http://disqus.com/by/cliffjburns/enSun, 04 Aug 2024 14:35:04 -0000https://lithub.com/what-the-epic-of-gilgamesh-reveals-about-sumerian-society/#comment-6519845338<p>Brilliant overview, these lines particularly sticking with me:</p><p>"One of the key markers of the shift into this period is a dramatic change in the region’s pottery—but it did not become more sophisticated and ornate as technology improved. In fact, the pottery of the preceding Ubaid Period was exceptionally beautiful, made on a device known as a slow wheel and painted with distinctive geometrical designs in brown or black glaze. These were luxury items for the wealthy few. The Uruk Period, by contrast, saw a significant increase in the amount of pottery produced—but the quality fell dramatically. Thanks to the new ‘fast wheel’, clay jars and pots could be made in great numbers by workmen in intensive workshops, and they could now be af­forded by everyone. <i>This was the first era of mass production</i>."</p><p>Who knew it went back that far?</p><p>Adding this tome to my TBR roster and looking forward to an entertaining, insightful read.</p>cliffjburnsSun, 04 Aug 2024 14:35:04 -0000https://lithub.com/lets-stop-with-the-realism-versus-science-fiction-and-fantasy-debate/#comment-5082144975<p>What is immediately apparent, upon reading this article, is that Mr. Michel has admirably broad reading tastes. Which, I think, along with his roster of professional credits, makes him more than qualified to make insightful assertions and cogent points. The bitter wars that are sometimes fought between those who like their fiction more fantastic and those who insist only realistic writing is valid have been going on for ages and won't be resolved any time soon. But Mr. Michel has made a creditable job of squaring that circle and for that he is to be commended.</p><p>A few years ago I wrote a short essay called "The Trouble With Neil Gaiman" in which I stated that however popular and beloved Gaiman might be among certain readers I, personally, have never believed a word he's written. To my mind his stories and novels, though entertaining, are, for the most part, not credible and that detracts from the power and emotional impact of his prose. Gaiman's GRAVEYARD BOOK is a prime example of what I'm talking about--ghosts raising a child from infancy? Who in their right mind would buy into that scenario or take it seriously as a work of literature?</p><p>If I don't believe in a character or the world an author is depicting then I am not emotionally invested in the tale and, thus, it never gets under my skin or into my heart. The author is providing a reassuring safety net, telling readers "don't worry, this couldn't happen in real life so sit back and enjoy the ride". To me, maintaining a suspension of disbelief is essential to my enjoyment of a work and once that is removed the piece in question becomes mere fluff and escapism.</p><p>I congratulate Mr. Michel for having the courage to compose an article bound to offend some and renew a very acrimonious debate. I may not agree with all of his points but I applaud his thoughtfulness and chutzpah.</p>cliffjburnsWed, 23 Sep 2020 11:40:45 -0000http://thephilosophicalsalon.com/a-reply-to-my-critics-concerning-an-engagement-with-jordan-peterson/#comment-4029300812<p>I think a debate between Zizek and Peterson would be mandatory viewing for anyone with more than four working neurons.</p><p>I'm fascinated why Mr. Zizek pours scorn on the notion of conspiracy theories when he admits in the body of his rebuttal that due to the controversial nature of some of his remarks (and, in his defense, many were wrongly portrayed or misinterpreted), he has difficulty finding a venue for his writing in the West.</p><p>The monster that is political correctness, along with its twisted sister, identity politics, is a terrifying, vicious creature the more delicately inclined would be wise to avoid. Once you are labeled an enemy of ___________ (fill in the blank), it is next to impossible to explain yourself or be granted recourse to civil, thoughtful debate. Hyperbolic language is discouraged and "safe spaces" proliferate (except, y'know, in less fortunate locales like South Sudan, Haiti, Yemen, the Democratic Republic of Congo, etc. etc.).</p><p>It's simply maddening to me that the right of free speech is clearly NOT universal...and that the acceptably tepid must pass, these days, for what lies nearest and dearest our hearts.</p>cliffjburnsWed, 08 Aug 2018 15:32:07 -0000http://lithub.com/absences-and-inhumanity-6-works-of-abstract-horror/#comment-3591672095<p>Unnerving, literary horror--now there's a small sub-genre worth exploring, especially with the horror field in such deplorable shape right now. I think Mr. Shipley has been in my library, plucking titles/authors off the shelf I thought were too obscure to cite. Well done and excellent selections.</p>cliffjburnsMon, 30 Oct 2017 10:55:31 -0000https://www.austinchronicle.com/arts/howard-waldrop-upright-and-writing-11674704/#comment-3564155398<p>Howard Waldrop is the kind of author we should all aspire to be: not interested in the latest trends, not doing it for the money. I can recall bookseller Mark Ziesing pushing Howard on me years ago, along with first rate scribblers like Lucius Shepard and Michael Blumlein. Thanks, Mark...</p>cliffjburnsThu, 12 Oct 2017 12:30:30 -0000http://www.popmatters.com/review/kedi-ceyda-torun-cool-cats-istanbul/#comment-3153508317<p>LINEAGE (poem)</p><p>The cats of Istanbul</p><p>descended from Byzantine forebears</p><p>swift cagy cruel</p><p>territorial as Ottoman beys</p><p>(by Cliff Burns)</p>cliffjburnsMon, 13 Feb 2017 18:10:07 -0000http://newshubnation.com/V1eierKzTZ/Fields-of-grain-and-gore-Saskatchewan-and-the-Somme-100-years-ago#comment-2944911833<p>Enjoyed this piece immensely and kudos to a couple of wise brothers for not turning their backs on their family history and heritage.</p>cliffjburnsTue, 11 Oct 2016 12:00:36 -0000https://goinswriter.com/writing-a-book/#comment-2903253668<p>A quarter million books published every year in North America and here's your easy, eight step "How to..." guide for producing yet more badly written, derivative tomes.</p><p>Every day for over thirty years I've had to get up and summon the courage to cross the hallway to my home office and try to create new, original, innovative fiction. There isn't a morning that goes by that I don't approach my task with fear, bordering on terror.</p><p>An eight-step process (or any process) has never been any use to me. Writing is a daily chore, always fraught, always daunting. True authors have a calling and no amount of discouragement or rejection will draw them from their path. Nabokov talks about writing "in defiance of all the world's muteness". How many of your wannabe writers out there would have the courage to do that?</p><p>No, they're looking to be the next BIG THING, another Dan Brown or E. L. James (God help us). Talent, originality, aesthetics, these words mean nothing to most of the people who call themselves writers these days.</p><p>Rather than encouraging writers, you should be encouraging quality work, critical thinking. That old saying that everyone has a book in them is a feeble, pathetic lie. It might sell some "how-to" books, draw people into useless creative writing programs, but when the rubber hits the road the vast majority of wannabes get angry and give up when their magnum opus, a teenage vampire-hapeshifter erotic romance, doesn't make them an instant superstar.</p><p>For them, I have nothing but contempt.</p>cliffjburnsSun, 18 Sep 2016 11:25:56 -0000http://www.avclub.com/article/johnny-depp-douches-it-trailer-kevin-smiths-yoga-h-236518#comment-2670110426<p>Kevin Smith is an abomination, the worst film-maker in the western world, our contemporary Ed Wood. Why anyone--even the idiotic comic book, fan boy crowd--would see one of his intellectually challenged movies is a mystery to me. Shame on the people who finance this man's "art" (you know thew word "art", Kev, only because it rhymes with "fart")...</p>cliffjburnsWed, 11 May 2016 10:06:06 -0000http://www.wbur.org/npr/476062916/zero-k-freezes-at-the-edge-of-immortality#comment-2651029766<p>The release of a new Don DeLillo novel is always cause for celebration. I look forward to ZERO K and the difficult and unsettling impressions it will leave with me. To me, UNDERWORLD was one of the great books of the past 25 years. It's a pleasure and privilege to read one of D.D.'s offerings, a reminder of the power and enduring appeal of the printed word.</p>cliffjburnsSat, 30 Apr 2016 12:36:41 -0000http://ipolitics.ca/2016/04/06/were-young-new-democrats-and-we-want-our-party-back/#comment-2616196632<p>I could not agree more. For some reason, the tenets of socialism, even the WORD socialism, scares the crap out of too many of the party's bureaucrats and apparatchiks. This is a party of the LEFT and yet its braintrust seems to feel more comfortable hugging that yellow streak in the middle of the road. There are a lot of frightened, angry and disenchanted voters out there looking for firm answers and clearly presented doctrines and policies. <br>-NO to fracking, now and forever<br>-an immediate transition away from fossil fuels<br>-a massive overhaul of the tax system<br>-reinvestment in health and education, including retraining those working in non-renewable energy (oil patch)<br>-a serious effort to address income inequality, including introducing a guaranteed annual income<br>-a revamped foreign policy that addresses injustices in Palestine, the root cause of much of the anger and resentment within the Muslim world<br>-opposition to trans-national treaties that damage national sovereignty and threaten social programs<br>********************<br>Look at the recent success of Bernie Saunders and Jeremy Corbyn. All their lives, ordinary men and women have been inundated in the corporate media by anti-union, anti-socialist propaganda but, increasingly, more and more people are looking further afield than their traditional parties. The opportunity to make connections is there...but the message must be concise, logical, undiluted. Instead of telling people what it THINKS they want to hear, the NDP should go back to its roots and remind their fellow citizens that there is an alternative, as imagined by Proudhon, Godwin, Wollstonecraft, Marx, Rosa Luxemburg, etc.</p><p>All a revolution requires is a vision...</p>cliffjburnsSun, 10 Apr 2016 11:37:20 -0000http://voxiemedia.com/best-blogs-to-read-about-self-publishing/#comment-2441198378<p>For eight years I've devoted a blog to the indie life--not an easy career choice, offering few rewards and a whole lotta discouragement. Nonetheless, my odd little imprint has released 10 quality books (as of Spring, 2016) and that wouldn't have happened if I hadn't developed a DIY attitude and chosen the road less travelled.</p>cliffjburnsTue, 05 Jan 2016 13:36:47 -0000http://bookpage.com/the-book-case/18918-readers-choice-best-books-2015#comment-2438901053<p>An okay list if you like commercial, mainstream, reassuringly mundane books, but how about works that are more challenging and, yes, literary? I've put together a roster of my favourite reads of 2015 and hope fellow bibliophiles will drop by to compare and contrast:</p><p><a href="https://cliffjburns.wordpress.com/2016/01/02/best-of-2015/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" title="https://cliffjburns.wordpress.com/2016/01/02/best-of-2015/">https://cliffjburns.wordpre...</a></p>cliffjburnsMon, 04 Jan 2016 10:08:53 -0000http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2015/07/the-15-best-fiction-books-of-2015-so-far.html#comment-2438893173<p>Love exchanging book lists with fellow readers and bibliophiles. It gives me a wider pool to choose from and introduces me to authors I might not be familiar with. For the record, here's my roster of favourite books of 2015:</p><p><a href="https://cliffjburns.wordpress.com/2016/01/02/best-of-2015" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" title="https://cliffjburns.wordpress.com/2016/01/02/best-of-2015">https://cliffjburns.wordpre...</a></p>cliffjburnsMon, 04 Jan 2016 10:03:12 -0000http://2012diaries.blogspot.com/2014/02/akashic-record-hp-lovecraft-psychedelia.html#comment-1752850357<p>Very sharp analysis...so much of this touches on my own research over the past ten years, readings that started when I learned that L. Ron Hubbard and black magician Jack Parsons went into the desert back in the late 1940s to, yes, break through a membrane of sorts...and decided I could frame a novel around some of the weird, untold occult history of the past 100 years.</p><p>So much material and your article has brilliantly synthesized the info and posited a convincing link between a very disparate series of circumstances.<br>This piece is stunning.</p>cliffjburnsSun, 21 Dec 2014 10:03:46 -0000https://49thshelf.com/Blog/2013/11/25/Exploring-the-2013-ReLit-Award-Shortlist#comment-1139656688<p>Really enjoyed this overview but I must correct an inaccuracy: my volume NEW &amp; SELECTED POEMS wasn't released by Red Deer Press, but my own imprint, Black Dog Press.</p><p>I know much might be made of a "self-published" effort making it onto the shortlist of a prize dedicated to "independent publishing", but I would merely point out that even a cursory glance at my C.V. and lengthy list of publication credits (over 25 years as a professional author) places me in a somewhat different category than a mere "vanity" operation.</p><p>Back in 1990, I started my own press out of frustration with corporate publishing, seeking to control every aspect of my writing, including selection of cover, font, layout, etc. I take that task very seriously and as a result the books released by Black Dog are better looking and better edited than most of the tomes being excreted by the trads in New York, Toronto and London.</p><p>The vast majority of self-published books are amateurish, embarrassing, sub-literate...but there ARE notable exceptions to that rule.</p><p>Thanks, again.</p>cliffjburnsTue, 26 Nov 2013 10:35:49 -0000http://www.adweek.com/galleycat/are-self-publishing-companies-monetizing-the-slush-pile/11967#comment-31517034<p>You're still thinking in "old world" mode.</p><p>With the new technologies, Stephen King or Neil Gaiman can go the POD route and not have to give ANY money to publishers. Take a look at what Trent Reznor is doing on the music scene. Reznor got sick of record company interference, thought he could use the new technologies to produce and distribute himself...and has made a fortune.</p><p>When a few of the big boys in writing start doing the same thing, the whole rotten edifice of traditional publishing will crumble like termite-infested wood.</p><p>Five years from now (or less), if you want the new Gaiman you can order it from his site, a note goes out to the printer, one copy is printed for you, shipped out the same day. Or you have it produced and bound by one of those "cappuccino" printers they've been promoting of late, get it in an hour (or, eventually, while you wait). Gaiman keeps 70-80% of the profits instead of the paltry proportion he receives now.</p><p>You're correct in stating that there's a lot of crap to sift through on the self-published, print-on-demand scene. A lot of weekend scribblers printing their poems about dead pets.</p><p>But there are also many, many authors like myself who have grown disgusted by the traditional publishing scene and wish to bypass the idiot editors and agents who act as gate-keepers and arbiters of taste (although they have none). After two decades of working "within" the system, I'd had enough. I never submit to book or magazine markets any more, and I have a dedicated readership around the world.</p><p>The business models for POD are still in the midst of transformation but it IS the future; simple economics is creating fundamental changes to the ways writing is produced and released to the world. Lean and mean defeats fat and inefficient. POD means no warehouses, no overhead, little staff.</p><p>In such a scenario, there can be only one winner and it ain't gonna be the fat cats...</p>cliffjburnsWed, 27 Jan 2010 09:23:19 -0000http://www.adweek.com/galleycat/are-self-publishing-companies-monetizing-the-slush-pile/11967#comment-31483761<p>I think the new technologies dictate that the self-published book will eventually supplant traditional venues (big box stores, traditional publishing). Truth be known, there's literally no overhead for the POD process, just an initial outlay of a couple hundred dollars and then you have a book that anyone anyWHERE can read, employing any number of formats/devices. Fatcat publishers with all their expenses and baggage can't compete with such a stream-lined, bare bones approach. They will stubbornly (and stupidly) cling to the sign-a-few-popular-authors-to-inflated-contracts business model until the last of them are foreclosed, shuttered, tags tied to their big toes prior to their being shunted off to oblivion...</p><p>Good riddance, HarperCollins! Bye-bye, Mr. Murdoch...</p>cliffjburnsTue, 26 Jan 2010 23:08:46 -0000http://www.adweek.com/galleycat/the-naked-city-literally/11925#comment-30403723<p>Hope this doesn't catch on at SF conventions: hairy, overweight Trekkies crooning "filk" songs nekkid. It's too revolting to think about...</p>cliffjburnsTue, 19 Jan 2010 18:10:38 -0000http://www.hero-movies.com/the-avengers/quottheyre-tearing-down-baker-streetquot/#comment-29966225<p>I have nothing but withering scorn for those individuals who pump up the massive profits of awful cinematic efforts like "300", "Star Trek XI", "Transformers" and, yes, "Avatar", rendering a once great art form into a glorified video game. When will we start seeing, y'know, GROWN UP films again? The demographic Hollywood is currently catering to are people with the intellectual capacity and attention span of a fourteen year old afflicted with acute ADHD. Surely we can do better than that?</p>cliffjburnsFri, 15 Jan 2010 10:25:33 -0000http://www.adweek.com/galleycat/will-ereaders-democratize-publishing/11866#comment-29057118<p>Ebooks, print on demand and publishing on the 'net aren't just methods/means for beginners to break in, they're also invaluable venues for authors (like myself) who have become disillusioned with the demeaning process of working on a book for two or three years, submitting it and waiting unconscionable lengths of time for the editor to deign to reply. After over 20 years of doing it that way, I decided ENOUGH. The new technologies empower writers whereas the old regime humiliated them. I know which mindset I prefer...</p>cliffjburnsSat, 09 Jan 2010 10:05:14 -0000http://www.adweek.com/galleycat/author-who-wrote-tie-ins-for-gilligans-island-to-bewitched-receives-award/11834#comment-28565743<p>Dear God, you mean there's actually an association for these hacks?</p><p>The mind boggles...</p>cliffjburnsTue, 05 Jan 2010 16:39:17 -0000http://www.adweek.com/galleycat/mcnally-robinson-booksellers-closes-two-locations-enters-bankruptcy-protection/11786#comment-27524378<p>Very sad, another indie going down. Hope this doesn't affect the store in Saskatoon, which is one of the loveliest in Western Canada.</p><p>Time to start turning off those computers and video games and buying more books, folks!</p>cliffjburnsTue, 29 Dec 2009 23:02:30 -0000http://www.adweek.com/galleycat/americas-top-cellphone-novelist/11390#comment-21787080<p>Dorchester Publishing: hack and slash, bodice-ripping publisher choosing "best" submission from a stupid contest.</p><p>That flushing sound is Literature making its final gurgle as it disappears down the toilet..</p><p></p>cliffjburnsTue, 03 Nov 2009 16:46:35 -0000http://www.adweek.com/galleycat/rebecca-romijns-husband-to-write-stay-at-home-dad-memoir/11328#comment-21239087<p>Well said, David.</p><p>The morons have taken over and publishers are catering to mental cripples and casual readers (to their eternal shame)...</p>cliffjburnsWed, 28 Oct 2009 23:25:45 -0000