“I believe that there is a Shakespeare in Topeka today, that there is a Ben Jonson, that there is a Marlowe and a Bacon, most likely, but that we are unlikely ever to know who these people are because our society does not encourage excellence in litÂerature. That’s my opinion.”
Tag: 03.29.11
New $50,000 World Poetry Prize
“Organizers of the Montreal International Poetry Prize have enlisted former British poet laureate Andrew Motion to judge the inaugural edition of the Canadian-based competition.”
Jacob’s Pillow Makes Video Archive Available Online
“The cleanly designed site lets you sort performances by era, genre and artist. The clips start in 1937 with a startlingly clear view of Ted Shawn’s Men Dancers (he founded the festival four years earlier) and run through 2010, when the lineup included Bill T. Jones’s company, the State Ballet of Georgia and Shantala Shivalingappa.”
Syracuse Symphony Players Reject Salary Concessions
“SSO management has asked the musicians for $1.3 million in salary and benefit concessions for the 2011-2012 season, said Jon Garland, chair of the Musicians Committee. Monday, musicians told management and the board they cannot agree to this proposal, he said.”
Juilliard Breaks Steinway Monopoly
“The Juilliard School, long an all-Steinway institution, is breaking with tradition and buying a non-Steinway piano. Paolo Fazioli, the Italian piano maker, will be in New York later this week to complete the deal with Juilliard, after the performing-arts school agreed to purchase one of his pricey, handmade – and coveted – pianos. ”
Niall Ferguson Says History Education In England Is A Shambles
The outspoken historian finds that a majority of secondary school students know only about isolated historical episodes, with little notion of how they fit into a larger timeline. (He also recommends a particular video game as a supplementary activity.)
John Le Carre Rejects Nomination For Man Booker International Prize
“British thriller writer John Le Carre asked Wednesday that his name be withdrawn from the shortlist for the prestigious Man Booker International Prize, leaving judges stumped about what to do.” Among the other 12 nominees for the biennial prize are Philip Roth, Anne Tyler, Juan Goytisolo, Amin Maalouf and Philip Pullman.
Getty Rejects Italian Offer To Share Custody Of Roman Bronze
“An Italian government official on Monday offered to end a long legal fight with the J. Paul Getty Museum by proposing shared custody of a 2,300-year-old bronze statue known as ‘Victorious Youth.’ … Getty officials said the object wasn’t up for discussion because of the legal process.”
Getty Agrees To Return Dutch Old Master Canvas Looted By Nazis
“The Getty Museum is the first museum in North America to agree to return a painting to the heir of Jacques Goudstikker, a noted Dutch-Jewish art dealer whose huge collection was dispersed after he fled the 1940 Nazi invasion of Holland, with many of the prime works taken for the personal collection of Adolf Hitler’s chief deputy, Hermann Goering.”
Cable Providers And TV Studios Skirmish Over Streaming To iPads
Several weeks ago, “Time Warner Cable started streaming several dozen TV channels to customers’ iPads. Immediately, channel owners like Viacom and Scripps Networks seized on the streaming capability as a contract violation – in part because they want cable companies to pay them more for the privilege to stream.”