A small unpretentious used book store in downtown New York has become a hangout for writers. The bookstore relies entirely on random donations, which come variously from people who are moving or deceased, book reviewers, literary agencies, publishers, and collectors. In selecting which books to display, the staff caters to the tastes of regulars—people who live or work in the neighborhood, book dealers, and collectors. – Village Voice
Month: July 2000
REBUILDING ART AFTER WAR
“Croatia remained largely peaceful during the second half of the 1990’s, but the earlier Balkan wars left a mark on the nation’s cultural life. Its once-lucrative $4 billion-a-year tourist industry and vibrant artistic scene – almost destroyed through the mobilization of a large part of the male population, emigration and civil unrest – have only recently shown signs of recovery.” – New York Times
CRUMBLING TREASURES
Italy has a wealth of art treasures. But how to take care of it? “Art restoration in Italy is in a mess. It’s not that we lack restorers of the highest ability. It is rather that the organisation of the whole, and the role of the government, is chaotic… The government may get involved when some world-famous building has collapsed, or a world-famous fresco starts peeling off its wall. But there’s no interest at all in the thousands of buildings and churches that are quietly crumbling, along with the objects inside them, in the centres of Italy’s ancient cities.” – The Telegraph (UK)
EARLY FEUD
- Earlier this spring Pinchas Zukerman was quoted in a Toronto newspaper as saying he “hates” early music; that early music is “disgusting … and complete rubbish, and [so are] the people who play it.” Do Zukerman’s comments suggest “an emerging trend of negative public statements by modern conductors who are very suspicious of early music practices and performances and of period instruments?” – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
CITY BALLET’S ROAD TO NOWHERE
New York City Ballet has invested heavily in its Diamond Project to create new works. That should be cause for celebration. “What I feel instead is a profound sense of futility, watching a company that, despite the richest resources and the most compelling reasons to maintain its former glory, cannot find a viable contemporary identity and is, instead, steadfastly marching down a path to nowhere.” –New York Magazine
A HEROIC SEASON
American Ballet Theatre survived an uncommon number of injuries and produced a season of surprises. – New York Times
REBUILDING ART AFTER WAR
“Croatia remained largely peaceful during the second half of the 1990’s, but the earlier Balkan wars left a mark on the nation’s cultural life. Its once-lucrative $4 billion-a-year tourist industry and vibrant artistic scene – almost destroyed through the mobilization of a large part of the male population, emigration and civil unrest – have only recently shown signs of recovery.” – New York Times
BETTING ON THE “WITCHES”:
Theatre producer Cameron Mackintosh used to be a money machine, with a string of worldwide music theatre hits. But since “Miss Saigon,” his last big world-wide hit ten years ago, his track record has been shaky: ” ‘Moby Dick’ sank, ‘Martin Guerre’ staggered through three incarnations before closing, and last year his Sondheim compilation, ‘Putting It Together’, stumbled and fell on Broadway. Will his new “Witches of Eastwick” turn his luck around? – Sunday Times (UK)
PRIZE TO NOWHERE
It used to be that winning a major literary award was a ticket to great sales. But a look at recent book sales charts suggests that winning a big prize no longer has much impact on getting a book sold. – The Independent (UK)
WORLD POLITICS
“World music grows ever more popular. There is hardly a country on earth that has not had its indigenous music marketed to Western record-buyers. But, for some of the artists, acclaim, and the wealth it generates, can spell trouble. So it proved on my trip to North Africa, a visit that had promised a glimpse into the origins of music itself, but that ended up shining a light on musicians embroiled in a violent struggle over the rather less than spiritual matters of copyright, brand ownership, and, above all, money.” – The Telegraph (UK)