Calls For Dutch Royals To Get Rid Of ‘Offensive’ Painting

“Critics urged the Dutch royal family Friday to get rid of a painting they say is an offensive reminder of wrongs from the Netherlands’ colonial past, but the Royal House defended the 19th-century work as an important part of the country’s history. Homage of the Colonies … depicts half-naked, brown-skinned women and men in servile poses bearing gifts to an enthroned white woman.”

To Save Short Stories, Tweet! A Lot.

Neil Gaiman: “Short stories are the best place for young writers to learn their craft: to try out different voices and techniques, to experiment, to learn. And they’re a wonderful place for old writers, when you have an idea that wouldn’t make it to novel length, one simple, elegant thing that needs to be said. People like reading short stories. And they like ­listening to short stories.”

For Filming Le Carré’s Stories, Beautiful Minds With A Broad Canvas

“Mr. le Carré is maybe the most eccentric constructor of fiction in English literature since Joseph Conrad. His stories are full of digressions and long flashbacks; he circles around his plots for the longest time, as if he were doing reconnaissance on them before deciding to go in for the kill. And the verbal textures of the books can be challenging too, because his spies tend to speak in their own special jargon, which seems like normal speech, but isn’t quite.”