In his nasty war against books, multi-billionaire Jeff Bezos has now made sure that, among other things, he shuts down the book guard at the venerable Washington Post, which he now owns. It’s a logical continuation of the eradication of the brick-and-mortar bookstore that his Amazon has long been pursuing. Bezos, of course, wants to join the rest of the gang that is banning books, bullying universities, and generally wanting to defund public education. In the long term, the goal is to eradicate any stories that don’t her – which suggest other interpretations, alternative perspectives and narratives over which they have no influence. And then there is the dangerous empathy. What they hate most is empathy.
■ ■ ■
I look down on people who use Facebook. I despise people who stay on X. And I despise people who order their books through Amazon. Real readers don’t do that; real Readers rely on their local bookstore and order books there or directly from the publisher.
■ ■ ■
When it comes to these types of billionaires, I have long advocated for them to be hunted down. It is clear that the population is too large and the quotas are too stingy. They tear sheep apart. Eats our dogs and cats. They eat the pets!
■ ■ ■
Few have commented on the soullessness of billionaires better than Joyce Carol Oates, who recently reflected on Bezos’ good friend and fellow billionaire Elon Musk on her own Platform X:
So strange that such a rich man never posts anything that suggests he enjoys or is even aware of what virtually everyone values - scenes from nature, a dog or a cat, praise for a movie, music, a book (but doubts he reads); pride in the achievement of a friend or relative; Condolences for someone who has died; enjoyment of sport, appreciation for a favorite team; Notes on the story. In fact, he seems completely uneducated and uncultured. The poorest people on Twitter may have access to more beauty and meaning in life than the “richest person in the world.”
■ ■ ■
At the time of writing, I have been informed that Nature & Culture’s Legenda label is launching a series of science fiction classics, starting with Meeting with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke, Where the World is Called Forest by Ursula K. LeGuin, and Invasion of Mars by Ray Bradbury. They’re set in a future that the billionaires are trying hard to destroy and that we’ll never see, but then again, it’s all about the time in which it was written. Bradbury’s collection of short stories in particular is worth considering. In particular, the short story about how an expedition from Earth drunkenly discovers works of art in the beautiful ruins of Mars.
■ ■ ■
A more entertaining topic is the anthology “Ambrosia or Devil’s Lace”. The subtitle is “Religious perspectives on alcohol in the past and present” and is edited by Ernils Larsson and Kajsa Ahlstrand for Makadam Verlag. Here, Swedish researchers examine everything from the alcohol content of the revival movement and the importance of rice wine in Shintoism to Buddhism’s main objection to alcohol (it leads to laziness) and wine in the Abrahamic religions.
Of interest to us sinners is Professor Lena Roos’ description of how Martin Luther distinguished beer and wine on the basis that wine can be derived from the Bible and is therefore blessed, while beer is made by human hands. But! Once he was at a wedding reception and was served bad wine and stale bread. He “observed that in this way one at least had the opportunity to become accustomed to what would be offered in hell.”
■ ■ ■
As for this week’s critics’ list, we can note that there was a brief moment of happiness for Swedish bandy culture, represented by Nils Håkanson’s “Bandy futura”. On the other hand, it can be said that Futura is covered in the two new books on the list. Soraya Bay’s debut short story collection, The Horn of Plenty, ends with a true dystopia that paints a future just like the one Bezos and the others in his gang want to create. Ian McEwan’s new novel is also about a collapsed future. Or as Bezos would say: a future to love. No wonder the billionaire elite hates us readers.
■ ■ ■
Read previous newsletters about books.
1. Ingela Strandberg: “Under the Lakes”
Norstedts, 76 pages (1)
The new collection reminds us that it is possible to go beyond hackneyed phrases and write poems about life, death and love.
2. Samanta Schweblin: “The Good Evil”
Trans. Annakarin Thorburn. The Crane, 240 pages (3)
Six new, masterfully disturbing and compressed short stories from the Argentine author.
3. Torborg Nedreaas: “Nothing grows from moonlight”
Trans. Cilla Naumann. Wahlström & Widstrand, 288 pages (2)
Norwegian classic novel from 1947 about the abortion ban and the renewed attention to moralism.
4. Richard Flanagan: “Question 7”
Trans. Niclas Hval. Albert Bonniers Verlag, 304 pages (4)
Haunting essay novel about moral paradoxes by a writer who would not have existed without the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.
5. Therese Bohman: “Kammakargatan”
Norstedts, 126 pages (7)
Dense, atmospheric and romantic Christmas story about a bygone Stockholm and a bygone youth.
6. Åsne Seierstad: “Ofred. Russia from the inside”
Trans. Jan Stolpe. Polaris, 656 pages (6)
Upheaval and dizzying reporting by a journalist who travels to a place where few dare to go.
7. László Krasznahorkai: “Security of the Hungarian Nation”
Trans. Daniel Gustafsson. Norstedts, 170 pages (5)
The new novel by the youngest Nobel Prize winner darkly questions the questions of life, science and art.
8. Soraya Bay: “The Horn of Abundance”
Wahlström & Widstrand, 194 pages (new)
Six insightful short stories in a debut collection about women, bodies, class differences and humiliation.
9. Ian McEwan: “What We Can Know”
Trans. Khashayar Lykke Naderehvandi. Bromberg’s, 400 pages (new)
In the English master’s new novel, the world as we know it is long gone.
10. Sofia Andruchovych: “Amadoka II. Sofia”
Trans. Nils Håkanson. Albert Bonniers Verlag, 507 pages (8)
The second part of this rich epic deals with the Bolshevik terror in Ukraine.
Elect ten DN critics
The Critics’ List includes books published after November 7th. Last week’s rankings in brackets. The DN critics Åsa Beckman, Jan Eklund, Johanna Käck, Rebecka Kärde, Kristina Lindquist, Maria Schottenius, Greta Schüldt, Jonas Thente, Malin Ullgren and Gabriel Zetterström vote on the list. All reviews can be read at dn.se/kultur
Get more culture with our newsletters
• Intro – Stay up to date with the latest in the world of music.
• On stage – keep track of theater, dance and stand-up.
• DN Culture – the best from the cultural editorial departments.
You can register here to receive your favorites from DN’s various newsletters.
