Tag Archives: RKS literature

RKS Literature: The Regimented Assassins of Europe (Voltaire)

“I have hardly ever come across a town that does not desire the ruin of its neighbouring town, a family that does not destroy another family. Everywhere the weak despise the strong at whose feet they grovel, and the strong treat them like sheep whose wool and flesh can be sold. A million regimented assassins,Continue reading “RKS Literature: The Regimented Assassins of Europe (Voltaire)”

RKS Literature: The Timeless Excellence of Wine from Samos, Greece (Voltaire)

“He immediately approached them, greeted them, and invited them to come eat at his inn to eat some macaroni, Lombardy partridges, and caviar, and to drink some wine from Montepulciano, from Cyprus and Samos and some Lacrimae Christi.” Voltaire, “Candide or Optimism”, 1759.

RKS Literature: Opera as a Revolting Monster (Voltaire)

“I would perhaps prefer opera, had they not discovered the secret of turning it into a monster that revolts me. I do not mind if people want to see bad tragedies set to music, the scenes serving only to introduce (and quite badly) one or two ridiculous songs intended to exhibit the actresses’ gullet. GoodContinue reading “RKS Literature: Opera as a Revolting Monster (Voltaire)”

RKS Literature: Vancouver Suburb the Hate Capital of British Columbia

“I remembered playing baseball past where Navi lived, back when it was an empty lot, but now the area was overrun with homes, housing mostly Indian families. Sikhs. Men with turbans and beards. Women who travelled in pairs, in gold flecked orange, beet, and yellow fabrics. They kept their lawns trim and undecorated. They tookContinue reading “RKS Literature: Vancouver Suburb the Hate Capital of British Columbia”

RKS Literature: The Chinese as Inveterate Gamblers

“Over the centuries Chinese peasants have never had any control over the circumstances of their lives. Often acts of God, but more commonly acts of man, have completely disrupted any attempt to lead a rational and normal existence. Hard work seldom reaps its just rewards or even put sufficient rice into the family bowl toContinue reading “RKS Literature: The Chinese as Inveterate Gamblers”

RKS Literature: The Sea Dictates Everything

“By the time we were off Livingston, any hope of getting into the harbour was out of the question. The entrance to Livingston Harbour is shallow with a series of low lying rocks directly in front of it. Even in calm weather you had to know your way in, as many a visiting sailor hadContinue reading “RKS Literature: The Sea Dictates Everything”

RKS Literature: Napalm Nightmare (Bryce Courtenay)

“When I came to I was lying on a large raised platform together with several wounded Korean and Chinese soldiers. The bloke next to me was sitting up as if he was frozen into position, with his hands clasped about his knees. He was a blackish brown colour, the skin on his body so completelyContinue reading “RKS Literature: Napalm Nightmare (Bryce Courtenay)”

RKS Literature: Life in the 1930’s at the Colored Orphan Asylum in Harlem (Bryce Courtenay)

“The idea of a black orphan aspiring to rise above his or her predestined station in life simply never occurred to them. Children such as Jimmy who were demonstrably bright were regraded as potentially dangerous. They would only become frustrated in later life and, as a consequence, turn to crime. It was better to subdueContinue reading “RKS Literature: Life in the 1930’s at the Colored Orphan Asylum in Harlem (Bryce Courtenay)”

RKS Literature: Oncologist Stricken by What She Fights Against For Her Patients (Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn)

“Adjusting to the disease was at first unbearable. Her world had capsized, the entire arrangement of her existence was disrupted. She was not yet dead, and yet she had to give up her husband, her son, her daughter, her grandson, and her medical work as well, even though it was her own work, medicine, thatContinue reading “RKS Literature: Oncologist Stricken by What She Fights Against For Her Patients (Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn)”