Says Claude Romano, a French philosopher, “One can be tempted to read in order to escape, but one can also read to fully inhabit the present moment and make it the space of a meditation.” That’s why he recommends a Japanese work called The Interminable Rain. – Le Monde
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Writer Luis Sepulveda, Who Escaped Pinochet’s Dictatorship And Sailed With Greenpeace, Has Died At 70
Sepúlveda, who died of complications from Covid-19 in Spain, was imprisoned by the Chilean dictator’s regime and then was released to house arrest before he escaped, living underground for nearly a year before being recaptured and sentenced to 28 years in prison. He fled again and was stripped of his Chilean citizenship until 2017 – but he never returned. “Sepúlveda’s works, appreciated for their simple humour and depictions of life in South America, have been translated in some 50 countries and range from novels and screenplays to children’s stories.” – The Guardian (AFP)
When Did Classical Music Get So Darn Loud?
The world got louder, and so did the orchestra. After all, “before the Industrial Revolution, the principal sources of noise were thunder, church bells and cannon fire.” – The New York Times
American Girls ‘Glengarry Glen Ross’ Is The Best Theatre You’ll See All Week
It’s hard to describe this, but basically, actress Kathryn Hahn and her family are staging Glengarry Glen Ross with American Girls dolls, filming the results, and uploading them to YouTube. Please, just go watch. – Vulture
One Theatre In The United States Is Showing New Movies
And that’s a drive-in in Ocala, Florida. (Of course it’s Florida.) “the Ocala drive-in made up the entire revenue of the top-grossing film of last weekend, Swallow, which brought in $1,710.” – WJXT (Florida)
Speculation: Independent UK Museums Likely Won’t Survive Virus
Independent institutions that usually depend on entrance fees and are not backed by regular grants or funding are thought to be most at risk. London’s Florence Nightingale Museum and Charles Dickens Museum are among those who have appealed for more help. – BBC
Cinemark Aims To Reopen Movie Theatres In July
Cinemark CEO and Board Director Mark Zoradi said there will be two weeks of “showing library product, high profile library product” as the chain expects a slow flow of attendance. The big blast off anticipated here is the weekend of July 17-19 which is when Warner Bros. Christopher Nolan’s Tenet is blasting off. – Deadline
There’s Boredom And Then There’s Boredom As A Punishment
For people whose “confinement” looks more like days on end in pajama bottoms, media outlets scramble to provide useful tips for combatting quarantine-induced boredom. Users’ social-media feeds are flooded with content that makes light of how people are responding to the drudgery and how hilariously creative they can be in their attempts to break up monotony. Yes, the boredom of sheltering in place can be stressful, but for incarcerated people, that stress can be deadly. – The Atlantic
Indie Musicians Take To Social Media To Replace Live Gig Income
“Sales do not drive a career the way they used to, so it’s more imperative than ever for artists to stay out on the road. And right now we’re not talking about a diminishment of income, we’re talking about a cessation of it. It’s done. And no one can tell us for how long.” – Washington Post
Why Would An Oxford Professor Steal Ancient Papyrus?
Dr Dirk Obbink, an associate professor in papyrology and Greek literature at the university, was detained by officers from Thames Valley police. The force had received a report claiming the papyrus fragments that had been housed at the renowned Sackler Library in Oxford, which ended up in a biblical museum in the US, had been stolen. – The Guardian