“Mr. Shi, who was convicted of espionage in France in 1986 along with his lover, Bernard Boursicot, was believed to be 70. He had also been believed for years to be a woman, at least by Mr. Boursicot, who served time in prison after the affair and became a laughingstock in France.”
Author: Matthew Westphal
Gustav Mahler’s Physiognomy
“Mahler nevertheless perceived his Jewishness to be an encumbrance, even a physical disability. He told a friend that being a Jew was like having one arm shorter than the other. … His appearance was protean to an uncanny degree. Even people close to Mahler described him in contradictory ways: old, young, sickly, strong, pallid, swarthy.”
The Masochism Tango: Why Finland Took The Archetypal Argentine Dance To Heart
“It seems the melancholic music is a perfect match for the typical Finnish soul. ‘It’s a little bit sad, and it’s beautiful,’ a woman tells me at a dimly lit Helsinki restaurant that regularly hosts dances. Paradoxically, when she moves to these sad melodies, she feels happy. (She didn’t want to be named, her reason being another national trait: shyness.)”
Venice To Redesign (But Not Pay For) Accademia Bridge
“The city council has announced plans to redesign the Accademia Bridge, next to the eponymous art gallery, to provide access for the disabled. But architects and construction firms bidding to undertake the project will also have to prove they can raise the sponsorship to finance the work; the council will not make any contribution to the estimated €5m costs.”
After 100 Years, Back To The Futurists
“This small throng of early 20th-century artists and writers wanted nothing less than the total reinvention of Italian culture, and their recommended program – Kill the past! Embrace the future! – held an unexpected appeal for a nostalgist like me. … [Yet] their belligerence made me nervous. Along with exalting speed and technology (prescient), they were dangerously infatuated with violence (disturbing).” And in some ways, “the Futurists actually did predict the future: Is not Target-esque ‘design for all’ an outgrowth of the Futurist call for the immersion of art in everyday life?” (And then there’s The Futurist Cookbook.)
A Million Little Teen Novels: James Frey Moves Into YA Science Fiction
“A week after submitting a young adult novel anonymously to editors, James Frey, the notorious author of A Million Little Pieces, and a writing partner, Jobie Hughes, have sold North American rights to I Am Number Four to HarperCollins Children’s Books.” The book is the first in a planned series of four.
The King Of Pop, On The Organ
“Over the last few days, we’ve noted the many ways that homage has been paid to Michael Jackson, from sculpting him in butter to naming one’s Ukrainian village after him. … Yet none of these tributes possess the grandeur of this church organ medley of Mr. Jackson’s hits, performed by Robert Ridgell on Sunday at the conclusion of worship services at the Trinity Wall Street church.”
Thirteen (Or So) Ways Of Looking At A Hollywood Knock-Off Of An ’80s Video Game
“Universal has acquired the movie rights to Asteroids, the bleeping, blooping 1979 video game in which crude line drawings were used to represent rocket ships and gigantic space rocks. Before the motion picture industry sinks millions of dollars into the project, we’ll save it the trouble by imagining how Asteroids would be made into a film by directors like …” (Be sure to check out the reader comments.)
They Just Can’t Stop Themselves: Two More Authors Lash Out At Critics Online
After essayist Jill Lepore made a couple of uncharitable comments on Ayelet Waldman’s new book Bad Mother, Waldman tweeted, “May Jill Lepore rot in hell.” And in response to Caleb Crain’s review of his The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work, Alain de Botton staged a small hissy fit in a comment on Crain’s blog. (Don’t these people read Miss Manners?)
At Last, Some Good News: St. Louis Symphony Sees Increases In Audience And Revenue
“Though the SLSO performed the same number of concerts at Powell Hall as it did in 2007-’08 – 109 – this season it reported a 15 percent increase in revenue: $5.57 million, up from $4.84 million. In addition, total attendance rose … [by] 7.8 percent. Between January and May, the orchestra played to seven near-capacity or sold-out houses.”