I was casually informed a year after the fact by the editor of Grafitti that my short story "Herbie" published in that magazine was listed in Martha Foley's The Best American Short Stories of 1975 under "Distinctive Short Stories of 1974."
For Book Beginnings:
p. 3 "To Ms. Foley, with Gratitude"
in The Mobius Strip of Ifs by Mathias Freese
in The Mobius Strip of Ifs by Mathias Freese
The bravest of us all are those who do not need systems--fascism, to wit--nor religions or cults--Mormonism (Mark Twain famously referred to the Book of Mormon as "chloroform in print.")
For The Friday 56:
p. 56 "On Reading Christopher Hitchens's God is Not Great"
in The Mobius Strip of Ifs by Mathias Freese
in The Mobius Strip of Ifs by Mathias Freese
In 2008, I read Mathias Freese's Down to a Sunless Sea, an interesting collection of very personal short stories. I disappeared from book blogging for a while and was again contacted by the author. So here we are, with another of Freese's books, which I don't doubt to be yet another provoking read.
Serious synopsis: In this impressive and varied collection of creative essays, Mathias B. Freese jousts with American culture. A mixture of the author's reminiscences, insights, observations, and criticism, the book examines the use and misuse of psychotherapy, childhood trauma, complicated family relationships, his frustration as a teacher, and the enduring value of tenaciously writing through it all. Freese scathingly describes the conditioning society imposes upon artists and awakened souls. Whether writing about the spiritual teacher, Krishnamurti, poet and novelist, Nikos Kazantzakis, or film giants such as Orson Welles and Buster Keaton, the author skewers where he can and applauds those who refuse to compromise and conform. A psychotherapist for twenty-five years, Freese conveys a unique combination of psychodynamic thinking and Eastern philosophy while examining Existentialism, alternative education, and Jewish values.
What books are you reading, or thinking of reading? Post a comment with your link, I'd love to come visit you!
What books are you reading, or thinking of reading? Post a comment with your link, I'd love to come visit you!