Books

Poetry Review: Translations of Two Wild Russian Poets, Their Flair Restored

May 14, 2014
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New translations of Soviet-era poets Vladimir Mayakovsky and Vladislav Khodasevich ask us to restore them to their rightful places in Russian and international literature .

Book Review: “The Democratic Surround” — Exploring the Makings of Mass Experience

May 10, 2014
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Fred Turner’s counterintuitive and subtle argument in The Democratic Surround draws a direct line between the design of museum exhibitions and the Be-Ins of the Summer of Love.

Arts Commentary: Who’s Afraid Of James Baldwin?

May 5, 2014
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So what we have is a failure of nerve — a reluctance to make students grapple with the considerable demands of James Baldwin’s prose and sensibility.

Book Interview: James Shapiro on America’s Complicated Relationship With Shakespeare

May 1, 2014
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“Americans have been most drawn to the great tragedies—in our classroom and on our stages. “

Book Review: An Informative Tour of Randy Revolutionary Times

April 30, 2014
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This book is a valuable reminder that “the men associated with an era of supposed morality and Christian values of monogamy and marriage have nearly all been linked to infidelity and sex outside of wedlock.”

Author Interview: Novelist Elizabeth Graver on “The End of the Point”

April 29, 2014
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“The space between fantasy and reality is a very charged one. Fiction can explore that, which might be one reason why I’m so drawn to it as a form.”

Fuse News: Two Milestones – Shakespeare’s 450th and Anthony Burgess’ 50th

April 25, 2014
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“Nothing Like the Sun” remains, for my money, among the best works of fiction inspired by Shakespeare’s life.

Arts Remembrance: Peter Matthiessen – The Last Frontiersman

April 19, 2014
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The late writer Peter Matthiessen was one of the last great frontiersmen, one of the last great travelers taking voyages of discovery.

Poetry Review: “Book of Hours” — From Mourning to Celebration

April 18, 2014
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Kevin Young’s poetic line is generally on the concise side, generating a pithy, earthy, evocative quality that hovers somewhere between the haiku-like jazziness of Robert Creeley and the delta blues of Son House or Skip James.

Book Review: “Long Mile Home” — An Informative View of the Boston Marathon Bombings That Lacks Investigative Muscle

April 15, 2014
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A fast-paced, fact-laden book by two “Boston Globe” reporters about the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings that doesn’t answer the tough questions.

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