America's Most Critical Journal since 1999
by Dan Geddes They say you can get the best apple-pie in Amsterdam on Saturday at the little café on the Noordermarkt. I get mine smothered with plenty of slagroom (whipped cream) to dunk the last pieces of piecrust in, and a cappuccino. Apple-pie is but on... More »
Not German. That’s the first thing they tell you, in the Dutch language books and everywhere else. Well, it’s really not. Linguists even date Dutch as the older of the two languages, though with a common ancestor. But there is still some bitterness... More »
by Dan Geddes When you think of Holland, the bicycle stands right up there with dikes, windmills, cheese and wooden shoes. It’s very flat here of course, so hills are almost nowhere an issue. Bridges represent the steepest vertical challenge. Many peop... More »
by Dan Geddes A friend once told me that was Amsterdam was the greatest place on earth, “except for the weather. When you find yourself on the Kalverstraat on a cold, rainy day, you might wonder what you are doing here.” There are many great things... More »
Pynchon’s Dystopia Dys by Thomas Pynchon Imaginary review by Dan Geddes A new Thomas Pynchon work is always an event, and his devoted readers will treasure his latest effort, Dys. Dys is clearly dystopian fiction, but it is still a Pynchon work more than any... More »
Review by Dan Geddes See also: A Prayer for Owen Meany, A Son of the Circus, The Fourth Hand and an imaginary review of Irving’s The Third Leg A Widow For One Year by John Irving John Irving’s A Widow for One Year chronicles the history of the Cole... More »