Nic Caldwell talks with Elizabeth Howard about poet Gwendolyn Brooks, her work, and the recent acquisition of her personal papers for the Morgan Library and Museum collection and the exhibition he curated.
Podcast
Short Fuse Podcast #46: Zakes Mda’s “Washboards and Mirrors” at the South African Cultural Center
A conversation with South African writer and artist Zakes Mda about his recent projects, which include a London production of his play And the Girls in Their Sunday Dresses, two books, and a solo exhibition of his collages.
Podcast Review: “CHECK YOUR HEAD: Mental Help for Musicians”
It is vital to take into account the pivotal role that money, politics, and racism play in the availability and efficacy of mental health services.
World Books: In Search of a Saudi Tolstoy
By Bill Marx Saudi Arabian author Abdo Khal won the $60,000 International Prize for Arabic Fiction (the Arab Booker) for his novel Spewing Sparks as Big as Castles, which is also known as She Throws Sparks. Taleb Alrefai, who served as chair for this year’s panel of judges, said, “The winning novel is a brilliant […]
Robert Walser — Modernism’s Mystery Man
By Bill Marx Susan Bernofsky’s translation of Robert Walser’s 1908 novel won her a 2007 PEN Translation Fund Award. She’s followed that up by translating the Swiss writer’s first novel, “The Tanners.” A recent World Books podcast explores two recent translations from the German of novels by the mysterious Swiss writer Robert Walser, an author […]
Kafka Fragments: Sublime Claustrophobia
By Bill Marx Soprano Aliana de la Guardia and violinist Gabriela Diaz performing selections of “Kafka Fragments” at a WGBH studio. A recent World Books podcast serves up a literary/musical treat. A Boston company, Ludovoco Ensemble, presented a performance of “Kafka Fragments,” a short chamber work composed by György Kurtág for soprano and violin in […]
Helen Epstein on Memoirs That Tell Too Much and Too Little
By Bill Marx In a recent World Books podcast I talk to author and book critic Helen Epstein about two new memoirs that share intriguing similarities and differences. Both are written in English by émigrés living in North America, but very much planted in other cultural traditions.
Norman Manea on The Lasting Poison of Stalinism
Norman Manea wants a nuanced moral reckoning of the sins committed in the Stalinist past. by Bill Marx In a recent World Books podcast I talk to Romanian-born essayist and novelist Norman Manea about his article, “A Lasting Poison,” which was published last month in the “New Republic.” In his commentary, Manea explores the recent […]
The Arts and the Brain: A Healing Relationship
by Bill Marx Brain Snuggles with Violin at The World’s Studio In my latest World Books podcast, which includes video coverage, I examine evolving international views of the relationship between neuroscience and the arts, with a special emphasis on the healing powers of music for those suffering from neurodegenerative diseases. The Longwood Symphony Orchestra recently […]
Ha Jin: The Writer as Migrant
By Bill Marx Novelist Ha Jin — “Only through history can history be conquered.” On my latest World Books podcast I talk to writer Ha Jin, who in 1985 left China to attend Brandeis University. Since then he has written five novels, including “Waiting” which won the National Book Award and “War Trash,” the recipient […]