“Little magazines have the lifespan of gerbils and goldfish — you can shower them with love and attention but still count on them dying in three years. For a literary journal like the New Criterion to have survived a quarter century is equivalent of a man reaching the age of 100: He stands as a triumph of the life principle, no matter how much of a codger he may now be.”
Tag: 05.15.07
When A Terrific Book Fails To Sell, Who’s At Fault?
“It used to be that books had the shelf-life of a container of yogurt. Nowadays it seems more like hamburger meat. If a book doesn’t make it to the New York Times bestseller list within the first several days of arrival, it never will. … It’s easy to blame the bookstores, or the heinous overlords of newsprint, for the problem. But publishers, and even authors, deserve a little of the blame — especially when they pretend that marketing doesn’t matter.”
Coming Soon In Turtle Bay: Kurt Vonnegut Way?
If the New York City Council approves a nomination already endorsed by the local community board, the corner of East 48th Street and Second Avenue will be called Kurt Vonnegut Way — and, mind you, the neighborhood is a bit more selective about its street namings than the rest of the city is. Bestowing the honor on Vonnegut, who died last month at age 84, “was a ‘no-brainer,’ board members said.”
Will U.S. Orchestras “Take A Punt On Wild Youth”?
Across Europe, the music directors are getting younger and younger. Not so in the U.S., with the notable exception of the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s recent appointment of 26-year-old Gustavo Dudamel, who may just change the landscape. “If the fiery Venezuelan galvanizes attention, as seems likely, the ripple effect will spread as far inland as Chicago and New York, dispelling the paralyzing caution and opening the box to a new breed.”
Below Ground In SoHo, An Innovative Reading Space
When the project calls for a public space to be constructed mainly underground, as the New York Public Library’s new Mulberry Street branch did, it is indeed possible to keep it from feeling like a giant basement. “In the space for older children (just below street) level, the architects installed clear glass to give young visitors a front-row seat on Manhattan bedrock. ‘We wanted a Harry Potter dungeonlike atmosphere,'” one of the architects said.
Paper Mill Playhouse Unveils Its Survival Strategy
“The financially floundering Paper Mill Playhouse announced a plan yesterday that it said would allow it to finish its season on schedule and continue operating next year. The plan is a mixed bag that includes administrative restructuring, a sizable bank loan and help from the government of Millburn, N.J., where the theater is situated. … Until recently it was unclear whether the theater would have to close its doors for good.”
Dancer And Teacher Stanley Holden, 79
“Stanley Holden, whose Chaplinesque blend of wistfulness and wit made him one of the finest character dancers in Britain’s Royal Ballet before he settled in Los Angeles and became one of the area’s most popular ballet teachers, died on Friday in Thousand Oaks, Calif.”
Latest Medical Specialty: Writing For The Masses
“Like the racket of dozens of birds on a clothesline, the sound of doctors is filling the air. The strongest voices at the moment belong to Dr. Jerome Groopman and Dr. Atul Gawande, both clinicians at Harvard and writers for The New Yorker, both with articulate new books garnering impressive reviews and climbing in parallel to best-sellerdom. But they are only two of many doctors holding forth these days, in escalating volume.”
Broadway’s Ho-Hum Season
“The most surprising thing about a season with all that is that there have been, well, no real surprises. Yet. All of this season’s shows have now officially opened — some have already closed — and the Tony Award nominations are to be announced today, officially kicking off the monthlong cocktail party of discreet and indiscreet politicking around Broadway, which culminates in the Tony Awards ceremony on June 10.”