Wood on Why Fiction and Criticism Matter

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 / 27 April 2015
James Wood is exactly the sort of champion of belles lettres we need, and this collection is proof of it.
Per Petterson’s Tales of Innocence and Experience
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Per Petterson’s Tales of Innocence and Experience

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 / 8 April 2015
Petterson's closely-knit stories sadly and beautifully reveal the passage from boyish innocence to "manhood", and show us what it means to be a man.
The Grim, Strangely Hopeful World of Per Petterson
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The Grim, Strangely Hopeful World of Per Petterson

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 / 2 April 2015
As existentially bleak as it is, I Refuse is not devoid of hope. A refusal is a negation, to be sure, but a lost swimmer may refuse to drown.
‘The Uncanny Reader’ Conjures Up Dreadful Pleasures
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‘The Uncanny Reader’ Conjures Up Dreadful Pleasures

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 / 9 March 2015
If death haunts fewer of the stories collected here than one might imagine, it's because there are things worse than death.
Glen Duncan’s Existential Horror Is So Good, It’s a Curse
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Glen Duncan’s Existential Horror Is So Good, It’s a Curse

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 / 15 January 2015
These characters navigate a constellation of theological ruins and failed rationalizations, wherein existential nausea must do battle with the hunger of the werewolf Curse.
‘The Strange Library’ Is Classic, Opaque Murakami
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‘The Strange Library’ Is Classic, Opaque Murakami

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 / 17 December 2014
Whimsical and frustrating, Murakami's latest may alienate some readers, but fans will want to add this oddity to their collection.
To Beard or Not to Beard? Thomas Gowing Ponders the Question
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To Beard or Not to Beard? Thomas Gowing Ponders the Question

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 / 10 November 2014
Gowing's manifesto is short on philosophy, long on facial hair, and bound to appeal to high-brow and low-brow readers alike.
‘The Art of the English Murder’: It’s Not all Good Clean Fun
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‘The Art of the English Murder’: It’s Not all Good Clean Fun

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 / 30 October 2014
The second half of the19th century saw the murder rate drop precisely when "the activity of enjoying a murder became increasingly acceptable."
‘What We See When We Read’: Covers, Imagination, and Everything in Between
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‘What We See When We Read’: Covers, Imagination, and Everything in Between

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 / 12 September 2014
"When we discuss the feeling of reading we are really talking about the memory of having read," says Peter Mendelsund, "and this memory of reading is a false memory."
Hooked on True Detective? Check Out Its Influence, Thomas Ligotti
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Hooked on True Detective? Check Out Its Influence, Thomas Ligotti

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 / 2 June 2014
Thomas Ligotti is an unapologetic, darkly-humored pessimist, and that may be what many have found most disturbing and fascinating about True Detective.