“Over the past 25 years, Henry James has been the top-ranked American writer, according to the latest MLA International Bibliography. More than 3,000 pieces of scholarship have been devoted to him in whole or part since 1987. Only William Faulkner approaches him in volume.”
Author: Matthew Westphal
Arts Council England Funding Cuts Decimate Affected Theatres
“More than one in ten companies that are losing 100% of their core funding from Arts Council England this week are closing as a result.”
Rembrandt Old Rabbi Painting Authenticated
“Left high on a library wall for more than half a century, the portrait of a rheumy-eyed old man initially seemed no different from the misattributed old masters hanging beside it. But after more than half a century of being overlooked, it has been authenticated as a genuine and outstanding work by Rembrandt.”
Has the Sexual Revolution Been Good For Women? No, Says Mary Eberstadt
“[If] the sexual revolution has really made women as happy as feminists say, a few elementary questions beg to be answered. Why do the pages of our tonier magazines brim with mournful titles like ‘The Case for Settling’ and ‘The End of Men’? Why do websites run by and for women … ooze such despair about relations between the sexes?”
Has the Sexual Revolution Been Good For Women? Yes, Says Ann Patchett
“Here’s the thing about revolutions – there is no taking them back. You may review history and wish that it had gone the other way; perhaps you always longed to be a British colonist and regret the outcome of the American Revolution. Or maybe you liked the idea of a man behind a horse and plow and feel that the Industrial Revolution was all a big misstep. But personal laments are only that: personal. They cannot change what has been done.”
Impresario Sues Birmingham Royal Ballet Over Arena Nutcracker
“When the Birmingham Royal Ballet announced plans to perform Sir Peter Wright’s inspired version of The Nutcracker at the vast O2 arena in London, it was hailed as a brave attempt to bring ballet to the masses. … Victor Hochhauser, who agreed to promote the ballet, [says] that he is suing the owners of the O2 Arena for more than £338,000.”
MoMA Adds Dance To Its Programming
“The Museum of Modern Art has commissioned the artist and choreographer Ralph Lemon to create a three-week program of dance performances entitled Some Sweet Day” to be performed in the museum’s atrium this fall.
‘Italian Oscars’ Accused Of Rank Corruption
“The famous David di Donatello awards, widely regarded as the country’s top film honours, are, according to Il Fatto Quotidiano, in urgent need of drastic overhaul,” being “riddled with nepotism and corruption.”
Are the Days of Human Piano-Tuners Numbered?
“Haye Hinrichsen at the University of urzburg in Germany proposes a solution to this problem that may make it possible for electronic tuners to match the performance of the best human tuners. His idea is that tuning can be considered a problem of entropy minimisation.”
Poet And Essayist Adrienne Rich Dead At 82
“Her intense critique of contemporary society combined with her political activism set her apart from other leading women poets of her generation, including Sylvia Plath and Anne Sexton. She attended rallies against the Vietnam War, organized poetry readings for peace and marched for women’s rights – and urged every writer to address social injustice in their art.”