“Some writers achieve great popularity and then disappear forever. The bestseller lists of the past fifty years are, with a few lively exceptions, a somber graveyard of dead books. Yet permanence is not a wilful proposition. No one can write a book aspiring to immortality, for it would then court both ridicule and certain mortality.” And yet, “Don Quixote was a big bestseller when it first appeared in 1605, and has continued to sell ever since.”
Tag: 09.13.05
A Case For Zadie
Stephen Metcalf appeals to the Booker jury on behalf of Zadie Smith’s “On Beauty.” “It is written by an exquisite writer, who has mistaken her admirable pooh-poohing of a lot of foolish publicity for a free pass to get by as an overcelebrated mediocrity. Therefore, Dear Committee, I plead with you to assist in removing the cameras and quote-mongers from Zadie Smith’s life and help prevent her from blowing up into an even larger global literary darling, prone to even more gratuitous Hamlet-like maunderings, and let the woman… develop into her appointed greatness.”
Profs: Student Quality Lacking
A new survey of American college professors reports that the profs are generally unhappy with the quality of students coming in to theikr classes. “Just under half of all instructors — 49.6 percent — said they were. In addition, only 35.5 percent of all professors said they believed that faculty members at their own institution felt that students were well-prepared academically, although that number has actually increased from 28 percent in 1998.”
Penguins Join The Culture War
Conservative groups have turned the documentary “March of the Penguins” and “its stirring depiction of the mating ordeals of emperor penguins into an unexpected battle anthem in the culture wars.” This is “the motion picture this summer that most passionately affirms traditional norms like monogamy, sacrifice and child rearing. This is the first movie they’ve enjoyed since ‘The Passion of the Christ.’ This is ‘The ‘Passion of the Penguins.’ In part, the movie’s appeal to conservatives may lie in its soft-pedaling of topics like evolution and global warming.”
Gioia: Arts Essential To Rebuilding Gulf Coast
NEA chief Dana Gioia says that rebuilding the arts of the Gulf Coast is essential to rebuilding the region. “People have to recognize that the arts are a major industry and need to be at the table for the recovery plan. There is no way for these local economies to recover unless we invest in the cultural life. Culture was Louisiana’s second-biggest economy, right after oil. These organizations have suffered enormous losses.”
Cleveland Museum Goes Ahead With Expansion
The Cleveland Museum board has voted to accept bids on a $258 million expansion of the museum. “This is the culmination of 10 years of work, and now it’s a reality. It’s going to happen.” In other news, the museum also says it hopes to name a new director soon.
Pop Goes The Pittsburgh…
The Pittsburgh Symphony’s gala concert last Saturday was repeatedly interrupted by the popping of balloons suspended from the ceiling of Heinz Hall. “Due to the resonance of the concert hall, the would-be tiny pops thundered with resounding force, startling the audience and the musicians many times over.”
The Poll Say: Enough With “Reality” TV!
“The poll taken by The Associated Press and TV Guide shows viewers actually believe reality TV is primarily bogus. A whopping 82% of the respondents said the shows, ranging from “American Idol” to “The Apprentice” and “Survivor,” are either “totally made up” or “mostly distorted.”
A Day In The Life: Daniel Libeskind
“Top-dog architects have to be showmen, but it can be an awkward marriage: his angular, challenging architecture, such as Berlin’s Jewish Museum, sits uneasily with appearing on Oprah. Their bond? Emoting: he wants his buildings to stir your heart.”
Choreographer Builds A Kenyan Retreat
Choreographer Wayne McGregor has built a dance studio home on the Kenyan coast. “The prolific British choreographer, skinny and shaven-headed at 35, has founded a private domain. His slice of personal bliss is in a place called Lamu. Here McGregor has built the studio and accommodations for himself and the members of his Random Dance Company. His intention, however, is to make this splendid property available to artists of all kinds from around the globe.”