Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Conor McCarthy

@hibernowombat.bsky.social

200 followers 260 following 35 posts

Director of Philanthropy, National Library of Australia. Recent books Love, Sex and Marriage in the Middle Ages (2022), Outlaws and Spies (2020). Views mine.

Videos

Political science 40%

History 18%

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Conor McCarthy @hibernowombat.bsky.social · 2d

Or, hang on, are we actually nostalgic for that?

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Conor McCarthy @hibernowombat.bsky.social · 2d

No danger of any of us slipping into nostalgia here, is there?

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Conor McCarthy @hibernowombat.bsky.social · Sep 9

Strong rebuke of spy agency on our local bus stop …

Conor McCarthy @hibernowombat.bsky.social · Aug 28

Routledge’s US office is in NY, I believe …

Conor McCarthy @hibernowombat.bsky.social · Aug 19

Pynchon novels ranked in the Guardian. I’m going to dissent on the placing for Against the Day … I loved it! www.theguardian.com/books/2025/a...

From V to Vineland and Inherent Vice: Thomas Pynchon’s books – ranked!

With fans eagerly awaiting the reclusive author’s first book in more than a decade, the noir caper Shadow Ticket, we assess his best fiction of the past 60 years

www.theguardian.com

Conor McCarthy @hibernowombat.bsky.social · Aug 18

Presumably translated as “Sure, this is a Wendy’s, boy …”

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Conor McCarthy @hibernowombat.bsky.social · Aug 2

Ominous owl …

Conor McCarthy @hibernowombat.bsky.social · Aug 2

Spotify now just playing Wagner …

a group of helicopters flying over a body of water at sunset

Alt: Helicopters from Apocalypse Now

media.tenor.com

Conor McCarthy @hibernowombat.bsky.social · Jul 26

New books coming from Thomas Pynchon, Olga Ravn, and George Saunders in the next 6 months … pretty excited for all of these!

Conor McCarthy @hibernowombat.bsky.social · Jul 25

There’s a magnificent version of Arlo Guthrie’s “ODed in Denver” on that album …

Reposted by Conor McCarthy

Merrill Markoe @merrillmarkoe.bsky.social · Dec 23

An exhaustive wrap up of a decade of careful scholarly study of one man’s approach to holiday lighting. Behold.

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Reposted by Conor McCarthy

Ben Stiller @benstiller.redhour.com · Mar 20

Finale Day.

film still #66
Adam with balloons.
#severance

400 560 9.7K

Reposted by Conor McCarthy

Giramondo Publishing @giramondobooks.bsky.social · Jul 24

‘An extraordinary debut full of ritual and poetry’ ⭐

What Kept You? by Raaza Jamshed receives a full-page and full-hearted review in the Guardian today!

Read the full piece by Bec Kavanagh: www.theguardian.com/books/2025/j...

What Kept You? by Raaza Jamshed review – an extraordinary debut full of ritual and poetry

A young woman grapples with the stories that shape her in this tightly crafted and complex portrayal of grief and growing up

www.theguardian.com

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Reposted by Conor McCarthy

Colin 📚🦔☕️🍵 @literarycolin.bsky.social · Jul 24

😲 George Saunders is releasing "Vigil" on 1/27/26

Like "Lincoln in the Bardo", it will be set in a liminal zone between life and death.
It follows the deathbed journey & moral accounting of an oil company CEO.

Are you adding this one to your TBR? 📚

#books #booksky #litfic #booklover #tbr

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Conor McCarthy @hibernowombat.bsky.social · Jul 8

Italian parenting for the win …

Conor McCarthy @hibernowombat.bsky.social · Jul 8

No defects at all …

Conor McCarthy @hibernowombat.bsky.social · May 9

Pope Pad See Ew V …

Conor McCarthy @hibernowombat.bsky.social · May 3

Call this a democracy sausage? (Actually quite tasty tbf).

Conor McCarthy @hibernowombat.bsky.social · Apr 17

Wonderful playing tonight by the great Ed Kuepper

Conor McCarthy @hibernowombat.bsky.social · Apr 12

Amazing!

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Conor McCarthy @hibernowombat.bsky.social · Mar 22

Can’t believe my innie was at work when the final episode of season 2 dropped …

Ben Stiller @benstiller.redhour.com · Mar 20

Finale Day.

film still #66
Adam with balloons.
#severance

Conor McCarthy @hibernowombat.bsky.social · Mar 15

RIP Dag Solstad …

Conor McCarthy @hibernowombat.bsky.social · Mar 9

Projections on Mount Stromlo last night …

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Conor McCarthy @hibernowombat.bsky.social · Mar 3

This is just wonderful - thank you for sharing it.

Conor McCarthy @hibernowombat.bsky.social · Mar 2

‘The reason of the strongest is always the best; / As we shall shortly show.’ Derrida’s meditations on La Fontaine’s The Wolf and the Lamb seem terribly relevant to the grim direction of current events …

Reposted by Conor McCarthy, Bruno Cousin, Peter Walkenhorst , and 1 more Conor McCarthy, Bruno Cousin, Peter Walkenhorst, Martin Schulze Wessel

Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · Mar 1

Here I react to the shameful behavior of American leaders and media toward the Ukrainian president. No doubt there were more, but I saw five failures on our side: of hospitality, decency, democracy, strategy, and independence. Please watch and share.
snyder.substack.com/p/five-failu...