Who am I?
My name is Roy Lotz. I’m an English teacher from New York, and I have a serious writing problem. This blog is an attempt to self-medicate. For more about me, click here. To contact me, click here.
Book Reviews
When I’m not working or dragging myself through Europe, I’m usually buried in a book. For many years I’ve been writing reviews on Goodreads (here’s my profile), and lately I’ve been posting some of my reviews here.
Travel Writing
During my decade in Spain, I did an awful lot of traveling. The verbal results of these fool’s errands can be found here.
Essays and Fiction
Besides book reviews and reports of my travels, I also write essays and fiction. You can find some of these pieces here.
My Novels
So far, I have two novels published, Their Solitary Way and Don Bigote. The first is a philosophical novel, while the second is a satire of right-wing conspiracy theories.
Quotes & Commentary
From my habit of writing down passages I like from whatever book I’m reading, I have amassed a staggering number of quotes. I thought I might as well do something with this collection, so I began using these quotes as the basis for a series of mini-essays.
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Lotz in Translation 
I am with You !! Always !! 🙂
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Have you written any commentary on the Enneads by Plotinus
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Well, not exactly, but I did write a pretty detailed review of an abridged version:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1223757916?book_show_action=false
Not sure how helpful it’ll be!
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Oh yes, that is partly why you are receiving word from me now. Is it good with you if I ask some questions here about your review?
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Sure, ask away. However, I read the book a few months ago, and I’m not sure how much I’ll remember that isn’t included in the review. But you can try your luck!
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That shouldn’t pose any trouble at all. Perhaps we can begin with an open-ended question to help break the ice. What relevance does Plotinus have in our day and age? Does he haven anything worth saying that can somehow benefit or improve the lives of everyday people and what might that be or not be; please explain?
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Actually, I just reposted my review to this blog. Can we move this exchange over to that page? It seems more appropriate:
https://lotzintranslationblog.wordpress.com/2016/01/20/review-the-essential-plotinus/
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Yes of course
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Hi, you have a great blog, it’ll be great if you can check out my blog here too: https://adedicatednomad.wordpress.com/
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Thanks! Yours is quite nice as well!
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Just discovered you via Goodreads…you are living a dream and love your eclectic reading interests. We overlap in a lot of ways so will be interested in following your travels and writing adventures from Madrid…..by the way, hoping to get there next year on my way to Barcelona for a Barca game, though now without Ronaldo don’t know if my grandson will want to go….hasta proximo
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Thanks for the comment!
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Hey, I came across your blog when googling “Durant hates Shakespeare”. Great blog. I agree Durant is a superb writer. I’m curious whether you found him more tedious and self indulgent in the later volumes. In particular, I wonder if you found Durant perhaps subconsciously contemptuous of Shakespeare. Durant gives him a few scant lines; he gives more to Chinese porcelain. Those lines he does give are mostly about Shakespeare’s need for an editor. He seems almost jealous to me. Would love to know what you think!
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Thanks for your comment! If I recall, I didn’t find Durant’s section on Shakespeare to be especially negative. I think Durant fancied himself a follower or Voltaire and a lover of orderly prose and French wit. So Shakespeare may not have been his favorite author. But I also remember him saying that, in his own way, Shakespeare was a greater philosopher than Bacon (and Durant admired Bacon). Also, Chinese porcelain is pretty great!
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I landed here from your review of Meacham’s Jefferson biography on Goodreads. (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2905604629?book_show_action=true)
After reading Chernow’s Hamilton, I immediately moved to learn Jefferson’s side of the story. About half way through, I started looking through reviews to see if anybody else was disappointed as I was. Your review articulated my sentiment exactly and provided the permission I was looking for to abandon the book and move on. Well done and thank you!
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I’m happy to be a new subscriber!
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Thanks very much!
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