This week, the editors celebrate Wayne Koestenbaum’s essay on the art of the fugue, “Notes on Not Now,” which appeared in the magazine’s pages in December 1995. Koestenbaum’s conversation with countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo will be released tomorrow as part of the online video series “Artists On Writers | Writers On Artists,” a copresentation of Artforum
and Bookforum.
“I am confused about the spirit of the age,” Wayne Koestenbaum confesses in his incandescent and hilarious he would likely prefer the word hysterical essay “Notes on Not Now.” Playing inside the form of the fugue both the musical composition and that muggy state of mind the piece muses on what, or who, signals the contemporary. In a culture that embroiders its currency with revivals and republications, comebacks and recirculations, is there no time not like the present? As ever, Koestenbaum’s measure of a moment is prompted by matters of language. Here, a scholar’s mention of “iconoph
Screencap from ROEL S BOOKSHOP/FACEBOOK
Required Reading PH’s about page contains the quote “To read is to resist.” Indeed, with books by authors such as James Baldwin, Noam Chomsky, and Pramoedya Ananta Toer, the gems you’ll find in this independent bookshop can start you on a path of awakening.
Screencap from REQUIRED READING PH/FACEBOOK
Artbooks is a rare gem of a bookstore as it specializes in Filipino publications. It has a great selection of books from local university presses, zines and small presses, and even books on Filipino authors or subjects by an international publishing house. They also carry rare and out of print books on Filipino artists such as Amorsolo, Joya, and Legaspi. Check their Facebook or Instagram for updates.
endIndex: Southeast Asian myths, postcolonial epics, and a massive yet engaging story about foolish English magicians. Photos by JL JAVIER
Reading Life is a monthly column where writers talk about the books they ve read good or bad.
Like many of you, I had hoped that the insane amount of indoor time during the pandemic would mean that my tsundoku pile would finally shrink and my small bedroom would finally be free of some books. Alas, it was not quite. The pandemic has affected the way we read, and along with the numerous cultural shifts that happened, there was a reckoning to be had with our habits and choices. I found myself looking for more books written by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) during the George Floyd protests and as the cultural consumption of my part of the Twittersphere tended towards K-pop and Boys Love (and, eventually, pop music) from Thailand and, motivated me to look for more Southeast Asian books. In bookshops here, books from Japan, South
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When you ask ordinary Indonesians to name the country’s national heroes, chances are that they won’t be able to name more than a handful or two, with the majority of names, if not all, being the names of male national heroes. It only goes to show just how male-centric our history curriculum and narratives are.
Most might mention our national heroines Raden Adjeng Kartini or Cut Nyak Dhien, just two women who have contributed significantly to Indonesian life and society in our history.
In a bid to rectify the situation, online feminist publication
Magdalene (
magdalene.co) launched