Mild Indifference and Arse-Breathing: A Reflection on Peter Høeg’s Observations

The following quote is from Peter Høeg’s short story Reflection of a Young Man in Balance, which is part of his collection, Tales of the Night (“Fortællinger om Natten” in Danish). The collection explores themes of love, identity, and existential reflection, often with a lyrical and philosophical style. However, as I’m using this quote in … Continue reading Mild Indifference and Arse-Breathing: A Reflection on Peter Høeg’s Observations

Shards of a Broken Mind: A Critique of The Life of a Stupid Man

The Life of a Stupid Man was published posthumously in 1927, the same year Ryūnosuke Akutagawa took his own life. That makes this work seem like a literary suicide note - one final, unfiltered outpouring of his disillusionment and despair. It wasn’t crafted for an audience so much as exhaled, a last gasp of a man … Continue reading Shards of a Broken Mind: A Critique of The Life of a Stupid Man

To the Devil a Disappointment: Wheatley’s Satanic Soap Opera

Dennis Wheatley’s To the Devil a Daughter was supposed to be a spine-tingling foray into occult horror, but I found myself laughing more often than shivering. From the first page, I was ready for a clever, suspenseful narrative, only to be greeted by a clunky mix of melodrama, cardboard characters, and a plot that wobbled like an … Continue reading To the Devil a Disappointment: Wheatley’s Satanic Soap Opera