Commentary
Our demanding critics choose the best films (along with some disappointments) of the year.
After a brief respite, we were driven indoors (again) and told to stay there, so we turned to our screens for entertainment.
Here are a handful of concerts that stand out from the past several months, as well as my favorite albums of 2021 – apparently even a global pandemic can’t stop the surprisingly resilient classical music recording industry.
Clearer heads conclude that there will be plenty of cultural space for both physical art and this highly monetized new digital art.
Take a dive into any of Alain Mabanckou’s works in English — and definitely score a copy of the new translation, As Long As Trees Take Root In the Earth, beautifully crafted and bound. Vive la Poesie!
Stephen Sondheim was the most influential musical-theater artist of the modern era. His death leaves a permanent hole in the art form and in the hearts of his fans.
The jury’s in. The critics who agreed with an early assessment that 1975’s Dhalgren is a “literary landmark” get to touch champagne flutes and congratulate one another.
Three releases that do a superb job of preserving and explaining historic recordings.
Proceeding largely country by country, Sebastian Strangio penetratingly explores Southeast Asia’s multifaceted struggle with its behemoth Chinese neighbor.
Author Interview: “Embattled” — Can Ancient Greek Myths Help Us Resist Tyranny?
“By cultivating our capacity for empathetic critical inquiry, Greek myths caution us against entertainers, pundits, politicians, and journalists who are trying to inflame our anger and fear.”
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