In contrast to the string of American film stars who have taken on London stage roles in recent months and met with tepid (if not downright surly) reviews, Jessica Lange has bowled over critics as Mary in “Long Day’s Journey into Night” – in a performance being lauded as a masterpiece. – The Times (UK)
Tag: 11.23.00
A QUIET PLACE TO WRITE
“The New York Society Library, a subscription library established in 1754 is a place that is little known outside New York City, but one that has played a role in the creation of literature coming out of that city for nearly 250 years.” – National Post (Canada)
THE BEAT GOES ON
Online publisher LiveREADS has purchased “Orpheus Emerged,” a novella written by Jack Kerouac at age 23, which it will release to the public for the first time this week – over the internet. The Kerouac estate has been gradually selling off his last unpublished works over the last decade. – The Guardian
‘TIS THE SEASON TO SLANDER
It seems everyone has a hero to debunk these days, as biographies of famous figures pour out of publishing houses this fall. “Most of the personages currently exposed have little in common except the compulsion or determination of their biographers to manhandle or mishandle them.” – New York Times
FUNDING IN DOUBT
The head of the Scottish Arts Council says he’s not sure the ailing Scottish National Opera will get a big increase in funding the opera says it needs. “It’s too much of a chunk to one company”. – The Herald (Scotland)
IN DEFENSE OF THE “DIFFICULT”
In a televised lecture (excerpted here) on the state of contemporary art, Tate Modern Director Nicholas Serota champions work that is transgressive and beyond immediate understanding. “For me, the undoubted shock, even disgust, provoked by the work is part of its appeal. Art should be transgressive. Life is not all sweet.” – The Independent (UK)