“Writers, publishers and cultural critics have long lamented the difficulty of interesting American readers in translated literature, and now some say the market for these books is smaller than it has been in generations.” Even small university presses which have specialized in the world literature market are cutting back or pulling out of the genre altogether, and literary experts say that such narrowing of the range of available books in the US is nothing short of a crisis. Not only does the dearth of titles in translation mean that there is less for Americans to read, it also has a profound impact on the ability of foreign authors to get their books translated into other languages.
Tag: 07.26.03
Broadway’s Haunted Theatre
Let’s face it – theatre people are probably a bit more susceptible to superstition than most. But in the heart of Manhattan’s theatre district, the Belasco Theatre has become legendary for being haunted, and the people who work there claim that there’s a lot more to this legend than simple ghost stories. Closed doors on a set are magically open when the curtain rises, a reek of cigar smoke permeates a production in which no one smokes, and actor after actor reports seeing strange apparitions with some tie to the theatre’s namesake, David Belasco. Melodramatic hogwash? Maybe. But it sure makes for a good theatre story.
Gehry’s Next Project
“Frank Gehry, the architect who created the stupendous Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, has been given the go ahead to build the most outrageous set of tower blocks ever conceived for [the UK] on Brighton seafront.” [Editor’s Note for American readers: ‘Tower block’ is English for ‘high-rise apartment complex.’] The buildings are said to look like “four giant transvestites caught in a gale,” and will be built in the city of Hove, which has something of a history with cutting-edge architecture.
A Different Sort Of Art Auction
You can find pretty much anything for sale on eBay, of course, so it probably shouldn’t be a big surprise that you can find an empty tube of toothpaste with a $41 asking price. Or a worn-out hairbrush. Or a human soul, won in a video game contest and now being resold. But there’s a twist to these bizarre aucton items. “Meet Neal Livingston of Mabou, N.S., a 58-year-old maker of independent films, electricity and maple syrup who is currently using the world’s largest on-line flea market as an incidental gallery for a new media project titled, appropriately enough, Junky Old Stuff.”
Ravinia Rethinking Its Orchestral Partnership
To most music lovers in the Midwest, the Ravinia Festival is nearly synonymous with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. But the partnership betwen the two organizations has seen far better days, and since the CSO does not own the festival – a nearly unique situation among major American orchestras – Ravinia is considering serious changes to its schedule which would deemphasize the orchestra’s participation. Ticket sales for CSO performances at Ravinia have been off sharply for the last several years, and that has the festival seriously considering a plan which would cut the number of performances the orchestra puts on at Ravinia each summer.