Convivium

“For a man that goes on a pilgrimage does best of all if he starts out with the heart of a wanderer, eager for the world as it is, forgetful of maps or descriptions, but hungry for real colours and men and the seeming of things.” -Hilaire Belloc As it is with people you love, [...]

We read. We saw. We heard. We tasted. Reading Chicago. READ While our some of Chicago’s most imaginative literary witnesses revealed its cultural contrasts, I was even more struck by a distinctive composite portrait of an astonishing city, characterized by muscular momentum, unpretentious pride and, sometimes, seamy realness. “City of the Big Shoulders … …proud [...]

Just back from the capitol of the Confederate States of America, where we all deepened our understanding of this defining event. We had an extraordinary time approaching this ever-fascinating and perplexing war that still occasionally erupts in skirmishes. Rosemary Gould was our fantastic discussion leader. What striking cultural contrasts we experienced – as well as [...]

Our last days in Cambodia were packed with magnificent and mysterious Angkor temples and local culture. Heat and humidity sapped my remaining energy, so I am now composing a final post from the comfort of home. Click on thumbnail images to enlarge. CAVEAT: Please understand that a trip of several weeks to a little-known culture [...]

Click here to see pt. 1 of this post. And double click on images to enlarge. Ingenuity – People in poorer countries have, of necessity, highly developed ingenuity to use what’s at hand for multiple purposes. We saw many examples in both countries, none perhaps more impressive than the traditional Cambodian krama, a humble but [...]

Tra is not his real name, but it is what we call our Cambodian guide for the sake of simplicity. If you are unaware of the name Pol Pot and the unspeakable atrocities he committed in the name of the Khmer Rouge between 1975-78, you may want to Google it. I will say here only [...]

Do not feel sorry for these kids. These pictures cannot fully convey their exuberance, their lithe gracefulness, their  playfulness, their ease with and kindness to one another, their inventiveness, and their quick responsiveness to gentle commands from parents or teachers, their squeals of laughter, play and surprisingly good efforts at English. They play with what’s [...]

It is cocktail hour on the ‘sun deck’ of the RV Bassac Pandaw. It it pitch black outside and we are on a narrow portion of the river. The warm and humid breeze is strong and luscious. We can see the occasional electric light or fire on shore and hear passing boats and chanting from [...]

This is the Chinatown of Saigon and the primary setting of  “The Headmaster’s Wager” by Vincent Lam, the book were ‘advised’ not to bring with us. We can picture the Percival Chen English Academy operating right here. These children are almost certainly ethnic Chinese and students in a private school since uniforms are not worn [...]

We are in Phnom Penh, Cambodia and have been on the Mekong River for the past few days, without Internet. Before thinking about what we are experiencing in Cambodia, I want to offer a few more reflections on Vietnam. We are discussing short stories written by Vietnamese writers. They are subtle, complex, and challenging to [...]