Memories of the Decadence

During the Decadence we gave up sexual intercourse, substituting for it various kinds of fetishism. We refined our tastes, narrowing their range and fantastically increasing their complexity. Certain people… More

A Collaborator in Kashmir

After flights from Delhi to Jammu and then on to Srinagar, I rode north in a taxi to Sopore, closer to the Pakistan border. I’d come to Kashmir to meet… More

On Fear

I think FDR had it right, as he did so many things, that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—the fear of participating fully in our… More

On Fear

When FDR said, “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself,” he also said, “Only a foolish optimist can deny the dark realities of the moment.” I… More

Being Saïd

On a stage in New York, a Director, an Actor, and an Actress are struggling to finish a play written by Saïd Sayrafiezadeh.Director: (Addressing the audience.) Ladies and gentlemen,… More

Seven Small Apocalypses

Night and DayI drive by a motel when I need anything from the other side of town. Town’s built like an hourglass, and there’s a big lit sun shining… More

Rosie’s Bridegroom

The wedding guests look upon the cracked, pink lips of Rosie’s bridegroom. They look at Rosie’s own lips, which owe their reddish pinkness to artifice, they think, and not… More