“Archaeologists in Bulgaria believe they have discovered Europe’s oldest prehistoric town, a settlement that was founded nearly 5,000 years before the birth of Christ. Experts believe the key to the development of the town was salt, which at the time was as valuable as gold.”
Author: Matthew Westphal
Cuba’s National Symphony Makes US Debut (And Nobody In Florida Is Protesting)
“It is the first visit to the United States for the 75-member ensemble, and while cultural exchanges between the two countries are still not exactly routine, the tour hasn’t generated the controversy a similar venture would have created a decade or two ago.”
Hugo Boss Prize, And $100K, To Artist Danh Vo
“Artist Danh Vo has been named the winner of the 2012 Hugo Boss Prize, which is administered by the Guggenheim Foundation. Vo, who was born in Vietnam in 1975 and grew up in Denmark, will have a solo exhibition at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York next year.”
Strindberg’s Miss Julie And Post-Apartheid South Africa Make A Powerful Cocktail
Adapter Yael Farber: “[The play] lacks teeth in today’s society, … [but] I saw that the spine of the narrative had an extraordinarily potent potential to speak about ownership through the domination of the body, and how this dynamic gets unlocked over a single night in one kitchen, in the heat of the kitchen.”
Ai Weiwei Begins Returning Money To Supporters
“Dissident Chinese artist Ai Weiwei said Wednesday that he has started returning money to his supporters after exhausting all legal channels to fight a massive tax bill that his backers saw as punishment for his activism.”
Was Abraham Lincoln A Depressive? (Tony Kushner Doubts It)
Says the screenwriter of Steven Spielberg’s new biopic, “I don’t understand that take on him at all. The incidences that people turn to as evidence of his depression, I think, can be interpreted in other ways. It was very hard for him to accept that he was going to assume [his historic role].”
Death To Potatoes And Jews With Horns: The Perils Of (Mis-)Translation
In a Lexicon Valley podcast, Mike Vuolo and Bob Garfield look at some of the mines in this particular minefield – from Khrushchev’s notorious line “We will bury you” to Iranian protestors to the old stereotype that Jews have horns sprouting from their heads.
Is The Book Of Mormon Cribbed From The Pilgrim’s Progress?
“The parallel narratives are ubiquitous and systemic, appearing with sustained consistency throughout the entire narrative of the Book of Mormon. Indeed, reading the Book of Mormon is tantamount to reading John Bunyan’s many works condensed into a single volume.”
Reviving, And Revamping, China’s Ancient Art Of Ink Painting
There’s “a generation of Chinese contemporary artists who since the 1980s have reclaimed ancient ink-painting techniques to create what is now known as ink arts. … The genre, also known as brush painting, is not defined by the materials used to make it, … but rather by the type of training and specialization that the artists learn.”
What’s The Best Way To Do Chekhov In 2012? Lace And Samovars Or Grunge?
“What constitutes a truthful performance of Chekhov? The question arises because [an] in-your-face [Three Sisters] production – which is playing to full houses in London – precedes a contrasting pair of Uncle Vanyas in the West End.” One will have a traditional look; the other, by Moscow’s Vakhtangov Theatre, promises a notable lack of inhibition.