- Almanac: Rochefoucauld on talent
“There are some bad qualities which make great talents.” Rochefoucauld, Maxims Continue reading Almanac: Rochefoucauld on talent at About Last Night.... Read more
The Relationship Between Writing And Drinking
“Nothing slows the flywheel, nothing treats the node of unease on the ribs, like a drink—you don’t have to be an alcoholic to know that. And for writers, there might even be a fragile biochemical moment when the drinking helps.” – The Atlantic
What do writers and editors do? Karl Ove Knausgaard investigates an often fraught relationship ... fraught with danger
Canada’s Non-Fiction Revolution
In Canada, the most trail-blazing contemporary nonfiction is being produced by writers of colour and Indigenous writers, many of whom are women or nonbinary. – The Walrus
Amid these apocalyptic-seeming times, one philosopher’s vision stands out. This is a moment for Machiavelli
Just Because A Book Is ‘Literary’ Doesn’t Mean It Needs To Be Dull
Kiley Reid, the author of Such a Fun Age, published a year ago to strong sales and a spot on the Booker longlist, is helping change publishing’s mind, she believes. Talking to another writer, she found out that “she was saying that she’s used my novel to point out to editors that if this person is doing humour that is literary fiction, why can’t I do it too? The premise that literary fiction has to be a drag – it’s just so silly.” – The Observer (UK)
$6 million in legal fees: The high price of getting a divorce in Sydney
The high price of marriage breakdown has led to litigation funders - usually associated with class actions - moving into family law to pay fees upfront in exchange for a percentage of the settlement.
The Generosity Of A Playwright Who Earned Some Unexpected Money
This isn’t exactly a normal year for any playwright, and indeed, Jeremy O. Harris of the multiple-Tony-nominated Slave Play has earned little from his plays. But fashion collaborations and HBO came through – and Harris is coming through for others in return, including numerous “microgrants” to 152 U.S.-based playwrights. “In dire times, he believes, everyone should be committed to ‘protecting, uplifting and sharing,’ adding: ‘Some might call it philanthropy, but I call it upkeep or maintenance.'” – The New York Times
Why Barcelona’s Bookstores Are Thriving During COVID
“The pandemic has made people aware of the need to support their local bookshop,” said Maria Carme Ferrer, president of the Catalan booksellers’ association. “Bookshops are local cultural centres.” – The Guardian
Romance Novels Are A Massive Business. Why Do So Few Get Adapted For TV?
“Even as networks and streaming services slaver over intellectual property with prearranged fan bases, few mass-market romance novels have found their way to screens. Character-driven and story rich, they would seem to have a lot of what television wants. But showrunners have played hard to get.” Alexis Soloski explores why. – The New York Times
The Moments Of Theatre That Offered Comfort, Aid, Glimmers Of Light
“Needless to say, 2020 didn’t exactly go as planned.” But actors, directors, playwrights, sound producers, lighting designers, and stage directors came through just as much as they possibly could. – Playbill
Art Versus Ideology – A Philosophical Battle
“No living artist I know of, however fervently activist, is renouncing art as a distraction from moral commitment, as the more extreme Constructivists did. But a good deal of recent polemical art suggests a use-by date that is not far in the future. Aesthetic judgment, based in experience, confirms differences between what is of its time and what, besides being of its time, may prove timeless. I feel that our present moment, marked by imbroglios of art and politics, forces the issue, even in face of tendencies a century old.” – The New Yorker
Revealed: India’s list of demands for Brisbane Test
'We like isolation': The 53 households for which lockdown has been no sweat
It has no supermarkets, no roads and is a ferry trip away from the rest of the world. When the lockdown came, the villagers of Coasters Retreat revelled in their safety.