Writing Worth Reading
Writing Worth Reading
On the Gatsby renaissance. Why now? "The novel, with its clear sense that money comes and goes, and that detachment from opulence is as empty a gesture as indulgence in it, seems to come to mind whenever we aren't doing so well"
The play, Clybourne Park, has become a cultural fixture during the Obama presidency. It suggests that, when it comes to race in America, not much has changed over the past half-century. "It is the audacity of rage, not hope"
"Homicidal drivers, ten quid coffees, and areas in which I could not afford to buy anything more than a lock-up garage with a missing roof." And still she wants to move there. Scottish writer considers the draw of London
On timely revival of Death of a Salesman. "Willy is defined by the spirit of competition and by its corollary, invidious comparison. Envy is the gasoline on which US capitalism runs; it also runs Willy, driving him crazy"
Mike Nichols revives Death of a Salesman. "With the singular exception of Mike, no director since Kazan has come close to demonstrating the capacity to deconstruct, rebuild, question, and even love the basic ideas of America"
"Havel's plays are a critique of all of us, those in charge and those under charge, who created all the absurd and meaningless structures of modern society we lament on a daily basis, feel so oppressed by, and yet refuse to change"
Under threat from digital technologies, the play is having an identity crisis. Average age of a Broadway audience now 48. And the economics work for only a few big hits. How will stage performances adapt to ensure their survival?
"Fiennes's Coriolanus is like the eyes of God or a saint in an Orthodox icon: Without changing a word in Shakespeare's play, the film looks squarely at our predicament today, offering us the figure of the radical freedom fighter"
A joy to see James Fenton returning to his earlier life as theatre critic. And reflecting here on grand versus intimate theatre, as exemplified by Cirque du Soleil's "Zarkana", and Peter Brooks's farewell production of "Magic Flute"
Author defends stage version of One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. "People who saw the play as being about a mental hospital are the sort that would fault Moby Dick for being an exaggerated story about a boat"
William Shakespeare is the most influential writer who ever lived. Indeed, this fun, idiosyncratic article suggests his influence is even greater than we give him credit for -- from sex to the civil rights movement and skimmed milk
"As with much else, literary talent often remains undeveloped unless markets reward it". Commercialisation of the theatre in 16th Century supported new wave of legendary dramatists. Will the web throttle future literary innovation?
Image by petervittrup on Flickr
