I don't attempt for an original review when writing about the magnificent novel 2666 by the Chilean writer, Roberto Bolaño. Even so, I don't think that this exquisite novelistic marathon got enough praise from the critics. Amongst them, the following, by the Spanish Rodrigo Fresán is by far, my favorite: "2666 is one of those strange, exquisite, and astonishing experiences that literature offers us only once in a long time. The crucial and amazing thing is not that it's unfinished, but that it … [Read more...]
10 Disappearing Beaches
When seas rise, beaches disappear. And even setting climate change aside, scientists predict a twenty-five–thirty centimeters rise in ocean levels by the end of this century. And for each two and a half centimeters the ocean rises, a beach gets on average one meter narrower. You may add to that sinking coastal lands, increasing violent storms, and humans interfering with natural beach architecture by dredging channels and building seawalls and jetties, and you'll have a recipe for … [Read more...]