Category: people

America’s new poet laureate is not exactly what you might expect of a writer in such a prominent position. “At age 77, living what has been a well-filled but private literary life, Donald Hall is a bit shocked at the intense national media attention to his appointment.” Hall has been publishing poems for over forty years, and in the often-snarky world of American literature, he stands out as a writer about whom no one seems to have a negative word to say.

“There is that sense of wonder when you get up in the morning and look in the mirror and realize this old guy with thinning hair and rumpled skin is you. It wasn’t so long ago, it seems to me, that I looked in the mirror and saw this smooth and quite freckled face.”

Grace Glueck has resigned from the board of the Clark Museum. “The reason is that a blogger has cited as a conflict of interest, my working for The Times while serving as a Clark trustee, and as inaccurate as are his insinuations, it seems better for The Times and the Clark that I leave the Clark board. The Times in no way pressured me to do so. I had, before this broke, already given notice to the paper that I planned to ‘retire’ from my contract position there as of Sept. 1.”

AJBlogger Tyler Green wants to set the record straight to clarify glueck’s charges of inaccuracy: “I did not write that Glueck had influence in the Times’ coverage of the Clark. I wrote that Glueck’s seat on the Clark’s board ‘raises questions about the Times’ coverage of the Clark.’ Which it did. (And I listed some of the questions.)”

Lee Rosenbaum writes in defense of Grace Glueck. “The blogger-created public ‘scandal’ over Glueck’s lapse, which has just resulted in her resignation from the Clark, doesn’t give even a hint of the other side of the story: the fact that her board membership, while inappropriate, caused no discernible slant in Times coverage.”

“Neil Simon, one of America’s most successful playwrights, has been chosen as this year’s recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, the Kennedy Center announced yesterday. For the past half-century, Simon has been prolific and often produced. Everyone of a certain age probably can name numerous Simon works, as his plays — including The Odd Couple, Barefoot in the Park and The Sunshine Boys — have translated into film and television and into the national consciousness.”

Placido Domingo has pulled out of three high-profile productions of Wagner next year fuleing speculation he may be ending his singing career. “Yesterday a spokeswoman for the Bavarian State Opera said Domingo had given no reason for his abrupt decision to quit. But she said spending four hours-plus on stage singing Wagner was a challenge for anyone in their mid-60s.”

The San Francisco Symphony Chorus is one of the world’s best, and for the last 23 years, it has been helmed by one man. “[Vance] George is recognized as one of the nation’s premier choral conductors for his ability to shape the Chorus’ sound in a range of musical styles.” George is retiring this summer at the age of 72.

“Japanese conductor Hiroyuki Iwaki, who led the Melbourne Symphony for over three decades, died [Tuesday] at 73… In Europe Iwaki conducted the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonics, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, and Leipzig’s Gewandhaus Orchestra.” A legend in Japan, Iwaki also held a lifetime appointment as chief conductor of Tokyo’s NHK Symphony.

“For about 20 years, Sigrid Rausig has been a quietly formidable philanthropist. Her gifts – nearly £70m so far – have often gone towards human rights projects in the third world, where a small amount can be a significant windfall. But recently she has been branching out. Last spring, she launched Portobello Books, which aims to publish “activist non-fiction” as well as some fiction. Then, in the autumn, she bought Granta – both the magazine and publishing house. While Granta’s significance may have waned in recent years it remains a literary kingmaker. This makes Rausing, its new owner, a major player in British cultural life.”