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Cory Oldweiler

@coryoldweiler.bsky.social
688 followers 298 following 1.9K posts

Book critic. Lover of translated lit & translators. Cinephile. Disillusioned vagabond. “For I, you see, dwelling upon the rim of life, see everyone in the arena as acting blindly.”

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Cory Oldweiler @coryoldweiler.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Because the My Brilliant Friend erasure can’t stand
My Top Shows for the NYT poll 

DEADWOOD

STATION ELEVEN

LOST

MAD MEN

ANDOR

MY BRILLIANT FRIEND

THE AMERICANS

THE GOOD PLACE

IRMA VEP

RESERVATION DOGS
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Cory Oldweiler @coryoldweiler.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
All writers need editors, so re-upping from last week with correct title: Because the pub date was abruptly moved forward a full month, I wasn’t able to pitch a review of Rebecca Perry’s MAY WE FEED THE KING, which is spectacular and unique. I hope it gets the attention in the US that it deserves.
Cover of Rebecca Perry’s Booker shortlisted novel May We Feed the King (which is probably going to lose to Marlon James’s The Disappearers)
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Cory Oldweiler @coryoldweiler.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
If you like books set where you’re going, it’s clichéd but DUBLINERS is truly one of the all-time great collections. If you’re already a Joyce fan (and are traveling solo or with a like-minded partner), walking the route of ULYSSES is very rewarding & a great way to see Dublin (or was 20 yrs ago).
Cover of the book JOYCE’S DUBLIN,
A Walking Guide go to Ulysses, by Jack Mcarthy with Danis Rose
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Cory Oldweiler @coryoldweiler.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
Nice. Wish I was still there. Instead watching crazy lightning storm roll across the lake.
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Cory Oldweiler @coryoldweiler.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
Delta just calling it a day to go watch the football.
Flight board of LGA Delta departures, some 80% of which are canceled
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Cory Oldweiler @coryoldweiler.bsky.social · 28/06/2026
My mom just sent me this photo the other day, and talked about the party we had with all my grandparents and a few great-grandparents. I was 4 1/2, so only really remember it through the photos I’ve seen.
A bicentennial flag pin, comprising two American flags flying in opposite directions, the original 13 colonies flag and the one from 1976, attached to a piece of cardboard that says American Bicentennial across the top and has the years 1776 and 1976 in the bottom corners.
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Cory Oldweiler @coryoldweiler.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Only design info is on back cover (see below). First Vintage International edition from January 1994 that I’m pretty sure I bought used because I was on a scholarship away from electrical engineering studying CEE history and supposed to study abroad in Prague that fall (long story didn’t happen).
Back cover of a paper with some partial text and only completely visible: 
“U.S. $11.00
Can. $14.50
Design by Susan Mitchell
Photography by Grace Huang”
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Cory Oldweiler @coryoldweiler.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
Dug it out to reread in 2021 for the first time in a decade. Still held up for me!
Cover of a novel, the top half of which is a woman’s profile in a blueish sepia, the bottom half orange and red, including the title TRUCK STOP RAINBOWS, and the author’s name, Iva Pekárková, but sadly not the translator’s name, David Powelstock
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Cory Oldweiler @coryoldweiler.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
One of my most relaxing poses, and something I need to get back to doing more often. Here is me doing this in the middle of Iceland in 1998!
Dirt mesa with a guy (me) doing a headstand with his legs spread in a V. In the background is a glacier.
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Cory Oldweiler @coryoldweiler.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
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Cory Oldweiler @coryoldweiler.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
I’ve used DDG for years, and once you adjust the settings (including turning off AI prompts and such), this is my results:
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Cory Oldweiler @coryoldweiler.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
Apparently I don’t look up often enough because I just noticed this Lenin atop a building on Norfolk just south of Houston. Anyone know the story behind it??
Statue of Lenin pointing skyward atop a residential building in NYC.
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Cory Oldweiler @coryoldweiler.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
I took the shortcut (and then backtracked to your path!)
Cover of Bohumil Hrabal’s TOO LOUD A SOLITUDE
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Cory Oldweiler @coryoldweiler.bsky.social · 19/04/2026
I’m so sick of living in a country that tops news sites around the world with its repeated atrocities, atrocities only occur because one political party is slavishly devoted to power instead of the genuine welfare of its citizens.
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Cory Oldweiler @coryoldweiler.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
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Cory Oldweiler @coryoldweiler.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
Yeah, that’s going to go great for him…
Screenshot of a Corriere della Sera hed reading: Trump al Corriere: «Meloni non vuole aiutarci nella guerra, sono scioccato». Nuovo attacco al Papa:
«Non ha idea di cosa sta succedendo in Iran»Screenshot of a Corriere della Sera hed reading: Nella testa di Donald: gli psichiatri e l'ipotesi del «narcisismo maligno».
«Ha perso i freni inibitori» | I dubbi di democratici e mondo Maga: «E malato»
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Cory Oldweiler @coryoldweiler.bsky.social · 11/04/2026
The best way to see the Duomo on a gorgeous Saturday.
16:9 photo of a verdant field with tall grass and several old olive trees. In the center, some distance away, are a dozen bee hive boxes. The sky is blue, with clouds far off along the horizon. The city of Florence, Italy, is just below the horizon on the right half of the photo.
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Cory Oldweiler @coryoldweiler.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
Right back at you…
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Cory Oldweiler @coryoldweiler.bsky.social · 24/03/2026
I sure hope not because I (over) use it all the time. A more authoritative answer, though not specifically in reference to “the story,” can be found in Dreyer’s English:
Screenshot:

CENTERED AROUND
Even as a spatially challenged person who doodled and dozed his way through geography class, I recognize that "centered around" doesn't make any sense, so I will always opt for "centered on" or "revolved around." You should too.
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Cory Oldweiler @coryoldweiler.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
See also this utter nonsense
Screenshot of a black YouTube displaying reading that Paramount Global has blocked the upload of Pearl Jam’s “Black” on “copyright grounds.” The group who uploaded the video is Pearl Jam.
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Cory Oldweiler @coryoldweiler.bsky.social · 22/02/2026
I took this photo 6 yrs ago today on the northern edge of Firenze as I went for a coffee after lunch. Walking past the spot this morning I spied a lizard as it flicked its tail and hid among the vines encircling an ancient tree that once shaded the newsstand, which closed a year after the pandemic.
Standup signboard for the Italian newspaper La Nazione that says, in large all-caps sans serif font:

CORONAVIRUS
PRIMO MORTO 
E 16 CONTAGIATI 
L'ITALIA HA PAURA
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Cory Oldweiler @coryoldweiler.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
This or GTFO
Maniacal looking bearded man with wings and a Viking-like helmet maniacally smiles while staring at the camera
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Cory Oldweiler @coryoldweiler.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
Could literally not agree with you more :)
Screenshot of a Bluesky post by me from 22 days ago saying “Marty Supreme is a very fun movie but Everybody Wants to Rule the World belongs to Real Genius, show some respect.”
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Cory Oldweiler @coryoldweiler.bsky.social · 20/01/2026
Daniel Day Lewis centered in frame from Paul Thomas Anderson’s masterpiece THE PHANTOM THREAD when he says “Are you a special agent sent here
to ruin my evening and possibly my entire life?”
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Cory Oldweiler @coryoldweiler.bsky.social · 15/01/2026
I mean, after seeing him at this Nov. Q&A for Blue Moon, it’s hard to argue with that choice, if for no other reason than the suit.
Richard Linklater and Ethan Hawke sitting on a stage holding microphones, the latter of whom wears a brown corduroy suit and looks real good and cool in it
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Cory Oldweiler @coryoldweiler.bsky.social · 02/01/2026
New-to-me director whose work is extremely my jam and one of the great actors of her generation.
Letterboxd wrap summary showing 285 films logged in 2025, 277 films reviewed, 551 hours watched. The most watched actor is Nicole Kidman and the most watched director is Kleber Mendonça Filho.
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Cory Oldweiler @coryoldweiler.bsky.social · 19/12/2025
The #1 movie when you were 10 years old is how your 2026 is going to go. Really hope I’m the Belushi here…I think.
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Cory Oldweiler @coryoldweiler.bsky.social · 15/12/2025
John Cusack sits forlornly at a bar between two hangdog guy, one wearing a baseball hat, the other a cowboy hat. A pink neon martini is outlined on the back wall.
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Cory Oldweiler @coryoldweiler.bsky.social · 15/09/2025
Sorry to interrupt the #emmys
A picture of green rays of Aurora Borealis light shooting skyward from what looks like a cloud bank over Lake Michigan with a dark silhouette of the shore running along the bottom and some trees on the right side.
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Cory Oldweiler @coryoldweiler.bsky.social · 09/09/2025
Grateful to science and my savings account; not grateful to the ignorance and fear-mongering responsible for the fact that I had to pay more than $200 for a life-saving vaccine that used to be free.
Shoulder with two red bandaids with a white W on each
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Cory Oldweiler @coryoldweiler.bsky.social · 27/07/2025
A couple other options for me, but neither comes close to this debut:
Cover of Tracy Chapman’s self-titled debut album
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Cory Oldweiler @coryoldweiler.bsky.social · 24/06/2025
Because movies are better than the news/world right now…
New York Times Reader’s Choice Ballot for 21st c movies:
Grid showing covers/titles: The Handmaiden, Parasite, The Florida Project, The Piano Teacher, Wendy and Lucy, Drive My Car, Phantom Thread, Carol, Portrait of a Lady On Fire, Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World
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Cory Oldweiler @coryoldweiler.bsky.social · 11/06/2025
I will fire back with this mannequin, which—no judgment—seemed to be the only “child” version available in Albania, as I saw it in two cities, in shop windows and a museum, and have since seen it in other Balkan countries, too.
Child-sized mannequin wearing a silver-sequined dress and sporting a dark brown wig that resembles a Daley Crockett hat sans tail more than it looks like an actual hairstyle.
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Cory Oldweiler @coryoldweiler.bsky.social · 28/05/2025
Not that I would have had any influence if I’d seen this earlier, but fwiw:
A Letterboxd grid of eight Mission: Impossible films ranked Fallout, Rogue Nation, the original film, Dead Reckoning Part I, Ghost Protocol, the third film, the second film, Final Reckoning (despite it having the best stunt sequence of the series!)
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Cory Oldweiler @coryoldweiler.bsky.social · 11/05/2025
Very confused that NYT Spelling Bee counts the hyphenated version of this cheerleading accessory but not the correct one-word spelling
Spelling Bee screenshot showing that POMPON is not in the word list
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Cory Oldweiler @coryoldweiler.bsky.social · 02/04/2025
I’ve watched Val Kilmer’s movies more times than those of any other actor, probably due solely to Real Genius, which my brother and I watched borderline obsessively, but also Tombstone, The Doors, Top Secret, Top Gun, so many more. Thanks for so much joy. Rest easy, Val.
Val Kilmer, as Chris Knight in the film Real Genius, wearing his Surf Nicaragua t-shirt and smiling after Dr Hathaway, who is out of camera range, has just told him “I thought you’d become another Einstein.”
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Cory Oldweiler @coryoldweiler.bsky.social · 21/03/2025
I thought of Jules et Jim, which would be interesting because there are actually three people running, kind of the duality of Mark represented. But I only watched once while very tired so this could be totally off.
Three people, one woman, two men, running down a kind of tunnel with chain-link sides.
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Cory Oldweiler @coryoldweiler.bsky.social · 18/03/2025
Ali Smith would beg to differ…
NYT Spelling Bee screenshot showing that gliff is not in the word list even though the NYT Book Review covered a novel with this title and defined the word in the review.
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Cory Oldweiler @coryoldweiler.bsky.social · 15/03/2025
@alexzucker.bsky.social it’s admittedly trivial compared with so much of what’s going on in the world, but wanted to let you know that your translations are well represented in Ljubljana’s main bookshop (the recent Topol translation is on the other side of the table):
Bookshop table with several titles, including Alex Zucker’s translation of Magdaléna Platzová’s LIFE AFTER KAFKA.
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Cory Oldweiler @coryoldweiler.bsky.social · 11/03/2025
@jowrotethis.bsky.social @robmahoney.bsky.social No idea how to forward a post here, but one of our great satirists has some Lorazepam advice for Tim I didn’t want you to miss.
Screenshot of Gary Shteyngart skeeting: For those watching White Lotus, there are far better ways to take Lorazepam than gulping it down. Put it under your tongue and let it dissolve. Happy trails!
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Cory Oldweiler @coryoldweiler.bsky.social · 08/03/2025
Under Settings>Moderation I see this screen:
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Cory Oldweiler @coryoldweiler.bsky.social · 23/01/2025
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Cory Oldweiler @coryoldweiler.bsky.social · 01/01/2025
Letterboxd grid of eight Sophia Coppola films, with Lost in Translation at no. 1 and The Bling Ring at no. 8
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Cory Oldweiler @coryoldweiler.bsky.social · 24/12/2024
To make all your Christmas/Hanukah/holiday wishes come true, here’s the best of list that no one has been asking for—my five favorite translated novels from the past year, as well as an honorable mention that I read for the first time in 2024:
Five favorite works of translated fiction published this year:
 Antonina W. Bouis's translation of The Lady of the Mine, by Sergei Lebedev
 Monica Cure's translation of Too Great A Sky, by Liliana Corobca
 Michele Hutchison's translation of My Heavenly Favorite, by Lucas Rijneveld
 Christina MacSweeney's translation of Fury, by Clyo Mendoza
 Annie McDermott's translation of Not A River, by Selva Almada
 Favorite previously published work of translated fiction that I read this year:
 Julian Semilian's translation of Nostalgia, by Mircea Cârtârescu
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Cory Oldweiler @coryoldweiler.bsky.social · 24/11/2024
Sadly I don’t have any pets of my own, but this kitten in Kotor, Montenegro, was so adorable that it was very hard not to put her in my pocket when I left. Scores of cats live throughout the city (well fed and attended to medically), and the local kids named this one Maša.
Close up of an incredibly wee brown tabby kitten licking its paw
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Cory Oldweiler @coryoldweiler.bsky.social · 16/11/2024
Science would beg to differ
Screenshot of New York Times Spelling Bee game saying that MUON is not in the word list
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Cory Oldweiler @coryoldweiler.bsky.social · 11/11/2024
What is one of your comfort movies/shows?
Daniel Zovatto and Mackenzie Davis squatting down next to a creek in “Station Eleven,” which believe it or not I find incredibly comforting!
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Cory Oldweiler @coryoldweiler.bsky.social · 06/11/2024
This is the verb choice that made me want to scream.
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Cory Oldweiler @coryoldweiler.bsky.social · 05/11/2024
Without downloading any new pics, where are you mentally
Photo looking up from the bottom of a long concrete stairway at the top of which is a sky with daylight either fading or beginning.
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Cory Oldweiler @coryoldweiler.bsky.social · 20/10/2024
Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung pass each other on a narrow outdoor stairway.
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