Captures the "magic" of Socrates in the City Events.
355004
Socrates in the City sponsors lectures by authors about 'meaningful' topics. This is collection of some of the best lectures, including a personal favorite the Rev. John Polkinghorne - a physicists who became and Anglican minister. As you can probably imagine, he has some interesting thoughts on the relationship between God and Science.

The book preserves the 'form' of the lectures - in fact it is something of a transcript of them - the host introduces the speaker, the speaker speaks, and then people in the audience ask questions. I have attended some lectures and have found them stimulating and fascinating, but I didn't think it would transfer well to a book - after all, movie scripts are usually pretty tedious to read compared to watching a movie. But I was pleasantly surprised to find the form transfers very well to book format. I was especially happy that the questions and answers were included as they helped expand on the topic.

There are few 'hard answers' here, but plenty of stimulating, mind broadening questions.
819807
At a crucial point in his great Funeral Oration Pericles says something like the following; "We have no need of a Homer or other men of words" to prove the greatness of Athens, which is extraordinarily comic given Pericles' mode of communicating this sentiment---in a speech of thousands of words designed to prove the greatness of Athens. Unfortunately for Pericles, there were men extraordinarily gifted in the use of words, men like Thucydides, Aristophanes and Socrates, who were contemporaries and who left us their own poetic and philosophic understandings of life in Periclean Athens during the Peloponnesian War which did not always harmonize with Pericles' flattering and self-serving depiction. But Socrates' poetry was not inscribed in any book, as was that of Thucydides & Aristophanes. Instead, it seems he wrote it in the souls of his interlocutors, and, if Professors Fendt & Rozema are correct in their analyses, we have the great good fortune that Plato allowed his soul to be so attentive to the character of Socrates that he made it his life's work to poetically recapture the experience of a Socratic dialogue and mimetically preserve it for posterity, allowing us perhaps to understand and experience, centuries later, what a dialogue with Socrates could genuinely do to us, his contemporary interlocutors. Without giving away too much, suffice it to say that the experience is magical and unlike any I've ever experienced before when reading Plato. The dialogues analyzed in the book range from ION, MENO, THEAETETUS & EUTHYPRO to his most extensive works, REPUBLIC and LAWS. And, what is achieved, I think, is an appreciation of Socrates and Plato which is fresh, engaging and transformative; they give us two extraordinary men with no doctrines for sale, men with a simple yet profound ethic which honored life and which responded to the will to truth and not the will to power. The penultimate chapter in the book---entitled PAGAN POLITICS,WAR and the CONSTRUCTION OF NOMOI is a TOUR de FORCE in its penetrating commentary on Plato's LAWS and its relevance to life in a world divided by radically different regimes and tempted by the sophistries of a glib 'Realpolitik'. Further, the emergence of postmodern discourses which revel in our apparent inabilty to find common human standards of judgment is compared to the situation in the LAWS itself where representatives of SPARTA, ATHENS and CRETE, poleis which have warred with each other for more than a generation face the identical political and philosophic problem. Could it be that Socrates and Plato might help us see a way through our linguistic and political impasses? Could they help us learn how we might train our modern & postmodern souls to rise above our easy & glib Hobbessian solutions? Our Machiavellian cynicism? Perhaps. This book was published in 1998; since 9/11 this penultimate chapter seems even more poignant & educative. And, in its final Chapter, the book celebrates the joy and gratitude at the heart of all great philosophy and poetry. Who knows: Perhaps a living philosophy is the real gift of Socrates & Plato. One thing is sure: If PLATONIC ERRORS is any indication, the spirit of Socrates & Plato are alive and well in the souls of Professors Fendt and Rozema, and I thank them for their extraordinary little book.
4875354
Verisimilitude, wit, character, story: it's all here; along with a splendid evocation of place, indeed of whole worlds.  He has an intriguing way of weaving Latin and Greek into names, too, leaving his inventions both strange yet familiar.
2535659
At first blush one wouldn't think using the words "magic" and "secular" in a complementary fashion would work. But this collection of essays does succeed - at least in some degree - to meld magic and rationality.

The various essays begin with Max Weber's plaint (or proclamation - your choice) that "The fate of our times is characterized by rationalization and intellectualization and, above all, by the `disenchantment of the world.'"

This has generally been taken to mean that the project of the Enlightenment - its reason and increasingly scientific method - has taken (or will take) away the mysteries of life, the aspects that we conventionally see as beyond human involvement and understanding. This has, of course, been anathema to the theses of religion as we commonly know it, and has been at the root of the centuries-old friction between religion and reason. But this book takes on itself a project that I applaud: a healing of this rift, in all its manifestations.

Each essay is an attempt to do just this in various fields of endeavor. We see in looking to the re-enchantment latent in gardens and place, in architecture, religion, art, literature, philosophy, and even in politics, elements of human experience that allow us to become re-enchanted with life, secular life in particular.

The point is made here that re-enchantment isn't a return to a primitive human way of viewing things, after centuries of science and reason, when we should know better. Instead, it's allowing ourselves to be re-enchanted with life - within the world given to us via centuries of rational progress.

There's a tacit suspicion here that reason, too, has its limits, as the difficulties of the last hundred years or so have caused humanity. While this may be in part because of a remaining lack of development of reason within world culture, it is hard to avoid the idea that the working of the left brain will never be without the right brain's enchanting spectacle. And, conversely, that enchantment will forever need reason as its anchor, lest it lead humanity astray.

Admittedly, the editors and separate essayists have bitten off a lot with this project. Still, it's a vital one, a project that can nudge reason into a proper intellectual panoply.  I'd encourage anyone who has read this far into this review to take this book on, and I'd point readers primarily toward the section on ideology and on Nietzsche. It's that important a subject.
4722211
I liked that Gary Kamiya explored and enjoyed many places around the city from those well known to tourists to those only known to explorers of the lost places at the urban edge. He wove the history of the city into his explorations of these interesting places. This book is a delight for any lover of cities.
4415118
First Line: The procession wound past the Sanctuary of Zeus.

The procession consists of athletes, trainers, priests, officials, and spectators who are gathering for the Olympic Games of 460 BC. The most important contest is the pankration, the deadly martial art of ancient Greece. Nicolaos's best friend, Timodemus of Athens ("Timo"), is the favorite to win the pankration. When Timo's only serious rival, Arakos of Sparta, is found beaten to death, it's obvious to everyone that Timo has to be the killer. Timo is sentenced to be executed when the Sacred Games have finished. However, there is a political angle to this crime. Athens and Sparta are spoiling for a fight, and Arakos's death could very well be the catalyst. The politically savvy Athenian Pericles tells Nicolaos that he has four days to find the real killer of Arakos. To prevent a war, Nico and the priestess Diotima have to work fast.

I was sent this book by the publisher, and I have to admit that I came within a whisker of deciding not to read it. I really haven't dealt much with ancient Greece since my college days. I have no idea why I changed my mind, but I'm glad I did. I would have missed out on an excellent story otherwise.

Diving into this series at book number three wasn't confusing. The further I read, the more I wanted to read the previous two books because I was enjoying the story and the characters so much. Author Gary Corby knows his stuff. The time period and the culture came to life right before my eyes. However, Sacred Games isn't just a history lesson. The investigation kept my interest throughout, and when I wasn't figuratively sweating buckets under the Greek sun, I was falling under the spell of his two main characters, Nicolaos and Diotima, a beautiful, intelligent young woman who's Nico's wife in all but the eyes of their parents (and the law).  As a team, they work together quite well-- especially since Diotima provides most of the brain power. Corby didn't let things bog down in historical detail and seriousness, either. There are wonderful bits of comedy throughout, and several of them are provided courtesy of Nico's little brother, Socrates. (Yes, that Socrates.)

Have you ever read a work of fiction that is set solidly in history, that has real historical figures as members of the cast and wondered just how much of it is true? I felt this way with Sacred Games. Everything felt so right, but I still wondered. Corby was prepared for people like us. Included in the book are a cast of characters with pronunciations of their names, historical facts about the Olympic Games of 460 BC, a fascinating Author's Note, and a glossary. I don't always pay attention to such things in the books I read, but I was curious, so I read every bit of them. They add so much to the story that I would suggest that you read them all, too. Dive into this book. Immerse yourself in the entire experience. Chances are, you'll enjoy it every bit as much as I did.
1089405
New Orleans is a well storied city. From its musical heritage to a renown culture of celebration, its distinctive architecture and a unique role in the history of African America, the city is purely itself and unlike any other in North America. It is tragically unique as well and photographer Deborah Luster has captured this aspect in a starkly beautiful portrait of the city through "a chorography of violence in Orleans Parish". Her series of black and white photographs of homicide sites in the city are presented as circular images representing the entire vision of her cameras lens on 8"x10" sheets of film. Each image is faced with a handwritten entry that documents the killing - in some cases multiple homicides committed at different times - that occurred at the site.  The images themselves range from spare, beautiful landscapes to playful halloween kids to disturbingly decayed structures, all uniquely New Orleans. A haunting impression from some of these images is that of viewing the last thing ever seen. The sense of absence - that these photographs are pictures of something, someone, who is no longer present, a world that in a sense no longer exists - is sometimes overwhelming, like being in a strange, slow dream. She has documented the city itself in a process of change, almost of forgetting itself. I have watched people look at this book and emerge as from a very powerful trance, moved. It is not simply tragic. As with her beautiful work of portraiture, One Big Self, Deborah Luster creates an indescribeable experience that is complex and difficult and like having life itself told inside you. Chorography is an ancient term for a kind of geography that seeks to portray the qualities of place rather than the measurements of it. From within an all too present and difficult subject - violent killing - Ms Luster seems to give voice to the city of New Orleans itself, timber and tone of the telling somehow given through the eyes in these beautiful, almost anachronistic photographs. This is a magical book.
155333
This book is another of the masterpieces written by Mary Renault. Set in ancient Greece, it explores the role of actors of plays. She explains how, based on her exploration of those sources that were available to her, the theatre and actors functioned. She is clear about how little actual history she had to work with. I find her reconstruction of event 2500 years ago extremely plausible. The philosopher Plato is a significant character in this tragedy.  As a student of philosophy myself, Ms Renault ' s characterization of Plato's views seems appropriate. It is a ripping good story. I have read it several times, and enjoyed it fully every time. I recommend it without reservation yo those interested in ancient Greece, Plato,  a good story.
3992566
You don't have to be or hope to be a Magician to enjoy this book. Dunninger explains these illusions in a clear and enjoyable language style. I don't particularly agree that learning how a trick was done ;ruins it any more than finding who done it in a mystery. I like to see how things work and really enjoyed the book. With magic shows one can still enjoy the performance without knowing the secret. It is not the same as reading a mystery and having the last few pages missing and the mystery not revealed. Whether you enjoy a simple little trick with a couple of matches or a complicated disappearing person production, this book is a fun read.
4075740
Based on historic research, this book gives a wonderful view of early life in the Athens and Cyprus area of the world.  Renault brings to life people who may not even be found in the records. It is easy to admire most of the people and to flow with the feeling and desires of Theseus as he builds his kingdom and lives his life in such a fantastical way that it is not surprising that so many tales come from that part of the world. I first thought it was pure fantasy but Renault provides the official history at the end of the book and there is only a fleshing out of the historical count of Theseus in The King Must Die. What an amazing person she has depicted in this book; nowadays he would be a classic hero -- sword and all.
4361500
I only just discovered Calvino's&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/writing/dp/0156226006/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">writing</a>, and now I need more of it.

At the exterior, Invisible Cities forms a conversation between Marco Polo and the Chinese emperor, a travelogue of sorts, describing the wonders that Polo has seen. Each section of the book starts with a brief interlude that continues the conversation, then presents a handful of city descriptions, a page or two each. Instead of an atlas, though, think of this more as an urban form of ancient bestiary, filled with fabulous and improbable descriptions of things that never were and never could be - at least not when the descriptions are taken at their most literal. But, whatever their failings in plain hard fact, each of those mythical beasts embodied some blend of the teller's experience, aspirations, fears, and dreams, sometimes grown from a seed of reality.

That's how Calvino describes the city - or, it turns out, The City. Each vignette seemingly describes a different locale with its own unique geography, architecture, and customs. It could equally well describe the speaker's many experiences of his own home: the riches, the poverty, the bustle, the solitude, the comforts, the senses of loss and alienation. Through that, Calvino reminds the reader that no one description can be completely and exclusively true, and invites the reader to tease out and characterize the many conflicting and interlocking truths in any experience - and, by extension, the conflicting and interlocking truths evoked by different observers.

There's one thing I know I never fully grasped in this book - perhaps something utterly insignificant, perhaps not. The table of contents offers subtleties in numbering and characterization of city descriptions for which I never found meaning. Perhaps that will come clear (or at least clearer) on  some future reading. There's sure to be at least one, sooner or later.

-- wiredweird
1879058
<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Istanbul-Memories-and-the-City/dp/1400033888/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Istanbul: Memories and the City</a>

Nobel Laureate Orhan Pamuk's Istanbul, like Samuel Peyps' London, Proust's Paris, and Borges' Buenos Aires, is a collection of childhood memories informed by adult intellect. Born into a once prominent but lately downwardly- mobile family, Pamuk is preoccupied by the sense of lost glory that infuses Istanbul:
"The city into which I was born was poorer, shabbier, and more isolated than it had ever been before in its two-thousand year history.  For me it has always been a city of ruins and of end-of-empire melancholy." It is this melancholy, or
`huzun' that infuses the city and his memories.
How to refer to the change in political control of the city from Greek to Ottoman is the subject of a fascinating chapter: "Conquest or Decline? The turkification of Istanbul."  During the 500th anniversary ceremony in l953, the government downplayed the "Turkish' factor, partially because of Turkey's new membership in Nato. Out of fear of alienating the Greek population, the government chose to ignore the anniversary of the "Conquest of Constantinople."
But there were anti-Greek demonstrations and violence, leading Pamuk to conclude that "the government allowed mobs to rampage through the city, plundering the property of Greeks and other minorities. A number of churches were destroyed during the riots and a number of priests were murdered, so there are many echoes of the cruelties Western histories describe as the "fall" of Constantinople. In fact, both the Turkish and Greek states have been guilty of treating their respective minorities as hostages to geopolitics."
One of the attractive features of Pamuk's memoir is the generous use of archival, black and white photographs dating from the 1920's, thirties, and forties.
The original Turkish is ably translated Maureen Freely. I am now encouraged to read more of Pamuk's works available in English, "The Black Book," "My Name is Red," and "Snow," which he describes as his only political novel.
1058889
Mrs. Gaskell understood a man's or woman's life to be lived within a social and natural context -- and her deployment of anecdotes and impressions of the North of England in the early pages of this book is captivating.  But she also understood us to be souls, present to but distinct from God.  Hence, even though in a few instances Gaskell's facts may been correctible (which the editor has done for us in this Penguin Classics edition), she is concerned with truth, and this gives readers the opportunity (rarely offered by modern entertainments) to escape from the trivial.
2717284
The author has cleverly with great skill rewritten the ancient stories of Greece. His work has captured a realistic view of the ancient cities, the people who lived there, and the political conflicts of the times.
4555130
I read the Brazilian-Portuguese edition, translated by Monteiro Lobato, a well known brazilian writer. He has done a great job, too. The book is absolutely beautiful, captivating, magic. It transposes you in time and  space. People and facts are presented with such clarity that it's almost if  you were there, watching things happening. It provides an important lesson  in the end, too.
1735910
As Urban Fantasy goes, this is well done.  The magic is present, yet not overwhelmingly enough so to warrant drastic measures to keep it secret.  The supernatural elements are more credible than the norm.  At times, parts of it did read almost like an advert for local celebrations, but that's acceptable.
1575629
I love anything that conjures up the magic of my favorite city - and this book has character and depth to spare. The main character, Harrison, embarks on a journey to find his long-lost class valedictorian - but in the process, ends up finding himself. The language and pace are accessible; I virtually read this book from cover to cover in one breathless evening. Highly recommended for anyone tuned in to the roller coaster ride of our shared, human condition.