David Josef Volodzko’s Glorious Things
We love to ask a genius for three gifts from the muses. And who better to ask than David Josef Volodzko? He’s the guiding light behind The Radicalist, which delves into extreme political movements, plus a whole lot of other stuff. A crackerjack journo who has reported for Foreign Policy, The Nation, New York, the Wall Street Journal, and the New Republic, among other worthies, DJV trains his sharp intellect on the forces roiling civilization. Support thoughtful writers, push back against philistines, and don’t be the last on your block to subscribe. Meantime, enjoy these gems of inspiration from his very big brain:
1. One Soldier's War by Arkady Babchenko. This book takes the reader on a beautifully written tale of war from the perspective of one Russian soldier. It is made up of vignettes, each no more than a page or two and sometimes only a few paragraphs, so you can easily read a chapter or two in just minutes. Some of the stories are darkly hilarious, some are profoundly insightful and others are absolutely terrifying. Each one has a vague Twilight Zone vibe.
2. Millennium Actress, co-written and directed by Satoshi Kon. When it comes to Japanese anime, I often recommend Graveyard of the Fireflies by Isao Takahata, which is Steven Spielberg's favorite animated film. That is a bleak and tragic tale, so instead, here's something fun. Kon is a genius whose work has inspired many others (many of the mind-bending scenes in Christopher Nolan's Inception were taken from Kon's Paprika) and Millennium Actress is arguably his finest work. It tells the story of an actress reflecting on the great love affair of her life, but each part of the story is told in the style of the film she was working on at that time, which means the movie is part Western, part science-fiction, part fantasy, part horror—and all joy.
3. A TV Show Called Earth, by Philip Labes. The style of this folk song is light, humorous, and quirky. Not for everyone, but if that's your thing, you're gonna love this. The song considers the tragic beauty of humanity as a reality TV show from the perspective of alien viewers.
