“He has a mythic reputation as a reclusive mountain-dwelling hermit, a monk of materials, with standards so exacting that few clients have the patience, or deep enough pockets, to indulge his uncompromising approach. … So how did the myth of the mountain man come to be?”
Author: Matthew Westphal
‘A Brittle Little Dominatrix And Peerless Narcissist’: 2013 Hatchet Job Of The Year
“Camilla Long’s comprehensive shredding of Rachel Cusk’s memoir of her divorce, Aftermath, has won her the Hatchet Job of the Year award for the best worst review of the last 12 months.”
Hey Philosophers, Try A Little Tenderness
“The philosophers, the lovers of wisdom, have pondered and written a lot about love, even erotic and romantic love, but they have given a cold shoulder to that offshoot of love – tenderness. Indeed, I don’t believe I have ever heard a member of the Socrates guild even mention the lovely word in a remotely philosophical context.”
The English Language’s Great 20th-Century Love Poet Is The Man Who Wrote I, Claudius
“Of course, the competition among love poets was a bit sparse in the twentieth century … You could print the ‘Collected Love Lyrics of Marianne Moore’ on a sheet the size of your average parking ticket.” Yet Robert Graves left some extraordinary examples of the genre.
Japanese Husbands Shout Their Love In The Streets
“Standing in front of a giant heart made of pink tulips, businessman Yoshiharu Nishiguchi tells his wife – along with a bank of TV cameras and curious bystanders – that he is utterly devoted to her.”
US-Russia Art Dispute: Russian Agencies Threaten To Sue Library Of Congress
“Russia’s Foreign Ministry has recommended that two Russian government agencies sue the US Library of Congress … The move, seemingly in retaliation for US court-ordered sanctions against Russia costing $50,000 per day, is the latest twist in the ongoing dispute between the Brooklyn-based Jewish group Chabad and Russia.”
St. Paul Chamber Orchestra Makes Play-And-Talk Offer To Locked-Out Musicians
The proposal, to which the musicians’ union must respond by next Monday, would run through June 30, salvaging the final third of the season. Management locked out the players in October and has subsequently cancelled all concerts until late March.
Minnesota Lawmaker Wants To Reallocate State Funds To Locked-Out Musicians
“The chair of the Minnesota House Legacy Committee says she is considering reallocating funds currently designated for the Minnesota Orchestra and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra … [to fund] continuing concerts that the locked-out musicians have organized themselves.”
Special Effects Company For Life Of Pi Rakes In Awards But Goes Bankrupt
“The award-winning visual-effects company Rhythm & Hues, considered one of the industry’s leaders, is laying off 200 employees as it files for bankruptcy protection.”
The Enlightenment’s ‘Race’ Problem, and Ours
“When we learned that witches did not exist, we threw out the category. So why do we cling to the discredited notion of race?”