The Long Summer

‘Alex!’ you cry; ‘we wait; you do not come; we despair—the sun burns.’ And you’d be right—about the latter proposition, at least. England, land of rolling hills and cool summers, has become rather warm as of late. I would claim the inclement sun the cause of these vicissitudes; but my lackadaisical blogging efforts owe more to something else.

You see, I have spent a fair few hours writing an essay. It is entitled On Greece and the Eurozone; and as you can guess, it concerns the Greek crisis. I have submitted it to the Royal Economic Society but a few hours past. I shall not go into detail, however; for fate (or indeed the Society’s tedious regulations) compel me to keep it unpublished until the winners are revealed.

That will occur towards the end of this month. Wish me luck, as they say; and do keep an eye out. The topic is proving remarkably contentious and complex.

And though the rules forbid me detailing the essay, I can at least say this: the cause of the Greek crisis does not owe its origin to debt, or at least not as greatly as many think; and yet, equally, there is more to this particular puzzle than the depredations of austerity.

In any case: I have a news. Firstly—summer.

The Sun, it Doth Burn Bright; But Denmark Forsakes its Warm Caress

As you may be able to ascertain from the title, I shall be spending time in… Denmark, over the summer. I leave in a few weeks; I shall stay for twelve days and eleven nights. Denmark, I’m hoping, shall prove pleasantly cool. I may even take a dip in the sea; though that, of course, will require the perusal of a good wetsuit.

But before I leave the for the Danelore, I shall spend a few days in Linz (that’s in Austria, dear). There, I shall hike, enjoy the hotel spa, and of course: I shall write.

First on the pecking order is the Ark. I have spoken of it, but then I shall turn promises into words; and, in the meanwhile, I’ll be updating you on the Upcoming page. That has yet to be created, but as I say: patience is the virtue of every good writer.

I shall also look into finishing the Fallen Saga—a project that has proven intriguing, though difficult. My next poem will likely contain the themes of summer (in contrast to Jörmunísskast)—for reasons I need not elucidate—but, unlike the Summer Days, this particular work will be imbued with all the darkness befitting of the Fallen Saga.

Until then, keep following. Not only shall I be writing the Ark, but I may even find the opportunity to do a collaboration post. The topic? Socialism. Yes; it’s that time of the year…