The young Cambodian-American writer died suddenly and unexpectedly at home. He was on the brink of literary stardom as “the author of crackling, kinetic and darkly comedic stories that made vivid the lives of first-generation Khmer-Americans.” His book Afterparties will be published next year. – The New York Times
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Prolific New Music Composer Molly Joyce Blazes A Trail
And with one hand, at that. She’s “among the most versatile, prolific and intriguing composers working under the vast new-music dome. She’s composed spectral, searching works for orchestra, choir, string quartet and percussion ensemble; collaborated with virtual-reality artists, dancers and poets; and studied with the likes of Samuel Adler, Martin Bresnick and Missy Mazzoli. … She has carved a unique sound as a composer by treating disability differently: not as an impediment but as a wellspring of creative potential.” – Washington Post
Christmas Carol Is More Than Humbug, Even For Those Weary Of Tiny Tim
Truly. Even this year, or perhaps especially this year. “‘Will you decide who shall live and who shall die?’ this Ghost of Christmas Present asked Scrooge, a question asked many times this year: Is it those in government who played down the disease, those in law enforcement who disregarded Black lives or those who have put others at risk during the pandemic?” – The New York Times
Why Author Allie Brosh Went Silent For Years
The author, whose illustrated tales resonate with what seems like anyone online (the memes are legendary and numerous), basically went radio silent after the publication of Hyperbole and a Half. Seven years – and many traumas – went by. But her new book is hitting at a weirdly accurate time. “I didn’t know quarantine was going to happen when I wrote the material, but I do hope that the last chapter in particular—the one about being your own friend—could be helpful for people feeling a similar type of loneliness to what I was feeling when I wrote it. It was a deep, new kind of loneliness that I’d never felt before.” – Time
Which Of Steve McQueen’s Five New Films Should You Watch First?
Whew, they’re all part of a piece, of course – that’s why they come under the title Small Axe as an anthology series – but some are more full films than others. Let’s say you have three hours. Which one, or ones, are best? – Variety
The History Of Sexism And Classism In British Science Underpins Everything About The Movie Ammonite
When Francis Lee first read about Mary Anning, he felt a connection to her. Then he did the work to make gritty Lyme come to life. “I did extensive research to make sure that not just the facts about Mary but the facts about the day and how people lived their lives and what it meant to have no money in this time. … All of that is very, very factual.” But the film’s detractors have fastened their (homophobic) outrage on the relationship at the heart of the film between paleontologist Anning and geologist Charlotte Murchison. – Los Angeles Times
What Should MoMA Do About Philip Johnson’s Massively Racist Legacy?
Truly, the man who was the founding director of architecture and design at MoMA is now a liability – or so says Harvard, which recently took steps to remove his name from the university’s buildings and official references. “His history with fascism, antisemitism and the Nazis is well documented. He tried to start a fascist political party in the United States, attended the Nuremberg rally of 1938 and described Hitler as ‘a spellbinder.'” – The Guardian (UK)
Modern Life Has Broken Human Brains
And that’s because our conception of time is driven not by the seasons, not by the light that exists during the day, but by a relentless clock and deadlines that won’t quit. – The Atlantic
John Le Carre, Chronicler Of The Internal And External Vicissitudes Of Spy Life, Has Died At 89
Le Carré, the pen name of David Cornwell, worked for the British Foreign Service, running his own spies, in the 1940s and 1950s. Then came the George Smiley books, including The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, and le Carré’s career rocketed up. He best “explored the gap between the west’s high-flown rhetoric of freedom and the gritty reality of defending it, in novels such as The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and The Night Manager, which gained him critical acclaim and made him a bestseller around the world.” – The Guardian (UK)
Reviving The Work Of A Once Highly Praised Writer
Who, of course, happens to be a woman, Gertrude Trevalyan. Her re-publisher: “I read it and I thought, ‘This is incredible.’ … If she was a bloke, she’d still be in print today, without question. All of Aldous Huxley’s books are still in print – some of them are amazing, some aren’t that great. He was doing interesting social commentary, and also experimental stuff. She was doing the same sort of thing and no one’s heard of her.” – The Guardian (UK)