Author: Matthew Westphal

Oscar Wilde Fell For A Young Lady In San Francisco. A Biographer Has Figured Out Who She Was

During his 1882 lecture tour of North America, he wrote this letter: “When I think of America I only remember someone whose lips are like the crimson petals of a summer rose, whose eyes are two brown agates, who has the fascination of a panther, the pluck of a tigress, and the grace of a bird. Darling Hattie, I now realise that I am absolutely in love with you, and for ever and ever …” Biographer Matthew Sturgis says he’s identified the likely Hattie – who was “bright, vivacious, beautiful and rich.”

When Robin Williams Opened Himself, And His 3-Year-Old Son, Up On The Met Opera Stage

“But then, in the waning moments of the show, Robin conjures up an exchange between himself and Zak that is essentially un-invent-able: It’s funny, but also achingly sincere and unexpectedly poignant. It’s a rare expression of openness from a performer who was more comfortable with his audience at arm’s length.” In this interactive feature, Dave Itzkoff breaks down his favorite bit from Williams’s now-famous 1986 “A Night at the Met.”

Art Criticism Vs. Art Journalism: Which Responsibilities Are Whose?

“In the first episode of Momus‘s ‘Criticism in Conversation’ [podcast] series, an art critic and an art journalist parse the differing responsibilities and approaches of their craft. Join Catherine G. Wagley (Momus contributing editor, and critic for ARTNews and L.A. Review of Books), and Julia Halperin (Executive Editor of artnet News, and former Museums Editor for The Art Newspaper) as they compare notes and find common ground.”

The Key Thing Sasha Baron Cohen’s ‘This Is America’ Reveals Isn’t Gullibility Or Bigotry – It’s Fear

“Cohen’s real trump card is [the character] Col. Erran Morad, an Israeli ‘anti-terrorism expert’ who plays into every fantasy American conservatives seem to have about Israel. … Morad exposes these worshippers of military masculinity as almost parodically antiheroic. They’ll do anything as long as it’s called ‘training,’ no matter how humiliating it is in their eyes, and if it will save their own skin.”

‘Chris, Let’s Talk About Your Performance Issues’ Turns Out To Be Ad For Ballet Company

“Earlier this summer, strange billboards and bus-stop ads started popping up around Louisville, Kentucky. A woman, Jessica, was sending public messages — that seemed really personal — to a guy named Chris. Things like, ‘Chris, maybe we should try role playing’ or ‘Chris, let’s talk about your performance issues.'” After a few weeks of letting folks in the city toss around theories (and they did), Louisville Ballet fessed up. And, says the company’s marketing director, the campaign worked in more than one way. (She also says that Chris and Jessica are real.)

James Baldwin’s Only Children’s Book, Forgotten For 42 Years, Is Back

“When Little Man, Little Man was first published in 1976, critics didn’t know what to make of an experimental, enigmatic picture book that straddled the line between children’s and adult literature. It received lukewarm reviews and quickly went out of print. Now, roughly four decades later, Baldwin’s relatives have resurrected the work, with a new edition from Duke University Press, and it could scarcely be more timely.”