12:20am: 2X2s (...day)
I'm always a day or two late in getting to the Times, but here are two nice articles from Tuesday's Times, a book review from the Arts section and a tasty little tidbit from the Science Times.
First is Michiko Kakutani's review of Richard Flanagan's third novel, GOULD'S BOOK OF FISH (A Novel in 12 Fish). Flanagan's first two books, "Death of a River Guide" and "The Sound of One Hand Clapping" were well-received, both commercially and critically, and the opening line of Kakutani's review is tempting and provocative: "Gould's Book of Fish" is a novel about fish the way "Moby-Dick" is a novel about whales, or "Ulysses" is a novel about the events of a single day." Kakutani places this author, or at least this book, in lofty company. He writes great reviews, too, whether glowing or unfavorable, and this one is no exception so check it out if you've the time and inclination:A Reborn Criminal Distills Beauty From a Prison's Abominable Depths.
Next case: the Science Times, also Tuesday, and the following little morsel about a two relative states that Keats found indistinguishable in Ode on a Grecian Urn:
'Beauty is truth, truth beauty, -that is all
ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.'
Not so fast, whiplash breath, here's another spin on that age-old conundrum, exposed on a quaint little tour through Einstein's playpen (with a stop along the way at Dirac's estate). A little heady, but interesting, informative, and thoughtful; have a looksee:
The Most Seductive Equation in Science: Beauty Equals Truth.
Matter of fact I liked it so much I borrowed this month's Quote of the Month from the piece, a nice little thought from the genius of the ages, and you can see it on the sidebar to the right if you've got the notion.