“At its most obnoxious, the command to “read widely” reflects the more-is-more ethos that courses, like an energy drink, through our literary culture. My Twitter feed is full of writers and critics who relentlessly strive to be up on their field, logging every literary debut like librarians, returning from writing conferences with shareable jpegs of their book-engorged tote bags, or lighting out for yet another reading, the stacks on the book table like some mountain range, the promise of a horizon. Some real talk: most writing isn’t worth consuming. That includes cereal boxes and New York Times wedding announcements. More real talk: most people urging you to read widely probably have a hard time ranging outside their comfort zones.”
Tag: 11.13.17
The (Considerable) Consequences Of Memoirs
“At one minute past midnight on July 19, 1975, my father was hanged. For twenty-seven years, I told no one about it. Then I published a memoir. I have lived with the aftermath of that decision ever since, as does anyone who has published their own story, who has unwrapped what had previously been concealed: the skinned inner self dragged out and, shrinking in the light, placed beneath the bright hot gaze of strangers.”
Jeremy Hutchinson, Who Argued Some Of The Most Important Court Cases In Britain’s Cultural History, Dead At 102
He was one of the two attorneys whose groundbreaking defense prevailed in the 1960 obscenity trial of Penguin Books for publishing Lady Chatterley’s Lover; eleven years later, he won a more difficult case against Paul Ableman’s The Mouth and Oral Sex, establishing the “literary merit” argument. “He added a service to the arts by ending the cultural vandalism of Mary Whitehouse, whose attempt in 1982 to prosecute the National Theatre for staging Howard Brenton’s The Romans in Britain collapsed after his (and the Old Bailey’s) most remarkable cross-examination.”
How Cities Develop Collective Moral Codes (And How Easily They Can Break Down)
“Cities are very unequal places. They are mixtures of very rich people and very poor people, very connected people and very disconnected people, people with a big inheritance and people that are utterly disinherited. The interesting question is why – despite extreme, structural, long-term, ongoing inequalities – these places cohere in some fashion. They cohere so long as a basic premise doesn’t get violated.” Michael Ignatieff talks with CityLab about how those premises arise.
Tourists Complain Of Price-Gouging In Venice; Venice Mayor Says Shut Up And Pay Up
“Over the past few weeks, news of scams against visitors to the city have been ricocheting around the European press, with complaints that tourists’ naïveté and limited language skills have led to them being parted from their money in dishonest if not openly illegal ways.” Mayor Luigi Brugnaro is publicly siding with the overchargers – and even mocking the complaints on social media.
Michel Chapuis, One Of 20th Century’s Greatest Organists, Dead At 87
He held some of the most prestigious positions his profession had to offer – at the Cathedral of Notre-Dame, Saint-Séverin in Paris, and the Chapelle Royale at Versailles – and he was a pioneer, as performer and scholar alike, in reviving the organ repertoire of the 17th and 18th centuries, notably on historical organs. His large discography includes one of the most admired sets of J.S. Bach’s complete works for organ. (in French; Google Translate version here)
The Cannes Lions, The World’s Leading Advertising Awards, Get An Overhaul
“Under pressure from advertising holding companies who have come to see it as too expensive, Cannes Lions owner Ascential unveiled a sweeping revamp of its flagship festival today, introducing dozens of changes aimed at simplifying and modernizing the event as well as, critically, keeping costs down for attendees.”
Why Philosophy Should Be Part Of Science Education
Why do college students so often treat philosophy as wholly distinct from and subordinate to science? In my experience, four reasons stand out.
Time To Seriously Consider Floating Cities
“Long the stuff of science fiction, so-called ‘seasteading’ has in recent years matured from pure fantasy into something approaching reality, and there are now companies, academics, architects and even a government working together on a prototype by 2020.”
Why Do We Know So Little About Arts Funding Ecosystems?
“Do major capital campaigns have any effect on fundraising for either their peer groups, or the local field as a whole? Does the existence of an arguably overcrowded field in a particular discipline, affect the fundraising of all the members of that single class? What are the variables in a local funding ecosystem that play a role in the success or failure of the fundraising efforts of all those in the area, and in particular, the efforts of each? Do some efforts result in a cannibalization of scare opportunities, or is the success of anyone a boon to the efforts of all? Does the power inequity work to the disadvantage of some, or is it irrelevant.”