Can the art/act of writing be explained by studying the brain? “The choice of writing as a living and a way of life is more complex than is likely to show up in a neurologist’s PET scan. Nor, unlike in other artistic fields—music, the visual arts—does literary talent make such a life any easier by appearing early. “No Mozarts in literature,” more than a well-known saying, is a fact. There are not too many Joseph Conrads, either, and Conrad published his first book when he was thirty-eight. Nor, despite all the programs and creative-writing classes, can writing really be taught.”
Tag: 04.04
Chick Lit’s Mixed Blessing
There are now several publishing devoted to the genre. “Score one for the ladies, right? Not exactly. It seems that many observers are up in arms about what they perceive to be antifeminist pabulum. ‘Many of these titles really are trash: trash that imitates other, better books that could have ushered in a new wave of smart, postfeminist writing, and trash that threatens to flood the market in women’s reading’.”
Are Great Conductors Avoiding France?
“France’s main symphony orchestras are struggling to recruit conductors, especially on a permanent basis, though the roots of the problem remain unclear… Departing conductors speak of conflicts with management, the difficulties of having to share facilities with other artistic companies, overwork and, more coyly, personal reasons.” Whether the problem is bureaucratic, artistic, or cultural, it is clear that France has a conductor problem to which no one has yet found a solution.
The $5 Painting Worth A Million
A 29-year-old actor goes to a garage sale, finds a painting he likes and buys it for $5. Later he goes on the internet and discovers it is a Joseph Decker and might be worth something, contacts a gallery and when it arrived at the gallery, “I knew immediately it was a great find. It just looked right. I called him and told him it’s probably worth something in the vicinity of a million dollars. We offered it to the National Gallery. They acted quickly. A curator came in. They own two Deckers. They bought it in February.”
How America’s Literary Culture Has Changed
America’s critical literary culture has changed over the years, writes Sven Birkerts. “The commercial consideration (sales, circulation, publicity) has in recent years become paramount. The logic of the situation is obvious. And desperation driven. What we are seeing is an effort in certain quarters to awaken a somnolent literary culture, to create attention, the idea somehow being that power and money go where the noise is. There is no way to solve the problem at the source, of course—it is systemic—so the best strategy is the quick fix.”