Category Archives: Literature

Eltz Castle, Germany

Posted on October 4, 2026 by Joel D. Hirst

Europe is a museum to its remarkable past. After the great wars, they tried to build a continent safe from war and violence and poverty. It was a remarkable experiment, which is now mostly coming to an end. Such things … Continue reading →

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A Simple Tale of Soviet Armenia

Posted on August 23, 2026 by Joel D. Hirst

I think this my favorite of my novels. It is not the most elaborate, that would go to “The Unraveling.” Nor is it the best researched, that would go to “Lords of Misrule.” But my novel about Armenia, called “An … Continue reading →

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Don Quixote

Posted on August 19, 2026 by Joel D. Hirst

In Yerevan, Armenia, in an antique shop full of musty tomes and dusty artifacts I found an old Soviet Don Quixote iron statuette. The Soviets loved Quixote. His fight against the oligarchs; his utopian sense of the possible; his tireless … Continue reading →

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Mi Épica Sobre La Venezuela Chavista

Posted on August 11, 2026 by Joel D. Hirst

La revolución socialista sudamericana más significativa de nuestros tiempos, es contada desde varios puntos de vista, con humor e intimismo. El peligro de la utopía, cuando se apodera de los corazones y las mentes, termina por incendiarlo todo. Sus personajes … Continue reading →

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Mi novela sobre Malí, Tombuctú y los tuaregs

Posted on August 10, 2026 by Joel D. Hirst

El jihadismo en África Occidental no es nuevo. Es un fenómeno que viene en oleadas, cada siglo o dos, desde el siglo XIV o incluso antes. Lo que antes era una conquista, ahora es una mezcla tóxica de rabia y … Continue reading →

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The Unraveling — My Dystopian Novel

Posted on August 7, 2026 by Joel D. Hirst

Nobody really reads anymore, the statistics are pretty grim. Pew Research suggested last year 40% of Americans read no book at all, 27% read up to four books and 19% — what Pew called “Heavy Readers” (no irony alas) read … Continue reading →

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