The Copenhagen Trilogy: Childhood–Youth–Dependency
Author: Tove Ditlevnsen
The Scandinavians have a way of finding the drama within the banal and exposing the weak underbelly of what it means to be human. A few years ago I read and was briefly infatuated with the first few books of My Struggle by Karl Ove Knausgård so it was hard to refuse this translation of Danish Author Tove Ditlevsen’s mid century auto-fiction. A bitter and unhappy mother and wife. A passion and obsession for a craft that seems to thrive in the face of (or because of?) opposition. The suddenness and severity of destruction that addiction can wreak. A book that takes place around World War II without being about World War II. These are things that stood out to me.
Lurking
Author: Joanne McNeil
Lurking is an old-school-internet term describing what we do when watch, but do not participate in, online life. McNeil traces early online communication (simple, helpful, naive, problematic) to the online platforms of today (demanding constant authenticity while providing no structure or safety). She believes these services can provide moments of beautiful connection, but as a whole flatten and diminish what it means to be human. Some notes: False nostalgia. Some oldies (like the author, like me) probably have some nostalgia for some better more real and soft internet. She breaks that down a little and reminds that on a beloved message board it still took just one loudmouth misogynist to ruin all the fun. The relationship between humans and platforms is one of contradictions. They allow participants to remain somewhat anonymous, but totally visible. They enable us to make friends, but keep them at a distance. They encourage authenticity, but algorithmic models require explicit inputs. Internet as grift. The author dreads the rise of the first reformed alt-right turned left celebrity who does a TED talk and NYTimes op ed. From one grift to another. A part of humanity these platforms enable.