December 1980
In This Issue
Explore the December 1980 print edition below. Or to discover more writing from the pages of The Atlantic, browse the full archive.
Articles
Not Being There
“Television is poised to absorb and emasculate the movies, all in the name of home entertainment.”
The Atlantic Puzzler
Bolivia: Once More, the Generals Take Over
Since July 1978, Bolivians have endured three coups, three presidential elections, eight presidents, and perhaps the lowest standard of living in Latin America. Not surprisingly, the prospects for a stable, prosperous democracy seem very slight.
The Wary Traveler
Ulster's Children: Waiting for the Prince of Peace
The children of “dirty Prods” and “filthy Fenians” carry messages, set fires, use guns and knives. But sometimes they speak with the startlingly premature wisdom of those who have seen people fight and die for what they believe.
The Editor's Page
The Man Who Counted
Words Upon the Greatness of William McGonagall
Poland: A Weakened Communist Party Fights for Survival
Poland’s rebellious trade unions may have ended — certainly weakened — the Communists’ domination of the marketplace. But Party bureaucrats, encouraged by alarmed Soviet observers, have begun to rebuild their political power base, and a long cold winter lies ahead.
The Names of Christmas
The language and legends of Christmas make more sense than one might suppose. And “Xmas,” far from being slangy and disrespectful, is precisely the way the event was described by the early Christians.
"Look Out for Turkey Wart"
It was E. B. White who presented James Thurber to Harold Ross, editor of The New Yorker. Ross assumed that they were friends although actually they had met only a few minutes earlier, and as he was continually in search of the ideal managing editor, he hired Thurber on the spot, at twice the salary Thurber had been receiving as a reporter for the New York Evening Post.
Museums and Hype: The Alexander Show
The big museums, squeezed by rising costs, have turned into impresarios and are depending increasingly on spectacular exhibits designed to lure the crowds. The latest is “The Search for Alexander”— fancifully named, extravagantly touted, and enmeshed in corporate and international politics. If you look closely, you will also see some beautiful objects.
Driftwood
The Twisted River
Aunty Crime's Neighborhood Newsletter
The New Journalism Revisited
Godric
Feminine Beauty
Horn of Africa
Birds of the West Coast
Off the Record
Gielgud
Alice James
The Enigma of Stonehenge
Algonquin Cat
Man, the Promising Primate
The Letters of Virginia Woolf
First Person America
