where the writers are

Latest News & Events

View all»

Reading at The New School

Aug.25.2008
Reading at The New School

Reading at downtown's premier writing program

Featured Works

View all»

Peter's Latest Blogs

View all»
Aug.31.2008 - 1:36 pm
Missing from the Party
Missing from the Party The impending catastrophic landfall of Hurricane Gustav has suddenly reminded us of Hurricane Katrina. More to the point, it's reminded the Republican and...
Continue Reading »
Jul.30.2008 - 7:17 pm
Serves You Right to Suffer
The government is in the process of shoring up Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the bloated, tottering colossi that between them guaranteed approximately half the nation's mortgages....
Continue Reading »
Jul.14.2008 - 1:10 pm
Boo Hoo
Sunday, July 13, 2008 On the same day that the Dow plunged 2 percent and the Nasdaq 2.6 and gas shot close to $150 a barrel, Phil Gramm, one of John McCain's economic advisors,...
Continue Reading »
Jul.07.2008 - 6:05 am
Correction
In my previous post I suggested that the late Senator Jesse Helms is now in hell. That was incorrect, or may be. As my friend and teacher James McCourt once told me, there is no...
Continue Reading »

Comments from Peter

Jul.16.2008 - 2:06 pm
In response to: Boo Hoo
Thanks, Belle, And I just
Thanks, Belle, And I just posted something on your blog. I'm afraid it's really pompous. Best, P Peter Trachtenberg
Jul.16.2008 - 1:29 pm
In response to: Confucius and Shakespeare Side by Side
Rights vs. Responsibilities
On reading Confucius and Shakespeare side by side, what strikes me is that Confucius seems to see each stage of growth...
Jul.07.2008 - 3:28 pm
In response to: Correction
Great Poem
Whew. No wonder he wanted to shut down the NEA! I sometimes wish I had the gall to write an updated version of THE...
Jul.07.2008 - 3:24 pm
In response to: Lear: Men and Threats to their Security in Old Age
No Country for Old Men
So you don't buy the notion that Lear is unconsciously testing his daughters to see if they're angry at him for his...
Jul.06.2008 - 8:45 pm
In response to: Forget Sorrow: A Graphic Memoir
Gorgeous
This is just stunning. Beautiful combination of music and imagery. I wish I could do something similar. Peter...

Writing

View all»
Article: Some Birds
Article: You're Fired! Cloudburst

Published Reviews

View all»
bookofcalamities.jpg
Sep.05.2008
The Book of Calamities: Five Questions About Suffering and Its Meaning
Published by Salon
"Searching and often searing . . . . humane and, at the same time, . . . unsentimental. . . .The Book of Calamities is a work of real moral intricacy . . . . Trachtenberg's...
Continue Reading »

Audio & Video

View all»
peter-trachtenberg
Video: September on Jessore Road. Words by Allen Ginsberg. Sung by Moushoumi Bhoumik
More »
peter-trachtenberg
Video: September on Jessore Road. Words by Allen Ginsberg. Sung by Moushoumi Bhoumik
More »
Image Gallery: Faces in the Hold
More »
peter-trachtenberg's picture

About Peter

Peter Trachtenberg is the author of the memoir 7 Tattoos and The Book of Calamities, a hybrid of journalism, moral philosophy, and personal essay on the theme of suffering and its narratives. His writing has appeared in The New Yorker, Harper's, Bomb, The New...
Read full bio »

Causes Peter Trachtenberg Supports

Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Mercy Corps, Move On, Oxfam

Peter’s Favorite Books

Lolita, Pale Fire-- Vladimir Nabokov Bleak House-- Charles Dickens Ulysses -- James Joyce V, Gravity's Rainbow -- Thomas Pynchon Valis -- Philip K. Dick Bad...