Fredrik Backman Foils the Critics (and Me)
He understands “the impossible human experience of just trying to get through the day with everyone you love being somewhat OK at the end of it.”
He understands “the impossible human experience of just trying to get through the day with everyone you love being somewhat OK at the end of it.”
Humiliating as this is, I fell for it. In the video ad, a woman of my certain age, aglow with enthusiasm, confided that she had discovered her Fashion Archetype. Before I could stop myself, I clicked the quiz link. What might my Archetype be? Bold? Romantic? Early jumble, I suspected.
There is one blissfully egocentric, thrilling moment: I am introduced as “the talent.” Granted, I ruin the moment by snorting and warning the sound studio team that I have never recorded anything before, let alone an entire audiobook. They nod; they are already braced for an amateur. “The talent” is…
Why would I not desire a good Camembert, or a sweater soft as a lamb?
Anselm Kiefer begged SLAM not to dust, fuss, or try to explain his work. Then he handed them five new canvases created just for this extraordinary exhibition.
Do we want to bring our loved ones back?
And our choice of words reveals us.
Stop prioritizing.
However you interpreted the American dream, it was all that held us together.
Or how the father of taxonomy persuaded the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences to organize a hunt for mermaids.