“For this edition of the Fishko Files, WNYC’s Sara Fishko sat down with a husband-and-wife team of star translators to talk (as quickly as possible) about a very, very long book – War and Peace.” (audio)
Tag: 02.25.16
In A Multi-Platform World, How Do We Define Radio?
“Do you think Pandora is radio?” I say, “no,” as Pandora’s model is opposite to my definition of radio: the infinite channels are not unique, they are generated by a computer, and the listener can control the experience.
In Defense Of Small Talk: It’s Not A Hollow Waste Of Time, It’s An Important Social Lubricant
“Small talk is not wasted talk. … [It] allows strangers to make crucial first connections across demographic lines. And it’s far from meaningless. People are rebelling against it today in a misguided dismissal of social graces that seem old-fashioned, boring, or wasteful. In fact, we’ve never needed such graces more.”
A New Series Of Islamic-Themed Children’s Books
“An executive editor of Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers … is heading a new children’s imprint, Salaam Reads, dedicated to publishing books that feature Muslim characters and stories. The imprint … will release nine or more books a year, ranging from board books and picture books to middle grade and young adult titles.”
The Original Designs For Wagner’s ‘Ring’ Cycle Just Make Regieoper Look Silly
“Conservative though Hoffmann’s set designs are in their realistic evocation of mountain landscapes and a quaint notion of ‘primitive’ architecture, it’s hard not to see the Morgan show … as a rebuke to the antics that have lately turned this landmark of musical theater into an international freak show.”
“A Hypothetical Country” – Edwige Danticat On James Baldwin’s ‘Go Tell It On The Mountain’
“A country where John and his brother and friends wouldn’t always be on the outside looking in, and wouldn’t constantly live with the fear of racialized violence – a country where they, too, would feel powerful, and fully a part of the cities that glowed before them. Incidentally, these are the same things that are repeatedly promised to new generations of John Grimeses in every election cycle, only to lead to some degree of disappointment later on.”
Hollywood May Be #SoWhite, But Broadway Seems To Be Making Real Progress
“The Great White Way is no longer quite so white, and the sudden visibility of black actors on Broadway will have important effects on the future of theater.”
The Secrets That Drove The Author Of ‘Carol’
“Only Patricia Highsmith could phrase a novel of life-changing love in the language of Jack the Ripper.”
That Time Bette Davis Became The First Woman To Be Academy President – And Resigned In Disgust
“She had two big initiatives she immediately pushed to enact. First, she wanted to reformat the annual Academy Awards banquet. Since her election, Pearl Harbor had been attacked, thrusting America into World War II and prompting calls for the cancellation of the Oscars, which had theretofore centered around dinner and dancing. She argued that it would be more appropriate to scrap the dinner and dancing and present the awards in a large theater, charging at least $25 a seat and donating the proceeds to war relief efforts.”
Is There A Case For Classical Music Radio In This Time Of Spotify And Pandora And Apple Music?
“My go-to platform is radio. Since I spend so much of my work week choosing music for other people to listen to, I take immense pleasure in consuming playlists that other humans have curated when I’m on my own time. I listen terrestrially if I’m in my car or at home and stream the audio on my phone if I’m walking or bussing.”