Haven’t you said you always wanted to write that novel? Well, this is as good a time as any, so here is some inspiration and wisdom to get you started. The National Book Award-winning author of Year of the Monkey, Just Kids, and M Train offers a rare, intimate account of her own creative
Max Page— In our “sour little age,” as playwright Tony Kushner once called the world we live in, lines from a law passed fifty years ago this weekend offer welcome uplift. “The spirit and direction of the Nation are founded upon and reflected in its historic heritage,” declared the National
In Why Translation Matters, acclaimed translator Edith Grossman argues for the cultural importance of translation and for a more encompassing and nuanced appreciation of the translator’s role. For Grossman, translation has a transcendent importance. The following is comprised of excerpts from Why Translation Matters. Translation is crucial to our sense of ourselves as
We are deeply saddened by esteemed historian Peter Gay’s passing. A Sterling Professor of History Emeritus at Yale University and former director of the New York Public Library Center for Scholars and Writers, his eminent scholarship on the Enlightenment, Freud, and a wide range of additional topics in European history
In Why Poetry Matters, the gifted poet, novelist and biographer Jay Parini gives us a deeply felt meditation on poetry. He explores its language and meaning, and its power to open minds and transform lives. Parini ponders Aristotle, Horace, and Longinus, and moves on through Sidney, Wordsworth, Coleridge, Shelley, Eliot,
In Why Acting Matters, respected and insightful writers on movies and theater David Thomson examines the allure of the performing arts for both the artist and the audience member while addressing the paradoxes inherent in acting itself. Thomson reflects on on-stage versus film acting, and on the cult of celebrity. He scrupulously
In Why Architecture Matters, Paul Goldberger, who holds the Joseph Urban Chair in Design and Architecture at The New School in New York City, takes readers on a remarkable architectural journey to discover how architecture affects us emotionally as well as intellectually. Architecture is a part of daily life for
Today is what would have been Philip Johnson’s 104th birthday. Philip Johnson was a renowned architect whose work covered the 20th century and many of its architectural styles. Coincidentally, questions of 20th and 21st century architecture have been appearing in the news recently, as Vanity Fair has published results of