Musings – Page 7 – Scripturient

Guillermo, monsters and me

Tucked away at the bottom of a tall display case in the ‘At Home With Monsters’ exhibit at the AGO is a small collection of seven old, well-thumbed books, all by the 19th century French naturalist and entomologist, Jean-Henri Fabre. At the very bottom of the pile, its title almost hidden in the shadows, is The Life of the Spider, first translated into English in 1913, but not translated again until 1971. The books subtly reflect the importance director and artist Guillermo del Toro places … click below for more ↓

Legends of Horror

2017-09-17 2017-09-16 Culture / Film & Reviews / Musings / Personal ReminiscencesLeave a comment

Legends of Horror is the title of one multi-DVD collections of films I own. Fifty films in this package. They’re B-films for the most part (and a few of lesser quality), dating from 1927 (silent) to 1980, mostly in B&W, but those dating from the mid-1960s on are usually colour. The collection title is misleading: it’s really a mix of early horror, mystery and suspense. It’s one of several similar sets and single DVDs that make up my personal collection of B films (a very … click below for more ↓

The strange life of Bobby Fischer

2017-07-22 2017-07-30 Books & Reviews / Musings / Personal Reminiscences / Pop Culture / What I'm Reading NowOne Comment

Forty five years ago this month, a momentous event took place in Iceland that shook the world. After 21 games spread over almost two months, the eccentric American chess master, Bobby Fischer, ended 24 years of Soviet dominance in chess after beating Soviet grandmaster, Boris Spassky. It shook the world at the apex of the Cold War. I watched it unfold, a memory I will always carry. Many years later, former Russian grandmaster, Garry Kasparov, commented, …in the Soviet Union, chess was treated by the … click below for more ↓

As Elvis leaves the building, so do we all

2017-05-19 2017-05-19 Culture / Music & Reviews / Musings / Personal Reminiscences / Pop CultureLeave a comment

No one gets out of here alive. We all die. And with us go into the dustbin the dreams, the values, the ideals, the culture we grew up with, we shared, we ensconced in our daily existence. And the clutter we accumulated during our lives. Elvis has left the building and, sooner or later, so shall we all. And as we do, the value of our own material legacy will diminish with each day. A recent story in The Guardian tells of how once-treasured Elvis … click below for more ↓

Book collecting: snobbery or reading passion?

2017-04-22 2017-04-22 Books & Reviews / Culture / Daily life / Learning & Education / Literature / Musings / Personal Reminiscences / Social Order & Disorder / Writing & FictionLeave a comment

The book has always been a sign of status and refinement; a declaration of self-worth – even for those who hate to read. That’s the lead into a recent piece on Aeon Magazine about book collecting and collectors. It’s also about reading and the snobbery of readers. Fascinating piece. For me, anyway. Pretty much everything about books and reading fascinates me, from the art to the industry to the neuroscience. I am and always have been a book buyer, proudly taking my place among those … click below for more ↓