This essay in the Sunday Times Book Review is painful to read — if only because anyone who would really break up with someone because he/she had never heard of Pushkin should have his/her reproductive organs seized by the state.

(The only person I’ll agree with in it is Salon’s Laura Miller, who once broke up with someone who loved Ayn Rand. Someone who loves Rand is either (a) the owner of spectacularly bad literary taste, which is forgivable, (b) a believer in a bunch of truly poisonous philosophical hooey, which is less so, or, most likely, (c) both of the above, which truly approaches dealbreaker status.)

Comments

29 March | 20:50 | Tracie

I read this too. Puh-leese..Dip-shits!
My first husband was a kind, generous and loving human being who happened to be an electrician. He didn't know Pushkin from a push pin, but he loved our kids, he loved me and when the time came, he loved my new husband. We divorced for lots of reasons, but none of them were about his literary passions. Get over your precious selves dear Times!

02 April | 23:12 | Abby

Glad you called them out on that. I thought it was ridiculous. Even more ridiculous? It was at the top of the most-emailed list for at least a day or two.

Comment Preview

said:

Joshua Benton

Joshua Benton is the director of the Nieman Digital Journalism Project at Harvard University, among other things. Before that, he was a staff writer and columnist for The Dallas Morning News. (More.)