ON WOMEN, by Susan Sontag (Hamish Hamilton, $40 hb)
In the past 10 years, a plethora of modern feminist writing has hit the booksellers' shelves, some of it very good, much of it very shallow. All of it is welcome.
The best examples come from writers such as Rebecca Solnit and Ariel Levy, while weaker works include essay collections-slash-memoirs by Girls creator Lena Dunham and Pandora Sykes' How Do We Know We're Doing It Right?
These later works can be enjoyable reads, but they lack the backbone and intellectual rigour to truly question the status quo.
And so Susan Sontag's On Women is welcome. A reissue of collected feminist essays from the 1970s, edited by Sontag's son, David Rieff, the book explores such timeless themes as the expectations for women's beauty, the double standard of gendered ageing, and the labour of motherhood.
Denne historien er fra July 1-7 2023-utgaven av New Zealand Listener.
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Denne historien er fra July 1-7 2023-utgaven av New Zealand Listener.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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First-world problem
Harrowing tales of migrants attempting to enter the US highlight the political failure to fully tackle the problem.
Applying intelligence to AI
I call it the 'Terminator Effect', based on the premise that thinking machines took over the world.
Nazism rears its head
Smirky Höcke, with his penchant for waving with a suspiciously straight elbow and an open palm, won't get to be boss of either state.
Staying ahead of the game
Will the brave new world of bipartisanship that seems to be on offer with an Infrastructure Commission come to fruition?
Grasping the nettle
Broccoli is horrible. It smells, when being cooked, like cat pee.
Hangry? Eat breakfast
People who don't break their fast first thing in the morning report the least life satisfaction.
Chemical reaction
Nitrates in processed meats are well known to cause harm, but consumed from plant sources, their effect is quite different.
Me and my guitar
Australian guitarist Karin Schaupp sticks to the familiar for her Dunedin concerts.
Time is on my side
Age does not weary some of our much-loved musicians but what keeps them on the road?
The kids are not alright
Nuanced account details how China's blessed generation has been replaced by one consumed by fear and hopelessness.
