Here is Chapter III of Alexander Pushkin’s “The Queen of Spades”. As before, I’ve made some comments on the story at the end of the column. —JLW THE QUEEN OF SPADES by Alexander Pushkin III Vous m’ecrivez, mon ange, des lettres de quatre pages plus vite que je ne puis les lire.1 A Correspondence. Lizaveta […]

I had intended to write another screed for today, but on second thought decided that I would demonstrate what it is I love about mystery short stories by pointing out the things I admire about a great story. Alexander Sergeievich Pushkin (1799-1836) is the greatest poet of Russia, a genius known for his romantic lyricism […]

DICTION COP POLICE BLOTTER NEWS by James Lincoln Warren Lake Superior State University is a modest institution of higher learning located in scenic Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, directly across St. Mary’s River (i.e., the channel connecting Lake Superior and Lake Huron) from scenic Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. They inform me that— “Lake Superior State University […]

RADIO FLASH by James Lincoln Warren Saturday evening I drove up into the San Fernando Valley to attend Bill Fitzhugh’s annual gumbo party for members of SoCal MWA. This involves driving over the Santa Monica Mountains through the Sepulveda Pass along the notorious 4051, and then a good stretch on the Ventura Freeway until arriving […]

CHOICE CUT by James Lincoln Warren John’s article on Saturday brought up the topic of film composers, and that stimulated a little introspection and reflection on my part. I spent the plurality of my college years as a musician and even attended the Mannes College of Music in New York City as a conducting major […]

OXFORD ENGLISH DICTIONARY ON CD-ROM, v.4.0 by James Lincoln Warren In “A Scandal in Bohemia”, Sherlock Holmes informs Watson that he would be “lost without his Boswell.” For my part, I would be lost without my dictionaries, thesauri, and style manuals. The Gentle Reader will appreciate that I have a particular affection for lexical software, […]

COMMANDER’S LOG by James Lincoln Warren The day this article is scheduled to appear is the day I return to California from a 19-day tour of South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Namibia (with a brief visit to the Zambia side of the Zambezi River at Victoria Falls). Some of you have asked for an account […]