“Cementing his position as one of America’s leading 20th century literary voices, Philip Roth will see the nonprofit Library of America publish an eight-volume collection of his novels and stories beginning later this summer. Roth, a two-time National Book Award winner, joins Saul Bellow and Eudora Welty as the only American writers to have their complete works preserved by the Library of America during their lifetimes… Initially backed by the National Endowment of the Humanities and the Ford Foundation, the Library of America published its first books in 1982 on a mission to preserve what it considers the most significant of American writing.”
Tag: 08.09.05
The Dream(works) Fades
When Hollywood legends Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and David Geffen joined forces in 1994 to form Dreamworks Studios, the company was predicted to become the most important force in the American movie industry in decades. It hasn’t exactly worked out that way, and these days, Dreamworks is widely considered to be a prime example of a company that really never lived up to its potential.
Black Publishing Pioneer Dies
Magazine publisher John Harold Johnson has died of heart failure, aged 87. Johnson was the most influential African-American in the history of American publishing, having created and nurtured the widely influential magazine, Ebony, and he later branched out into radio programs aimed at both black and integrated audiences. He resisted calls from within the black community to make his offerings more militant, and instead chose to work within the white-dominated media world and change it by his very success.
German Rappers Going Ghetto, Raising Hackles
For obvious historical reasons, the German government likes to keep a close eye on purveyors of extremist language and exclusionary rhetoric, and watch lists have existed for years to monitor the activities of neo-Nazi skinheads and other hatemongers. But lately, Germany’s increasingly gangsta-oriented rappers have begun to land on these watch lists as well. “German gangsta rappers have made a strong showing on the charts… and shaken a society not used to hearing ghetto tales of death and revenge in its own language. German parents and the news media have expressed shock at hardcore lyrics, which, they say, glorify a dangerous American ghetto fantasy that doesn’t exist in Germany and shouldn’t be encouraged.”
Court Rules For Stern Family
Ever since legendary violinist Isaac Stern passed away in 2001, a vicious court fight has been raging between the executor of Stern’s will and the performer’s children, who believe that he was taken advantage of on his deathbed and convinced to sign over most of his property to his wife of five years. The deathbed transfer led directly to the semi-secret sale of Stern’s priceless violins by the executor, a fact which his children learned about only when tipped off by a musician in the Philadelphia Orchestra. This week, a Connecticut court ruled in favor of the children and ordered executor William Moorhead to pay back $562,000 in fees he had charged to the Stern estate.
Producer Takes Shot At Edinburgh Fest
A prominent theatre producer has publicly suggested that the sitting board of the prestigious Edinburgh International Festival lacks the expertise and judgment to select a new director for the festival. The current director, Sir Brian McMaster, will depart in another year, and producer Nica Burns is concerned that those in charge of selecting his replacement will be insufficiently versed in contemporary theatrical realities.
But It Supports Two Daily Newspapers, Right?
The Pittsburgh Symphony may end its fiscal year with a deficit of a half million dollars, with the promise of much more red ink to come next season, when the musicians will be due a $17,000 salary increase. Such money woes, combined with falling ticket sales, have convinced one of the city’s daily newspapers that it might be time for the PSO to throw in the towel and stop trying to compete with other major American orchestras. “The harsh reality is that a metropolitan area barely ranked among the top 25 in population does not have pockets deep enough to support [an orchestra] the way New York and Chicago support theirs.”
Good Numbers In Detroit
“Attendance at Detroit Symphony Orchestra classical concerts inched forward last year by 2% and income from the orchestra’s classical series leapt 7.6% — victories in an environment in which many orchestras have seen attendance and income drop. Income from all DSO concerts combined in 2004-05 — classical, jazz, pops, children’s series and special events — rose 6%. A small increase in ticket prices was partially responsible for the uptick. The revenue increases are a critical step in the DSO’s drive to balance its budget for the second straight year after running up an accumulated deficit of $2 million. With three weeks left in its fiscal year, the DSO has met goals for earned income and expenses. But contributed income from individuals and businesses remains a question mark.”
Two Conductors Quit Everett Symphony
Washington State’s Everett Symphony Orchestra is losing its music director and another staff conductor as well, after both submitted letters of resignation to the board saying that they could not support “the direction that the current leadership is imposing on the organization.” If anyone at the ESO understands what direction Paul-Elliott Cobbs is referring to, they aren’t talking, but assistant conductor Ron Friesen’s letter said that the symphony leadership “no longer fosters trust, respect, and support.”
Theatre Without A Script (Are Playwrights Disappearing From UK Drama?
“Traditional plays are losing their dominance. And nowhere is this cultural shift more evident than at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe. Flick through the Fringe programme and it hits you. Along with the familiar plethora of one-person shows and revivals of Accidental Death of an Anarchist is a whole body of British-based work that owes more to performance art, the circus and devised, physical and visual traditions than to text-based theatre.”