“Not many people would describe her as a greater writer than John Updike or Philip Roth. Harold Pinter said, as he received his award, that he wrote in order “to force entry into oppression’s dark rooms”; this was also almost exactly what Doris Lessing did.”
Tag: 11.18.13
How NSA Surveillance Is Threatening Free Expression
“This sweeping disregard for electronic privacy has particularly troubling implications for freedom of expression. In part that is because privacy and free expression are intimately linked.”
The Structure That Supported Opera, Orchestras Has Changed
“The extant network of orchestras and opera houses is an artifact of a very different America. City Opera, a pet project of Fiorello LaGuardia, emerged from the ethos of the New Deal, when government funds were allotted to the propagation of the arts for the masses. These days, political leaders are largely absent from the discussion, and the winner-take-all economy is as prevalent in the arts as everywhere else.”
Bloomberg News Slashes Arts Coverage, Shutters Muse
“Bloomberg, the New York-based financial news giant, is shutting down its Muse brand of cultural journalism and has laid off its theater critic” as well as its books editor. “The shake-up was part of a company-wide reorganization that came down on Monday and resulted in layoffs around the newsroom.”
Spider-Man To Leave Broadway For Greener Pastures Of Vegas
“Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, the popular yet beleaguered $75 million Broadway extravaganza marred by injuries and infighting, will close in January and reopen later at a venue in Las Vegas … ‘Economically we have a greater opportunity in the Las Vegas market,’ said producer Jeremiah Harris, who said the show will reopen in 2015.”
World’s Most Famous Female Architect Designs Stadium That Looks Like —
Qatar has unveiled renderings of the first of the stadiums to be built for the World Cup tournament the kingdom will host in 2022. Zaha Hadid Architects and AECOM say that their design is inspired by the dhows that traditionally sailed the Persian Gulf, but the collective Internet thinks otherwise.
The Guardian Launches Dedicated Dance Blog
Judith Mackrell: “For the last few months, I’ve been posting online-only stories, open threads and videos alongside my reviews, booking tips and feature writing, but for the first time these will be gathered together in one place. We’re also hoping to make the blog a forum where readers and writers can discuss a range of issues around the artform, both above the line and below it.”
William Weaver, 90, Revered Italian-To-English Translator
“Before him, the professional translator was considered little better than a superior sort of typist. Weaver helped to bring the art of translation out of obscurity and give it a literary credence and recognition. His versions of Italo Calvino and Umberto Eco are models of exactitude and seamless craft.” (Eco said Weaver’s translation of The Name of the Rose was better than the original.)
The Iconic Kimbell Museum Doubles In Size
“In Genoa-based Renzo Piano, 76, the Kimbell got what it signed on for: a predictable, restrained elegance.”
Why The UK’s Music Education Scheme Failed
“Well surprise, surprise. If you take a system, pick it up, shake it about, put it down again and give it a silly new name, the only difference you’re going to make is more of a mess and more work for teachers, who are already sick to death of non-stop government initiatives written in gibberish.”