The complexity and melancholy of Cloud Atlas have inspired "cosplay, reader art, fan fiction and scholarship … in great quantity. It is a response that one might expect to a bestselling fantasy series, a video game, or the unveiling of a Taylor Swift album; rarely a literary novel." - The Guardian (UK)
Linda Holmes is not just any critic, but host of NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour and an alum of the revered sarcastic review site Television Without Pity. Holmes is also a novelist. How does she deal with reviews of her work, and, more broadly, how does a critic deal with criticism? - Slate
“Perhaps the real story here is how Marlborough managed to last nearly eight decades when so many galleries have only a decade in the sun. This confirms its business model of selling apparently timeless artists was pretty effective.” - The Guardian (UK)
“1300 B.C.E. Copper and tin smelters around the eastern Mediterranean encounter a shortage of materials and begin experimenting with some other ores, eventually producing implements out of iron." - The New York Times
The author of Erasure, adapted as American Fiction and nominated for several Oscars, and the new James, says a bad review "might be fun? That’s gonna be kind of crazy, to be upset about a bad review. Like, what else can you expect in the world?” - The Guardian (UK)
Her climate change studies were getting a professor down. So she turned to the University of South Florida's school of music. "Composition professor Paul Reller worked with students to map pitch, rhythm and duration to the data. It came alive ... in ways it simply does not on a spreadsheet." - NPR
"Musicals with such small casts are potentially big business, in part because it can be easier to recoup their streamlined production costs compared with a traditional stage extravaganza, with savings on actors’ salaries, costumes, sets, makeup and more." - Los Angeles Times
The city was a beacon of artistic freedom. Then came October 7. Now, "a climate of fear and recrimination has put Berlin’s status as an international cultural capital in greater hazard than at any time since 1989." - The New York Times
The theatre company said, "We are working with a remarkable group of artists. We insist that they are free to create work without facing online harassment.” - BBC
Days before the actor’s body was found, Lawrence, Kansas, police said they had probable cause to arrest Brings Plenty “in response to allegations of domestic violence." - CNN (MSN)
“Living in a cell the size of a parking space without a television, tablet, phone, or air-conditioning and an only temperamental radio signal, a book is more than entertainment and much needed distraction. It is a rare moment when I’m not reminded where I am." - LitHub
Whether you love him, hate him, pay him or his music no mind, or pretend he doesn’t matter — you cannot escape Philip Glass. His impact on composers of succeeding generations, whether they accept him or oppose him, is indelible. - Los Angeles Times (Yahoo)
Figures from the political world getting involved in theatre makes a certain amount of sense, since producers and politicians both have to raise money from their social and professional circles. - The Stage
The result is a skyline that’s no longer just a backdrop or a distant view or a pleasantly hard-edged contrast with the soft green clouds of woodland. Instead, it’s a constant presence, looming inescapably over virtually every corner of the park. - New York Magazine
