At The Rumpus, our own Nick Ripatrazone writes about his twin daughters, Amelia and Olivia, who taught him that, when it comes to twins, “there are two babies but three identities: one for each baby, and then the twin identity, an amorphous, shared mass of personality and action that makes Amelia fuss one night and Olivia the next.” The essay nicely complements Nick’s Millions piece on Andre Dubus.
What They Share
New Year, New Interviews
For their first interview of 2013, The Rumpus talks to Zadie Smith, who also, if you'll recall, told us about her Year in Reading last month.
●
●
More Like George POURwell, Am I Right?
I wonder if time George Orwell spent in India and Burma informed his opinions on “how to make the perfect cup of tea.”
●
●
What a Gas!
Anatoly Liberman unwinds the etymology of "fart," a word that, despite seeming modern, was used in the original legend of Thor and has been with us since the birth of the Indo-European ur-language.
●
●
Sugar’s Advice to Christian Writers
Can Christians still "write like a motherfucker?"
●
●
At What Age?
This week in book-related infographics: a look at "What Age Do Writers Publish Their Most Famous Works?" from Electric Literature.
●
●
In and Out
Is it possible you have a binge reading disorder? It might seem ridiculous, but there’s mounting evidence that the Internet, which allows us to read far more than we ever have, is creating a world in which we constantly read but retain very little. Nikkitha Bakshani takes a look at the evidence for The Morning News.