This, the text of the 1978 Harvard commencement address, falls under the heading of what Gunter Grass recently called "one of those strange antifreedom speeches" Solzhenitsyn has been giving since he came to live in the United States—but it is not merely a jeremiad denouncing Western materialism, moral laxity, loss of nerve: "the calamity of an autonomous, irreligious humanistic consciousness." For, however unreasonable Solzhenltsyn may be—however extreme, dogmatic, retardataire—he serves as a goad by his very ardor; and his vision of courage under stress—the basis of his claim for Eastern Europe's spiritual superiority—is attested to no less by the example (among others) of Sakharov, who otherwise disagrees with Solzhenitsyn in virtually every respect. Westerners meanwhile can rejoice that our degenerate, debilitated society at least gives Solzhenitsyn a free hearing.
Pub Date: Jan. 17, 1978
ISBN: 006132079X
Page Count: -
Publisher: Harper & Row
Review Posted Online: Oct. 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1978
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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