Dreamways

The virtual world of virtual friendships in the somewhat more real literary world is humorously looked at by Noam Cohen in his article, “Even in MySpace, a Friend Has to Qualify” (The New York Times, October 15, 2007). It turns out that even the dreamy world of on-line personas attracting on-line buddies and fans can present very emotionally real and painful obstacles for (presumably) flesh-and-bone humans!
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“She has chronicled the 20th century’s utopian search for defining ideas — be they communism, feminism or psychology — and the fallout that such ideas have had on the lives of women trying to find an identity of their own.” So begins a tribute to Doris Lessing the day after she was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature. (“Tracing the Internal Tug of War at the Heart of Human Life” by Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times, October 12, 2007). This summarization of Ms Lessing’s works is very much the realm of dreams, dreams as ideals, dreams as goals and aspirations.  read more »

In an essay entitled "Blows Against the Empire“ (The New Yorker, 20 Aug 07), Adam Gopnik explores the life and writings of American science fiction novelist Philip K. Dick (1928 – 1982) who is perhaps best known for having provided the adaptation source for Ridley Scott’s classic movie of dystopia, Blade Runner. While this movie can be seen as a dark and disturbing visionary dream, and as such, an influential cultural voice, the essay looks, among other things, at how Dick’s life was impacted by a moment of vision.

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"The Return of the Sweet Dreamer.“ These poignant words headline an article about pop singer Annie Lennox (Jon Pareles, The New York Times, 30 Sep 07). The article was prompted by the release of Ms Lennox‘s new album and its promotional concert tour. Appropriately enough, the article touches upon aspects of Dreamfulness.

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"The King Memorial: Dreams at Odds.“ So reads the headline of a news article by Patricia Cohen in The New York Times (24 Sep 07). Cohen explains that "none of the stars at Radio City Music Hall last week to raise money for the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial mentioned the quarrel that has been bubbling up over plans for the towering three-story monument in Washington.“ A quarrel regarding a tribute to a modern day Prince of Peace? Absolutely!

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The all-too-seductive allure of lucid dreaming is discussed in an article by Stephanie Rosenbloom, "Living Your Dreams, In a Manner of Speaking“ (The New York Times, 16 Sep 07). Rosenbloom offers the following definition: "Lucid dreaming is a state in which a sleeping person becomes aware he or she is dreaming and may even be able to direct the action.  read more »

"It was one of Israel’s dirty little secrets. In the early 1960s, as Israelis were being exposed for the first time to the shocking testimonies of Holocaust survivors at the trial of Adolf Eichmann, a series of pornographic pocket book called Stalags, based on Nazi themes, became best sellers throughout the land. So begins an article by Isabel Kershner in The New York Times (06 Sep 07).  read more »

“The Nobel Prize wasn’t the only big news for [Doris] Lessing last week. As a result of all the publicity, more than 100 people signed up to be her friend on MySpace.” The reader is informed about this possibly surprising bit of news regarding the 87-year-old author in a New York Times article (“Even in MySpace, a Friend Has to Qualify”, by Noam Cohen, October 15, 2007).

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DREAM WITH FLOWERS AND BOWL OF FRUIT

Too many of my dreams these days are boring,
I expect to drop into the pillows
and see the kind of action night is for –
a psychic workout, romance, close escapes:
Not much gets accomplished in a still-life;

Nobody looks at asters as a way
to get a taste of life. I want to happen,
not to slightly rearrange my day
nightly in a recurring tablescape.
Dreams! However beautiful the apples,

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