‘The Literature of the Absurd’: Meursault
“The Literature of the Absurd” is a reflection on prominent authors in the Absurdist tradition — Beckett, Camus and beyond…
Category: The Grind
The best of both worlds
One night, around ten years ago in Lebanon, when I was supposed to be deep in my dreams, I came…
Flower talk
I wouldn’t be surprised if you told me Leucospermum cordifolium (Nodding Pincushion) grew on Mars. The alien flower has a…
Taiko and me
Dear Dan from The Past, Surprise! You joined Stanford Taiko. Didn’t expect it? That makes two of us! To be…
Ben’s Column: For Louise Glück, 1943-2023
As they have been for many, Louise Glück’s poems have been among the great gifts of my life. I never…
Hold on to the memories, they’ll hold on to you
I was at the Daily building the first time I played “All Too Well (10 Minute Version).” It was fall,…
‘Curry and Pepper’: On Ouyang Feng
I don’t think I’d heard the name Ouyang Feng before I watched Wong Kar Wai’s “Ashes of Time” (東邪西毒), a…
Dear frosh: You truly do have a place at Stanford
Dear frosh, Your first quarter as a Stanford student is coming to a close. First and foremost, hooray! You got…
Dear Diary: Sunny days in winter
Dear Diary, The wind outside has become cold and biting, dark and worrisome. But I can’t feel it, not even…
Dear Boomer: Get a life!
Fifty years ago, I rode my Kawasaki from Portola Valley onto campus, usually squeaking into class just on time. While much…