Ann Marlowe
Encyclopedia
Ann Rachel Marlowe is an American critic, journalist and writer working in New York City
. She was born in Suffern, New York
.
Marlowe published rock criticism in the early to mid 1990s in the Village Voice, LA Weekly
, Artforum
, and Spin. Her writing was influenced by the example of Greil Marcus
in seeking a broader cultural context and often a political meaning for the bands she reviewed.
Marlowe's first memoir, How To Stop Time: Heroin from A to Z, was widely reviewed and discussed in many online groups of drug users or recovering addicts.
Marlowe contributes frequently to the op ed pages of the Wall Street Journal and New York Post
, mainly writing about Afghanistan
and the US counterinsurgency there. Both of the publications are right of center and owned by Rupert Murdoch
.
Marlowe is one of 220 contributors of entries to A New Literary History of America (Harvard University Press, 2009), edited by Greil Marcus
and Werner Sollors. Her entry explores the cultural significance of Linda Lovelace
's 1980 memoir, Ordeal.
Marlowe has also worked as a legal recruiter specializing in placing tax and pension lawyers since 1987, first for A-L Legal Search and since 1990 for herself. As such, she is known to many New York attorneys.
magna cum laude from Harvard University
. From 1979 to 1980, she was Ph.D. student in the classical philosophy program at Harvard. Four years later, in 1984, she graduated with an MBA in finance from Columbia University
.
and terrorism
, making frequent trips to Afghanistan and learning Dari
. The LA Weekly
featured Marlowe as a blogger writing in Afghanistan in a feature entitled Ann Marlowe in Afghanistan. She also dated an Afghan-American man, an experience described in her second memoir, The Book Of Trouble: A Romance.
Marlowe's writings on Afghanistan have often challenged mainstream opinion, including arguing that "Afghanistan Doesn't Need a 'Surge'." She has drawn attention to Afghanistan's robust private sector and rapid economic growth in op-eds for the Wall Street Journal, commented on Kabul
's vibrant expat social scene, and criticized Afghan President Hamid Karzai
frequently for Taliban sympathies, incompetence and toleration of corruption in the many pieces in the Wall Street Journal, New York Post and a 2008 op ed in the Washington Post. Marlowe has also consistently argued that the US military is pursuing sensible policies in the country. Marlowe has been a frequent guest of conservative radio host John Batchelor
speaking on Afghanistan.
, Marlowe worked as a journalist in Libya attached to rebel forces.
The Book of Trouble received far less critical attention than her heroin book and although it was translated into Portuguese and Dutch, it never appeared in paperback. Many reviewers could not understand her preoccupation with a man they viewed as a "jerk" and found the book less well structured than How To Stop Time.
How to Stop Time was chosen one of the top 25 books of 1999 by the Village Voice.
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. She was born in Suffern, New York
Suffern, New York
Suffern is a village in the Town of Ramapo, Rockland County, New York, United States located north of the State of New Jersey; east of Hillburn; south of Montebello and west of Airmont...
.
Marlowe published rock criticism in the early to mid 1990s in the Village Voice, LA Weekly
LA Weekly
LA Weekly is a free weekly tabloid-sized "alternative weekly" in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1978 by Editor/Publisher Jay Levin and a board of directors that included actor-producer Michael Douglas...
, Artforum
Artforum
Artforum is an international monthly magazine specializing in contemporary art.-Publication:The magazine is published ten times a year, September through May, along with an annual summer issue...
, and Spin. Her writing was influenced by the example of Greil Marcus
Greil Marcus
Greil Marcus is an American author, music journalist and cultural critic. He is notable for producing scholarly and literary essays that place rock music in a much broader framework of culture and politics than is customary in pop music journalism.-Life and career:Marcus was born in San Francisco...
in seeking a broader cultural context and often a political meaning for the bands she reviewed.
Marlowe's first memoir, How To Stop Time: Heroin from A to Z, was widely reviewed and discussed in many online groups of drug users or recovering addicts.
Marlowe contributes frequently to the op ed pages of the Wall Street Journal and New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
, mainly writing about Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
and the US counterinsurgency there. Both of the publications are right of center and owned by Rupert Murdoch
Rupert Murdoch
Keith Rupert Murdoch, AC, KSG is an Australian-American business magnate. He is the founder and Chairman and CEO of , the world's second-largest media conglomerate....
.
Marlowe is one of 220 contributors of entries to A New Literary History of America (Harvard University Press, 2009), edited by Greil Marcus
Greil Marcus
Greil Marcus is an American author, music journalist and cultural critic. He is notable for producing scholarly and literary essays that place rock music in a much broader framework of culture and politics than is customary in pop music journalism.-Life and career:Marcus was born in San Francisco...
and Werner Sollors. Her entry explores the cultural significance of Linda Lovelace
Linda Lovelace
Linda Susan Boreman , better known by her stage name Linda Lovelace, was an American pornographic actress who was famous for her performance of deep throat fellatio in the enormously successful 1972 hardcore porn film Deep Throat...
's 1980 memoir, Ordeal.
Marlowe has also worked as a legal recruiter specializing in placing tax and pension lawyers since 1987, first for A-L Legal Search and since 1990 for herself. As such, she is known to many New York attorneys.
Education
In 1979, Marlowe received her B.A. in philosophyPhilosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
magna cum laude from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. From 1979 to 1980, she was Ph.D. student in the classical philosophy program at Harvard. Four years later, in 1984, she graduated with an MBA in finance from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
.
Afghanistan
After 9/11, Marlowe rather abruptly began to write about AfghanistanAfghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
and terrorism
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
, making frequent trips to Afghanistan and learning Dari
Dari (Eastern Persian)
Dari or Fārsī-ye Darī in historical terms refers to the Persian court language of the Sassanids. In contemporary usage, the term refers to the dialects of modern Persian language spoken in Afghanistan, and hence known as Afghan Persian in some Western sources. It is the term officially recognized...
. The LA Weekly
LA Weekly
LA Weekly is a free weekly tabloid-sized "alternative weekly" in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1978 by Editor/Publisher Jay Levin and a board of directors that included actor-producer Michael Douglas...
featured Marlowe as a blogger writing in Afghanistan in a feature entitled Ann Marlowe in Afghanistan. She also dated an Afghan-American man, an experience described in her second memoir, The Book Of Trouble: A Romance.
Marlowe's writings on Afghanistan have often challenged mainstream opinion, including arguing that "Afghanistan Doesn't Need a 'Surge'." She has drawn attention to Afghanistan's robust private sector and rapid economic growth in op-eds for the Wall Street Journal, commented on Kabul
Kabul
Kabul , spelt Caubul in some classic literatures, is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. It is also the capital of the Kabul Province, located in the eastern section of Afghanistan...
's vibrant expat social scene, and criticized Afghan President Hamid Karzai
Hamid Karzai
Hamid Karzai, GCMG is the 12th and current President of Afghanistan, taking office on 7 December 2004. He became a dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001...
frequently for Taliban sympathies, incompetence and toleration of corruption in the many pieces in the Wall Street Journal, New York Post and a 2008 op ed in the Washington Post. Marlowe has also consistently argued that the US military is pursuing sensible policies in the country. Marlowe has been a frequent guest of conservative radio host John Batchelor
John Batchelor
John Calvin Batchelor is an author and host of The John Batchelor Show radio news magazine. Based at WABC radio in New York for five years from early 2001 to September, 2006; the show was syndicated nationally on the ABC radio network. On October 7, 2007, Batchelor returned to radio on WABC New...
speaking on Afghanistan.
Libya
During the 2011 Libyan civil war2011 Libyan civil war
The 2011 Libyan civil war was an armed conflict in the North African state of Libya, fought between forces loyal to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and those seeking to oust his government. The war was preceded by protests in Benghazi beginning on 15 February 2011, which led to clashes with security...
, Marlowe worked as a journalist in Libya attached to rebel forces.
Critical reception
Upon the release of How to Stop Time, many praised its unsparing view of addiction as fundamentally a choice, but others charged that Marlowe could not have come to this conclusion if she were a "real addict" (IV user, poor, uneducated). She was condemned as a dilettante and attacked for glamorizing drug use by some reviewers, but most agreed that the book was well-written and original.The Book of Trouble received far less critical attention than her heroin book and although it was translated into Portuguese and Dutch, it never appeared in paperback. Many reviewers could not understand her preoccupation with a man they viewed as a "jerk" and found the book less well structured than How To Stop Time.
How to Stop Time was chosen one of the top 25 books of 1999 by the Village Voice.
Books
- How To Stop Time: Heroin from A to Z (2000)
- The Book Of Trouble: A Romance (2006)
Books featuring works by Ann Marlowe
- Rap on Rap: Straight-Up Talk on Hiphop Culture (1995) edited by Adam Sexton
- A New Literary History of America (2009) edited by Greil Marcus and Werner Sollors
External links
- Official Website
- The Dictionary of Dope - New York Times review of How to Stop Time
- Salon.com review of How to Stop Time
- The Dope Show - Village Voice review of How to Stop Time