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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Auerbach writes beautifully. . . . In this biography of Ellen Terry, she evokes the story of every woman's life, in all its accepted roles. . . . England's most famous actress is here re-created, herself creating the life of woman. A glorious book." * Carolyn G. Heilbrun *"One of the finest examples I know of theatre biography as cultural history. . . . Auerbach's force of feeling . . . [makes us] understand Terry's career as the bowdlerized body of woman's expressive genius in the Victorian age. . . . A life-and-times classic that will become a model for other feminist work." * Jane Marcus, Women's Review of Books *

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Book SynopsisFanny Kemble played a highly significant cultural role on both sides of the Atlantic. As David so convincingly shows, the life of this actress-turned-writer-turned-polemicist not only offers a fascinating subject in its own right but also intersects with a host of nineteenth-century figures who still interest us today.-U. C. KnoepflmacherTrade Review"Acclaimed, reviled, acclaimed again, Fanny Kemble played a highly significant cultural role on both sides of the Atlantic. As Deirdre David convincingly shows, the life of this actress-turned-writer-turned-polemicist not only offers a fascinating subject in its own right but also intersects with so many of the nineteenth-century figures who still interest us today: the Shelleys, the Brownings, Carlyle, Dickens, Thackeray, George Eliot, Liszt, Longfellow, Hawthorne, Henry James, and many, many more. David's absolute familiarity with all of them is impressive and reassuring, but it is of course Kemble herself who matters here most, and David's enormous empathy with this mercurial woman is wonderfully infectious." * U. C. Knoepflmacher, Princeton University *"Fascination with Kemble . . . does not abate. This scholarly, erudite, and thorough study by David . . . far exceeds all others in its balance and in its careful analysis of this complex and variegated life. . . . A great addition to the literature on important women, the theater, and numerous aspects of the nineteenth century. . . . Highly recommended." * Choice *"Deirdre David's book, meticulously researched and vividly readable, while consistently sympathetic to her subject, is always thoughtful, considered, nuanced, and illuminating. It evokes with equal success the theatrical world of nineteenth-century England and the plantation world of the antebellum South." * Journal of Victorian Culture *"This very lively and engaging volume is a wonderful introduction into the world of one of the nineteenth century's most celebrated theatrical performers. . . . Distinctive and welcome . . . evocative and perceptive." * Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography *

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Book SynopsisTrade Review "Fans will appreciate Metsa's stories about the writing and reception of many of his songs."—Publishers Weekly "More than simply a title of regional interest to Midwesterners, this musical journey will resonate with readers who prefer their tell-alls spiced with a generous helping of conviction and a dash of humility."—Kirkus Reviews "Blue Guitar Highway is a convincing testament to the strength that a performer can draw on by remaining in touch with his or her roots, while remaining open to the trials and rewards along the road of an America steeped in song."—Discorder Magazine "You’ve got to admire Paul Metsa. He chased his dreams and became an accomplished Minneapolis-based guitarist and songwriter. Although he’s often lived gig to gig, you sense from this memoir that he’s loved the ride."—Lake Superior Magazine "Blue Guitar Highway has so many compelling stories that you can’t put it down."—Star Tribune "Metsa’s style is readable, sometimes funny, sometimes lyrical, and full of passion."—Northeaster and North News "Blue Guitar Highway is . . . Paul Metsa’s equivalent of Bob Dylan’s Chronicles, Vol. 1."—Hometown Focus "Metsa uses his talents as a songwriter and lyricist to full advantage. His prose sets us to laughing, crying, and remembering often within the same sentence. . . . This memoir belongs on any music fan’s bookshelf."—Mark Munger, Cloquet River Press "Reading the words of Paul Metsa as recorded in his memoir, Blue Guitar Highway, is a walk through the several decades of the local music scene with all of his and its connections with the ages and stages of American music writ large."—Twin Cities Daily Planet "While the 271-page work is full of telling, humorous anecdotes from Metsa’s life—including the time he slipped Grateful Dead front man Jerry Garcia some leftover, psychedelic mushrooms—the story’s primary message is one of perseverance and passion."—The Downtown Journal "Blue Guitar Highway conveys all the sweet absurdity, dry humor, and passion for the language of music that has made Metsa’s story sing."—Grand Rapids Herald-Review "For music-lovers who admire the 80s and 90s in the Twin Cities rock-and-roll scene, Metsa’s journey is worth delving into."—Woodbury-South Maplewood Review "Blue Guitar Highway, by Paul Metsa will certainly please music buffs who remember Metsaʼs days in the joints on Minneapolisʼs West Bank."—River Falls Journal "Packed with colorful details about music venues in Minneapolis and on the Range and with references to things uniquely Minnesotan, Blue Guitar Highway offers lots of local appeal. On a broader plane, Metsaʼs book is an anthem to professional musicians who live to play. His heartfelt tributes to those who influenced him in his musical pursuits are numerous. So belly up to the bar now and then, and get to know this gregarious Minnesotan, a born storyteller."—Duluth News Tribune "Metsa writes so well that he can even make a hangover seem beautiful. Compelling, gripping and laugh out loud funny even as he describes some far from funny happenstance, Metsa takes us on his lifelong ride, from the death of his mother on an operating table, to his bust for cocaine possession, through a personal quest to save a beloved local theatre, all told within the roller coaster ride of a musician from whom “quit” is definitely not an option. He is Minnesota’s other Dylan."—Sound Waves Magazine "The anecdotes are entertaining, the self-deprecating humor is often captivating, and the music trivia is mostly entertaining to those of us who know little about the music and the culture of Minnesota in the middle of the last century."—No Depression "Metsa is the other great folksinger from Minnesota's Mesabi Iron Range."—Huffington Post "Metsa is a mountain in Minnesota music."—Bobby VeeTable of ContentsContentsForeword by David CarrGuitar FoolsA Boy and His GuitarBuckshot in Short PantsThe Cry of the MuskratCats Under the StarsVaseline Machine GunOne More Saturday NightFranklin AvenueElectric High HeelsParty to a CrimeRobots on Death RowHouse of CardsWhistling Past the GraveyardFerris Wheels on the FarmCity of the AngelsMississippi FarewellNo Money DownSwing Low, Sweet ChariotGhosts of Woody GuthrieMartini GulchWhite Boys Lost in the BluesFrom Russia with LoveKey to the HighwaySisuTexas in the Twilight ZoneSlings and ArrowsBarbeque and BluesIko-IkoSlow JusticeStars Over the PrairieFireworks on the 4th of JulyAcknowledgmentsDiscographyConcert Appearances

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Book SynopsisTrade Review "Those who think Hollywood’s current predatory political scene and celebrity partner-swapping activities are new phenomena would be wise to dive into this tell-all tale of Henry Willson, an agent who became a major star maker to actors like Rock Hudson, Tab Hunter, and Troy Donahue in the 1950s."—Publishers Weekly"A trove of enticing gossip and little-known facts . . . Hofler chronicles Willson’s life of privilege. He roams through the origins of his paradoxical right-wing attitudes, early intrigues to obtain sexual power, conspiracies hatched in glamorous fabled nightclubs, the Trocadero, the Macombo. He describes nasty sexual antics among powerful studio heads."—Los Angeles Times "The Man Who Invented Rock Hudson is a gritty, often coarse but well-researched biography of a tough Hollywood power broker famous for his ‘Adonis factory.’"—Salon.com "Hofler, a Variety editor and reporter, is well matched to this shark-tank of a life." —Washington Post

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Book SynopsisBrings to life Gertrude Stein's surrealist sensibilities and personal values borne from her WWII anxieties, not least of which originated in a dread of anti-Semitism. Ery Shin argues that Stein's later works engage with storytelling and life-writing in startling ways - most emphatically and poignantly through the surrealist lens.Trade ReviewGertrude Stein's Surrealist Years is a serious and original contribution to Stein studies. The breadth of historical and literary contexts is impressive as well as Shin's exquisite close readings of a wide range of Stein’s primary texts." - Sharon J. Kirsch, author of Gertrude Stein and the Reinvention of Rhetoric and coeditor of Primary Stein: Returning to the Writing of Gertrude Stein"In this original, provocative, and necessary study, Ery Shin brings new insight and perspective to a growing body of important scholarship, arguing for the implicitly progressive politics of Stein's sui generis aesthetics. Crucially, Shin's book also stands as a firm and powerful response to the spurious yet nevertheless persistent claims surrounding Stein's alleged fascist leanings, for in lucid and convincing prose she shows how Stein's artistic vision aligns with the dream state that her contemporaries among the Surrealists practiced and advocated as an antiauthoritarian consciousness. This book opens an entirely new conversation and will surely inspire new debate." - Amy Moorman Robbins, author of American Hybrid Poetics: Gender, Mass Culture, and FormTable of Contents Acknowledgments 1. Contexts 2. Ruskin’s Ghost 3. On Style 4. The Drowned 5. The Pleasures of Solipsism 6. Beginnings, Middles, and Ends Afterword Notes Works Cited Index

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Book SynopsisExamines how surrealism enriches our understanding of Gertrude Stein's writing through its poetics of oppositions. Gertrude Stein's Surrealist Years brings to life Stein's surrealist sensibilities and personal values borne from her WWII anxieties, not least of which originated in a dread of anti-Semitism.Trade ReviewGertrude Stein (1874-1946) is not known as a surrealist, but she was closely involved with people associated with the movement, among them Picasso and AndrÉ Breton. Shin examines Stein’s involvement with these artists and writers and shows how these relationships drew her and her writing into the movement, especially in her novels Ida and Mrs. Reynolds. Written in clear and accessible prose, this volume examines Stein's writing during a time of her life marked by complexity and ambivalence. Recommended" - CHOICE"Gertrude Stein’s Surrealist Years is a serious and original contribution to Stein studies. The breadth of historical and literary contexts is impressive as well as Shin’s exquisite close readings of a wide range of Stein’s primary texts." - Sharon J. Kirsch, author of Gertrude Stein and the Reinvention of Rhetoric and coeditor of Primary Stein: Returning to the Writing of Gertrude Stein"In this original, provocative, and necessary study, Ery Shin brings new insight and perspective to a growing body of important scholarship, arguing for the implicitly progressive politics of Stein’s sui generis aesthetics. Crucially, Shin’s book also stands as a firm and powerful response to the spurious yet nevertheless persistent claims surrounding Stein’s alleged fascist leanings, for in lucid and convincing prose she shows how Stein’s artistic vision aligns with the dream state that her contemporaries among the Surrealists practiced and advocated as an antiauthoritarian consciousness. This book opens an entirely new conversation and will surely inspire new debate." - Amy Moorman Robbins, author of American Hybrid Poetics: Gender, Mass Culture, and Form

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Book SynopsisIn Lion Songs Banning Eyre tells the story of Zimbabwean singer, composer and bandleader Thomas Mapfumo who, like Fela Kuti and Bob Marley, represents his country's anti-colonial struggle and cultural identity. Eyre narrates Mapfumo's life in the context of Zimbabwe's pre- and post-revolutionary history.Trade Review“A deep, detailed biography of a complex African musician and the homeland that has shaped his artistry. . . . An essential book for those who love the artist's music and want to know more. . . .” * Kirkus Reviews *“What emerges from Eyre’s account is a multi-faceted look at one musician’s life, and the effects that it had on both the people around him and the society of which he was a part. . . . There’s an evenness of tone here, and it helps bring together the many aspects of Mapfumo’s life into one cohesive narrative. And, as an added bonus, it may well introduce readers to music that remains vital decades after it was first recorded.” -- Tobias Carroll * Biographile *“[Eyre] has meticulously researched Mapfumo’s story and the musicians who have played with him in Blacks Unlimited, and he tells their tale with impressive attention to detail. … All this makes Lion Songs an essential resource for anyone interested in Mapfumo and Zimbabwean music.” -- Nigel Williamson * Songlines *“[A] a singularly insightful biography. . . .” -- Andrew Gilbert * Berkeleyside *“For fans of African music, the album is a must-have. For those interested in the role of art in self-determination and the intricate and convoluted history of oppression and colonialism and the fraught aftermath of self-rule, the book is a must-read.” -- Jay Mazza * The Vinyl District *"The novelistic text has an appropriately hefty level of historical context, and the attention to detail means that Eyre never gives the tale less than it deserves, ultimately enlightening the reader about the evolution of an entire nation, as well as its most famous musical son. The gripping read is thus highly recommended." -- David Katz * Mojo *"An essential book for those who love the artiste's music and want to know more. . . ." -- Fred Zindi * The Herald (Zimbabwe) *"[B]ecause Thomas Mapfumo is such an important subject, and because Eyre has spent decades around him, the legacy outweighs the failures. Mapfumo has created a huge body of meaningful work and Eyre has stuck it out—an independent scholar on a university press non-advance—to get his story. Graceful sentences, acute observation, heroic amounts of research, self-consciousness about subject position and other contextual issues, a working musician’s aesthetic appreciation—it’s all here, and nobody else could have done it." -- Eric Weisbard * Journal of Popular Music Studies *"Eyre affirms Mapfumo’s enduring stature in the canon of Zimbabwean music. Lion Songs is a fascinating biography not just for its close­up portrayal of Mapfumo, but also its masterly commentary on Zimbabwe’s underrated music industry." -- Stanley Mushava * The Herald (Zimbabwe) *"[A]n intensely detailed and lucid work. ...Eyre is a musicologist, so when he explains the musical alchemy that went into creating Mapfumo's mbira-inspired chimurenga (revolutionary struggle) music, his descriptions are illuminating and technical. ... He also understands that the significance of his subject - a fixture in Zimbabwe's music and sociopolitical fabric for at least five decades - transcends the music he made." -- Kwanele Sosibo * Namibian *"Lion Songs is a richly evocative story of a life impassioned wherein author Banning Eyre ties the arc of Mapfumo’s career to Zimbabwe’s contemporary history. . . . A great fly-on-the-wall account of a life political, a life musical, and a life of love sans love-songs." -- Felicity Clark * Perfect Beat *Table of ContentsPreamble: Chimurenga Nights 1 I. Rhodesia 1. England Is the Chameleon , and I the Fly 13 2. Singing Shona 28 3. When the Spirit Comes 50 4. Songs for the Book of History 67 5. Bishop and Pawn 89 6. Agony of Victory 110 II. Zimbabwe 7. Snakes in the Forest 125 8. Corruption 144 9. Big Daddy and the Zimbabwe Playboys 161 10. Sporting Lions 179 11. Too Many Ghosts 200 12. Breaking the Cycle 211 III. America 13. Striking at Empires 231 14. Dancing with Devils 248 15. The Land of the Horses 264 16. Lions in Winter 281 Acknowledgments 295 Notes 297 Selected Discography 337 Bibliography 341 Index of Songs and Albums 345 General Index 349

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Book SynopsisThis book investigates the religious identity and authority of Stephen Colbert and his character Stephen Colbert. By exploring Colbert’s position as a lay catechist and televised comedian, this book examines how Catholicism shapes Colbert’s experiences, and how Colbert and his persona nuance American Catholicism and the polarized American religious landscape.Table of Contents1. Colbert as Character | 1 2. Colbert as Catholic Authority | 23 3. Colbert as Catechist | 48 4. Colbert as Catholic Comedian | 76 5. Colbert Catholicism | 99 6. Colbert as Culture Warrior | 132 7. Colbert’s Continued Presence | 152 Appendix | 165 Acknowledgments | 173 Notes | 175 Selected Bibliography | 205 Index | 219

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Book SynopsisTable of ContentsIntroduction | 1 Part I: Origins 1. Dreams of a Writer | 11 2. Getting Started (1952 to Summer 1953) | 23 3. Two Programs, Two Movies (1952 to 1954) | 34 4. Original Dramas for Studio One (Summer 1953 to Spring 1954) | 46 Part II: The Television Program 5. A Visit to Foley Square (Spring 1954) | 57 6. “Twelve Angry Men” (Summer 1954) | 71 7. Gaining Momentum (Fall 1954 to Spring 1955) | 81 Part III: The Movie 8. Henry Fonda and the Deal for 12 Angry Men (Spring and Summer 1955) | 95 9. Developing the Screenplay (Fall 1955 to Spring 1956) | 103 10. Assembling the Team (Spring 1956) | 113 11. Six Weeks of Work (Summer 1956) | 122 12. Release and Reviews (Fall 1956 to Spring 1958) | 133 Part IV: The Defenders 13. New Directions (1957 to 1960) | 145 14. The Defenders (1960 to Spring 1962) | 155 15. The Defenders (Fall 1962 to 1965) | 166 16. After The Defenders | 179 Part V: The Journey of 12 Angry Men 17. A Life on Stage | 193 18. A Lesson in the Law | 208 19. A Masterclass in Human Behavior | 220 20. New Versions, New Meanings | 230 Epilogue | 239 Appendix: “Twelve Angry Men” (TV Featurette) | 245 Acknowledgments | 251 Notes | 257 Selected Bibliography | 291 Index | 297 Photographs follow pages 102 and 198

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Book SynopsisBorn in Tehran in 1957, filmmaker Mohsen Ostad Ali Makhmalbaf grew up in the religious and politically charged atmosphere of the 1960s, and the June 1963 uprising of Ayatollah Khomeini constitutes one of his earliest memories. In 1972, Makhmalbaf formed his own urban guerrilla group and two years later attacked a police officer, for which he was arrested and jailed. He remained incarcerated until 1978, when the revolutionary wave led by Ayatollah Khomeini freed him and launched his career as a writer and self-taught filmmaker. Since then, Makhmalbaf has gone on to make such highly admired films as Gabbeh and The Silence. The three lengthy conversations collected here, between Makhmalbaf and leading Iranian film critic and scholar Hamid Dabashi, traverse the filmmaker's experiences as a young radical, his critical stance regarding the current Islamic regime, and his fascination with filmsboth as product and as process. In this in-depth view of one of the most significant Middle Easter

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisThis first volume of a projected two volume study of the music of John Jenkins concentrates exclusively on his consorts for viols.John Jenkins (1592-1678) was both the most prolific and most esteemed of English composers between the death of Byrd and the rise of Purcell. During his long life he was employed as a resident musician in East Anglian noble households and became a court musician to Charles II in his later years.This is the first in a two-volume study of Jenkins and his music. It presents a biographical introduction to the composer then concerns itself exclusively with the superb consorts for viols which dominate the early part of the composer's career. It is profusely illustrated with music examples and discusses virtually every work in this form. ANDREW ASHBEE is an internationally renowned expert on C17th English instrumental music, has edited a number of volumes of music from the period, and is an author, broadcaster and lecturer.Trade ReviewAshbee's...scholarship is exemplary and his book is easy to read...an extremely important contribution to our knowledge of English music of the seventeenth century, and will no doubt be the standard work on Jenkins for some time to come. * LUTE SOCIETY JOURNAL *One could not have a more sure-footed guide. * JOURNAL OF THE VIOLA DA GAMBA SOCIETY *

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Book SynopsisLegendary CBS Evening News anchorman Walter Cronkite looks back over a career in which he covered many of the major events of the twentieth century.Trade Review"We all owe Don Carleton a huge debt of gratitude for publishing this landmark oral history of Walter Cronkite. Here, for the first time, is the beloved CBS News anchorman unplugged, commenting on everything from D-Day to the Vietnam War to the moon landing." Douglas Brinkley, Professor of History, Rice University, and author of The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America

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Book SynopsisMurray Schafer is one of Canada’s few composers to have achieved an international reputation. His innovative and often controversial work extends beyond music into the areas of education, literary scholarship, journalism, theatre, and graphics, as well as a new field of his own making—environmental sound research. This comprehensive critical survey of his life and works reveals the unifying pattern within an amazingly productive and varied career.Adams examines Schafer’s extensive writings, which form the intellectual context of his music. Though Schafer is both avant-gardist and self-confessed romantic, his writings solve this apparent paradox and show, as well, the central position of the ‘soundscape’ in his thought. Adam traces the development of Schafer’s music from his early works in a mild neo-classical vein to his experimentation with various modernist procedures—serialism, electronic sound, stereophony, graphic notation

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Book SynopsisThe first biography of activist and musician Zilphia Horton, a woman who inspired thousands of working people and left a legacy that changed the world.Trade Review[A] vibrant new biography...A Singing Army vividly recreates the social and cultural history into which Zilphia Horton lived, and it brings to light her enduring achievements, her passionate vision for the arts and music and the ways they shape the human heart and effect social change, and her exceptional contribution to folk music and folk music scholarship. * No Depression *Beautifully written and endlessly fascinating, [A Singing Army is] one of the best biographies of the year. * NPR, "2021 Books We Love" *Throughout A Singing Army, Ruehl reasserts Horton’s belief that “'the arts are not dressing,' but rather an important aspect of political organization that allows people from different backgrounds to understand one another’s struggles and find common ground. Ruehl’s invocation of Horton’s beliefs plays like the catchy refrain to one of Horton’s labor songs, emphasizing the importance of her ideals and showing readers another way to organize and connect with others...Through her subject’s incredible life and through her straightforward, observational style, Ruehl illuminates a story bound to inspire 21st-century artists and activists. * Nashville Scene *In the first book devoted to [Zilphia] Horton, A Singing Army vividly recreates the social and cultural history of which Horton was part, and it brings to light her enduring achievements, her passionate vision for the arts and music and how they effect social change, and her exceptional contribution to folk music and folk music scholarship. * No Depression, "Best Music Books of 2021" *An engaging and thought-provoking story of Zilphia Horton’s interesting life...The text presents a fascinating, detailed look at the complexities of Zilphia’s personal challenges, and a fresh look at Highlander’s history and activities...the high quality of the writing makes the book enjoyable and difficult to put down. * CHOICE *A Singing Army is thoroughly documented, drawing on archival research, letters, and interviews with Thorsten and Charis, Zilphia’s sister, and others. As portrayed by Ruehl, Zilphia is independent, resourceful, resilient, and original, and Myles clearly shares her collaborative spirit. Although 'social justice' and 'the South' are still often seen as oxymoronic, Ruehl illuminates a time and place when people were trying to make them synonyms. * Chapter 16 *This impactful book delivers Horton's story with care and compassion...We need people to tell such stories. People need to read such stories. Our world is better [when] we have access to such history. We can create an even better world when [we] give more attention than ever to the people who bring these stories to us. My hope is that people take the time to read this fantastic book about Zilphia Horton and follow her example. * Bearded Gentlemen Music *Kim Ruehl has done the history of American social justice movements a great service in this first biography of Zilphia Horton...Ruehl’s thorough and thoughtful book testifies to her lasting influence. * WNC Magazine *A Singing Army is a revelatory look into how Zilphia [Horton] contributed to providing a safe and nurturing environment for social change makers at the Highlander Folk School and how this was an integral part of enabling social change. * Southern Review of Books *Table of Contents Introduction 1. A Long Line of Strong Women 2. Growth and Exploration 3. A Rift 4. Everything New 5. New in Town 6. Class and Privilege 7. New York City 8. Digging Roots 9. Conflict and War 10. No More Mourning 11. We Will Overcome 12. Getting Out of Town 13. Changing Direction 14. Trauma 15. Lunging Toward Civil Rights 16. Chicago 17. Contempt and Johns Island 18. Sustainability 19. Rosa Parks and the End of the Line 20. A Sudden, Shocking Accident Epilogue Acknowledgments Notes Books Cited Index

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Book Synopsis'When the name "Hitler" is mentioned, nothing occurs to me' – so said Karl Kraus. For this leading Viennese Jewish critic and intellectual the touchstone of art was ethics. How could he be speechless in the face of a threat to all that ethics means?To answer this question, the author makes a detailed chronological study of Kraus's intellectual activity as reflected in his work on the theatre. The results are presented in five chapters, each dealing with a different 'mask' adopted by Kraus during the period 1892-1936. Grimstad considers not only theatre and drama criticism in Die Fackel and Kraus's dramatic writings, but also biographical data, to help uncover the rationale of his work. That rationale is the logic of the theatrical mode in which he lived and wrote. The stage was not only his subject matter, it determined what he would see and say. Grimstad argues that when Kraus wrote, his words were the speech of an 'actor' who was often infatuated with himself

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Book SynopsisThe epic biography Starring Red Wing! brings the exciting career, dedicated activism, and noteworthy legacy of Ho-Chunk actress Lilian Margaret St. Cyr vividly to life. Known to film audiences as “Princess Red Wing,” St. Cyr emerged as the most popular Native American actress in the pre-Hollywood and early studio-system era in the United States. Today St. Cyr is known for her portrayal of Naturich in Cecile B. DeMille’s The Squaw Man (1914); although DeMille claimed to have “discovered the little Indian girl,” the viewing public had already long adored her as a petite, daredevil Indian heroine. She befriended and worked with icons such as Mary Pickford, Jewell Carmen, Tom Mix, Max Sennett, and William Selig. Born on the Winnebago Reservation in 1884 and orphaned in 1888, she spent ten years in Indian boarding schools before graduating from the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in 1902. She married James Young Johnson, and in Trade Review"This lively biography pays long overdue tribute to a forgotten star of the silent era while celebrating Native American contributions to the motion picture industry."—Kirkus Reviews"Although Waggoner herself suggests Starring Red Wing! is not an academic text, scholars of Native studies, film studies, women's studies, and beyond will find St. Cyr's biography and filmography . . . a valuable contribution to scholarship in their fields."—Amy S. Fatzinger, Native American and Indigenous Studies"Relying on careful and copious research, Waggoner skillfully weaves St. Cyr's story with that of early American film and Native American history. . . . Too few people know St. Cyr's name—Waggoner rectifies that wrong, training a spotlight on an icon of early film who broke through barriers."—Carolyn M. Mulac, Library Journal"Building on her expertise in Ho-Chunk history, Waggoner paints an intimate portrait that also successfully illuminates the worlds Red Wing (1884–1974) inhabited as a pathbreaking Indian celebrity."—Andrew H. Fisher, New Mexico Historical Review"Linda Waggoner's biography takes us on a journey through the life of Lilian St. Cyr and shows the reader how this innovative woman reinvented herself repeatedly, during an era when not even white women exercised complete agency over their lives. In becoming Red Wing, she managed to free herself of her "Indian place" and her feminine limitations. She traveled, performed, produced, and made a name for herself, both with and without a husband. She was the remarkable heroine of her own life."—Noemi Hernandez Alexander, California History"Linda Waggoner provides us with another splendid biography of a Ho-Chunk woman."—Liza Black, Western Historical Quarterly"For a vivid portray of early filmmaking history and a groundbreaking Native Nebraska-born actress’s role in it, this is a worthwhile read."—Andrea I. Faling, Nebraska History“This life of the groundbreaking Winnebago actress, the first Native American film star, joins staggering research with a story full of ambition, courage, and true grit. Linda Waggoner’s smartly written book recounts the early history of racial representation on the silver screen before Hollywood became a household word. Her story of a talented Native actor, along with a vivid portrayal of the silent film era, make this a probing, satisfying, and utterly unique read.”—Philip Burnham, author of Song of Dewey Beard: Last Survivor of the Little Bighorn “In this profoundly thoughtful biography, Linda Waggoner reveals how Lilian St. Cyr’s astonishing life as a performer and activist helped to shape Native identities in modern America. Waggoner’s deeply researched and carefully written account reminds us that if St. Cyr was best known as an early Native film star, she was also fiercely devoted to Indigenous causes and spent decades defending and promoting Native interests. This nuanced book recalls the enormous importance of one of the twentieth century’s most important Native women.”—Clyde Ellis, professor of history at Elon University and author of A Dancing People: Powwow Culture on the Southern PlainsTable of ContentsList of Illustrations Preface Acknowledgments Introduction Chapter 1: Lilian Margaret St. Cyr of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska Chapter 2: Ochsegahonegah at the Lincoln Institute Chapter 3: Role Models and Visitors Chapter 4: Home and Away Again Chapter 5: James Young Johnson and Family Secrets Chapter 6: Princess Red Wing and Young Deer Chapter 7: Edendale, California Chapter 8: New Careers with Pathé Frères Chapter 9: Leaving Young Deer Chapter 10: Keeping Up with the Competition Chapter 11: The Calm before the Storm Chapter 12: Young Deer and the White Slavery Ring Chapter 13: Cecil B. DeMille and The Squaw Man Chapter 14: In the Days of the Thundering Herd Chapter 15: Ramona and Home Again Chapter 16: Lilia Red Wing on Tour and the Visual Education Movement Chapter 17: The Metropolitan Group of American Indians Chapter 18: Fare Thee Well and Hollywood Reunion Chapter 19: The Moon Shines on Pretty Red Wing Appendix A: Lilian Margaret St. Cyr Family Appendix B: James Young Johnson Family Appendix C: Red Wing’s Filmography, 1908–1931 Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisBest known for her Oscar-nominated roles in the smash hitsPaper MoonandBlazing Saddles, Madeline Kahn (1942-1999) was one of the most popular comedians of her time - and one of the least understood. William V. Madison examines Kahn's film career, including not only her triumphs with Mel Brooks and Peter Bogdanovich, but also her overlooked performances.Trade ReviewWhen I started out in New York, in the late 60's, one of my earliest friends and fellow performers at Upstairs at the Downstairs was the inimitable Madeline Kahn. As young and struggling artists, we bonded as great friends, and remained friends for thirty years. Even back then, I knew her talent would take her far. She was so gifted in so many ways, it's difficult to summarize her genius. I'm delighted that William V. Madison's book has perfectly captured her irreverent humor as well as all the challenges she faced as a single working woman. Madeline continues to influence younger artists today, and her performances are a treasure for all of us."" - Lily Tomlin, ""Below the Belt"" revue, Upstairs at the Downstairs.""Bids to become the surprise biography of the year. A great untold story intriguingly revealed. Superbly researched, digs deep into the life and times of its subject and captures her essence."" - Dan Rather.""For everyone who found her an enigmatic delight on stages and screens, the book is a resonant must-read, evoking its subject and the golden age of theater and film in which she lived."" - Tom Shales, Pulitzer Prize-winning television critic.""Madeline Kahn is the best comic or dramatic actress, the best singer - serious or comic - and the best I've worked with, or known in my life."" - Gene Wilder.""Madeline was bright, committed, thoughtful, and one of the most remarkable actresses I have ever worked with. William V. Madison's biography captures Madeline's complexity and finely documents her career and personal life."" - Jane Alexander, actress, author, former chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, and wildlife conservationist.

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Book SynopsisWinnie Lightner (1899-1971) stood out as the first great female comedian of the talkies. David L. Lightner shows how Winnie Lightner's hilarious performance in the 1929 musical comedy Gold Diggers of Broadway made her an overnight sensation. At long last, this biography gives Winnie Lightner the recognition she deserves as a notable figure in film history.

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Book SynopsisSpanning twenty-five years, these conversations reveal Steven Soderbergh to be as self-effacing and lighthearted in his later more established years as he was when just beginning to make movies. He comes across as a man undaunted by the glitz and power of Hollywood, remaining, above all, a truly independent filmmaker.

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Book SynopsisWith this new collection of interviews, readers will recognise the themes that motivate Steven Spielberg, the cinematic techniques he employs to create his feature films, and the emotional connection he has to his movies. The result is a nuanced and engaging portrait of the most popular director in American cinema history.

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Book SynopsisThoughtful and passionate, Ang Lee humbly reveals here a personal journey that brought him from Taiwan to his chosen home in the United States as he struggled and ultimately triumphed in his quest to become a superb filmmaker. Ang Lee: Interviews collects the best interviews of this reticent yet bold figure.

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Book SynopsisThe compelling life story of Armenian ceramicist David Ohannessian, whose work changed the face of Jerusalem—and a granddaughter's search for his legacy. Along the cobbled streets and golden walls of Jerusalem, brilliantly glazed tiles catch the light and beckon the eye. These colorful wares—known as Armenian ceramics—are iconic features of the Holy City. Silently, these works of ceramic art—art that also graces homes and museums around the world—represent a riveting story of resilience and survival: In the final years of the Ottoman Empire, as hundreds of thousands of Armenians were forcibly marched to their deaths, one man carried the secrets of this age-old art with him into exile toward the Syrian desert. Feast of Ashes tells the story of David Ohannessian, the renowned ceramicist who in 1919 founded the art of Armenian pottery in Jerusalem, where his work and that of his followers is now celebrated as a local treasure. Ohannessian's life encompassed some of the most tumultuous upheavals of the modern Middle East. Born in an isolated Anatolian mountain village, he witnessed the rise of violent nationalism in the waning years of the Ottoman Empire, endured arrest and deportation in the Armenian Genocide, founded a new ceramics tradition in Jerusalem under the British Mandate, and spent his final years, uprooted, in Cairo and Beirut. Ohannessian's life story is revealed by his granddaughter Sato Moughalian, weaving together family narratives with newly unearthed archival findings. Witnessing her personal quest for the man she never met, we come to understand a universal story of migration, survival, and hope.Trade Review"Feast of Ashes is a passionate journey of discovery, an exemplary work of craft and design history, and a powerful narrative of the meaning of family identity. An extraordinary book—I loved it." -- Edmund de Waal * author of The Hare with Amber Eyes and The White Road *"Feast of Ashes is a lovingly crafted account of family, loss, and home. Chronicling the last century's unresolved tragedies and injustices on a most personal level, Sato Moughalian forces us to acknowledge what these events have truly cost us all—a necessary insistence, if we ever hope to be free of the grievous mistakes we too oft repeat." -- Alia Malek * author of The Home That Was Our Country: A Memoir of Syria *"Feast of Ashes is an exceptional story of Armenian artisanship and one of its luminaries, David Ohannessian. As told by his granddaughter, Sato Moughalian, the tumultuous events at the end of the Ottoman Empire and the lasting legacy of Armenian ceramics unfold through her family history." -- Dickran Kouymjian * author of The Arts of Armenia *"A hundred years after David Ohannessian brought the art of Armenian ceramics to Jerusalem, his creations still glint from the walls of buildings and in cabinets there—and still testify to his singular talents, his mastery of a time-honored tradition, and his admirably stubborn belief in the possibility that beauty might emerge even out of terrible suffering. With love, care, and an attention to detail as exacting as his own, Sato Moughalian offers a moving tribute to her grandfather and his radiant handiwork." -- Adina Hoffman * author of Till We Have Built Jerusalem: Architects of a New City *"Sato Moughalian embarks on a sweeping journey from the Armenian Genocide to the present day to tell the story of how her grandfather became a master ceramist. Feast of Ashes is a compelling, brilliant work, revealing how one survivor of that infamous crime honored Armenian culture and created glorious art." -- David Scheffer * former U.S. Ambassador at Large for War Crimes Issues, author of All the Missing Souls: A Personal History of the War Crimes Tribunals *"Sato Moughalian is a born storyteller. Her account of the remarkable life of her grandfather, the Armenian ceramicist and tile-maker David Ohannessian, should be read by artists, by historians of the Middle East and, above all, by anyone sensitive to the power of the human spirit to make great art in the face of persecution, migration, and exile." -- Tanya Harrod * coeditor of The Journal of Modern Craft *"More than merely a tribute to the talents of her grandfather, Moughalian's book is a work of alchemy—combining the personal, tragic history writ large, and the somehow uplifting power of enduring art." -- Elizabeth Taylor * National Book Review *"Feast of Ashes bridges the fields of Ottoman history and Armenian art to recount the many stories that objects, alone, cannot." -- Norah Lessersohn * and Erin Piñon, Journal for the Society of Armenian Studies *"Moughalian has crafted a narrative that is as lyrical as it is compelling. She relates the tragedy and triumph of Ohannessian's personal adventures with a compassion and intimacy matched by impressive research into the broader historical context." -- Matthew Kalman * The Times of Israel *Table of ContentsContents and AbstractsPrelude: The Search chapter abstractPrelude: The author, an immigrant growing up in the United States, discovers a passion to discover more about the life and art of her grandfather, David Ohannessian, who founded the art of Armenian ceramics in Jerusalem in 1919. To learn about her heritage, she must confront her family's traumatic experience during the Armenian Genocide and search for the art and other traces her grandfather left behind. 1Mouradchai: The Armenian Village chapter abstractThis chapter explores the ethnically Armenian mountain village in western Anatolia in which David Ohannessian was born in 1884 and where his ancestors lived for four centuries. The narrative describes daily life, wedding customs, the agriculture, and commerce of the village, and the encroachment of economic and social factors from the larger world on the inhabitants of this isolated hamlet at the end of the nineteenth century. 2Eskishehir: The Engagement chapter abstractThe Ohannessian family resettles in Eskishehir, where David Ohannessian attends a French Catholic school, and discovers a variety of possible professions in a larger and more European-influenced city. The chapter briefly reviews the presence and distribution of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire and the challenges faced by this minority. David Ohannessian falls in love with Victoria Shahbazian and asks for her hand in marriage. 3Constantinople and the Art of Kutahya chapter abstractIn 1902, David Ohannessian spends several months in Constantinople and discovers his vocation: ceramic-making. He moves to Kutahya to apprentice in the craft and learns that the region is rich in the clays and other minerals that gave rise to the art of glazed painted ceramics around the fifteenth century. The chapter follows the tradition of ceramic making in Kutahya in the ensuing eras. By 1907, Ohannessian masters the art and following year, he married and deepened his connection to the city's longstanding Armenian community. 4Kutahya: Princes, Sheikhs, and a Baronet chapter abstractOhannessian establishes an independent ceramics studio in Kütahya, the Société Ottomane de Faïence, and enters partnerships with Mehmet Emin and Garabed and Harutyun Minassian to tile the growing number of buildings in the new Ottoman revivalist style and to produce glazed pottery for domestic sales and export. The 1908 Revolution brought a surge of interest in nationalist architecture along with many orders for new works as well as tiles to restore important mosques through Ottoman and Arab territories—Bursa, Konya, Mecca, Damascus, and Cairo. Ohannessian meets Mark Sykes, who commissions several substantial orders for his baronial estate in Yorkshire, Sledmere House. As Ohannessian and his partners work with architect Ahmet Kemalettin on new buildings and restorations, they become intimately acquainted with ceramic traditions from the thirteenth through the eighteenth centuries and amass a technical knowledge and a wide-ranging decorative repertoire. The Great War begins. 5Exile chapter abstractHuge numbers of Balkan Muslim refugees enter western Anatolia, posing new threats to Greek and Armenian communities. As the Ottoman Empire embarks on battles along its borders, the government places blame for early defeats on Armenians, painting them as traitorous and disarming Ottoman Armenian soldiers. On April 24, in the capital, Ottoman police and irregular forces round up more than two hundred of the most influential Armenian intellectuals, merchants, priests, and artists, and deport them into the interior, where many of them are murdered. The entire village of Mouradchai is deported on twenty-four hours' notice. In Kutahya, Ohannessian is arrested and then deported with his family. 6In the Mountains, Aleppo, and Meskene chapter abstractThe Ohannessian family follows the path of deportation taken by Armenians living in the western provinces of Anatolia—traveling by train to Bozanti, and traversing the Taurus Mountains, the province of Adana, and the Amanus Mountains. The family enters the community of Armenian refugees in Aleppo, but is deported again, this time to Meskene, the site of a desert death camp near the Euphrates. The Ohannessians return to Aleppo. After the British take the city, Mark Sykes finds Ohannessian subsisting as a refugee and recommends him to Ronald Storrs, the new Military Governor of Jerusalem, to produce new tiles for the planned British restoration of the Dome of the Rock. 7Jerusalem I: The Haven chapter abstractThe Ohannessians arrive in Jerusalem and join other Armenian survivors in the Convent of St. James. Ohannessian meets with Ernest T. Richmond, the consulting architect brought by the British to evaluate the Dome of the Rock. Ohannessian experiments with tile making using the unsatisfactory local materials. He returns to Kütahya to recruit workers and obtain clays and other minerals. Ohannessian trains Armenian orphans in the art of ceramic making. Outbreaks of violence between Jerusalem's Arab and Jewish communities in 1920 and 1921 lead to the establishment of the Supreme Muslim Council as a vehicle for greater Arab self-governance. The SMC appoints Ahmet Kemalettin to oversee the restoration of the Dome of the Rock and Al Aqsa Mosque. Ohannessian and his artisans are dismissed from the project, but continue to produce ceramics, perfect their technique given the lack of materials in Palestine's parched environment, and forge relations with distributors. 8Jerusalem II: The Feast chapter abstractOhannessian's studio adds workers, begins to exhibit at international expositions, and receives many commissions for tiled works in Jerusalem, transferring the Ottoman tradition of glazed, painted tile ornaments for domestic architecture to Jerusalem and creating elaborate tiled installations in new government and private structures. He establishes distribution outlets in Europe, the United States, Africa and through the Middle East. Arab-Jewish tensions lessen with the outbreak of World War II, but intensify upon its conclusion. 9The Scattering chapter abstractOne by one, members of the Ohannessian family leave Jerusalem, terrified by the intensifying violence. Thousands of Palestinian Armenians flock to St. James Armenian Convent seeking refuge. The Ohannessians leave for Damascus and then Egypt. Fimi Ohannessian finds a job in the British Council Library in Cairo and survives Black Saturday, the arson and violent destruction of 400 British and European-related businesses in the downtown district. The family flees Cairo's violence for Beirut and scatter after Ohannessian's death in 1953. Postlude: The Return chapter abstractThe author decides to write a biography of her grandfather and travels to the places in Turkey where he lived and worked. She locates the remnants of Ohannessian's birth village and travels there. She searches for his surviving works in the world today.

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Book SynopsisA biography of the "Cinderella" of Egyptian cinema—the veneration and rumors that surrounded an unparalleled career, and the gendered questions that unsettled Egyptian society. Layla Murad (1918-1995) was once the highest-paid star in Egypt, and her movies were among the top-grossing in the box office. She starred in 28 films, nearly all now classics in Arab musical cinema. In 1955 she was forced to stop acting—and struggled for decades for a comeback. Today, even decades after her death, public interest in her life continues, and new generations of Egyptians still love her work. Unknown Past recounts Murad's extraordinary life—and the rapid political and sociocultural changes she witnessed. Hanan Hammad writes a story centered on Layla Murad's persona and legacy, and broadly framed around a gendered history of twentieth-century Egypt. Murad was a Jew who converted to Islam in the shadow of the first Arab-Israeli war. Her career blossomed under the Egyptian monarchy and later gave a singing voice to the Free Officers and the 1952 Revolution. The definitive end of her cinematic career came under Nasser on the eve of the 1956 Suez War. Egyptians have long told their national story through interpretations of Murad's life, intertwining the individual and Egyptian state and society to better understand Egyptian identity. As Unknown Past recounts, there's no life better than Murad's to reflect the tumultuous changes experienced over the dramatic decades of the mid-twentieth century.Trade Review"A fascinating and fun read, Unknown Past carefully documents Layla's story, fills voids, and makes important interventions into debates on her life and legacy. Just as Layla's life was bigger than the screen, this book goes beyond the history of cinema to illuminate questions about religion, society, gender, and politics."—Beth Baron, The Graduate Center and City College, City University of New York, author of The Orphan Scandal"Bringing together biography and history, Unknown Past examines transformations in midcentury Egypt through the life of the hugely popular Layla Murad. Unraveling rumors and debunking myths, Hanan Hammad draws attention to the social pressures Murad faced as a working woman, as a Jew, as a wife, and as a mother."—Deborah Starr, Cornell University, author of Togo Mizrahi and the Making of Egyptian Cinema"Unknown Past is meticulously researched and vividly written. Hanan Hammad unpacks, in a careful, clear-headed, and brave manner, all the myths surrounding Egypt's beloved star Layla Murad, from her career's entanglement in the Arab-Israel conflict to her premature retirement. An essential read."—Ted Swedenburg, University of Arkansas, editor of Palestine, Israel, and the Politics of Popular Culture"Unknown Past: Layla Murad, the Jewish-Muslim Star of Egypt is a descriptively compelling and detailed account of the life and work of a culturally, artistically, and politically influential Egyptian woman through modern Egypt's complicated and perilous times. A consummate work of impeccable scholarship, no Egyptian Cinema or 20th Century Egyptian Biography collection would be complete or comprehensive without the inclusion of a copy of Unknown Past." -Julie Summers, Reviewer's Bookwatch"This is the kind of book any aspiring scholar should want to write at least once during their career: Hammad both lucidly engages relevant academic literature and tells a fascinating story for nonspecialist readers new to one of the dizzying number of disciplines into which she intervenes."—Abe Silberstein, Cineaste"[Unknown Past is] a story not only about religion and ethnicity in the Arab world, but also one about how being female can amplify the effects of being a minority in a society that is not as 'modern' as it prides itself on being."—Lauren Hakimi, The Forward"This engaging text sheds new light on old questions and provides greater depth to this Golden Age star.... Ultimately, readers see Murad as a complex, multidimensional individual—acelebrity, wife, lover, mother, and businesswoman. Recommended."—M. L. Russell, CHOICETable of ContentsIntroduction: Why Layla Murad? 1. The Schoolgirl: Making Layla Murad 2. The Country Girl: Branding Layla Murad 3. Adam and Eve: Interfaith Family, Fame, and Gossip 4. The Blow of Fate: The Politics of Boycotting Israel 5. The Unknown Lover: Layla Murad and the Free Officer 6. The Starling of the Valley: Remembering Layla Murad Conclusion: Can an Egyptian Be a Single Mother and a Jew?

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Book SynopsisIn this carefully researched book, Weinstein uncovers sketches and routines filled with Jewish phrases, allusions, jokes, songs, and stories. His music and comedy not only shaped the history of popular entertainment, but also provide a foundation for ongoing efforts to redefine Jewish culture and build community in contemporary America.

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Book SynopsisDudley Riggs didn’t have to run away from home to join the circus. Home was the circus. Son of the acclaimed aerial flyers Riggs and Riggs, he made his circus debut as a polar prince parading in a wagon pulled by a polar bear. At the age of five, he graduated to a risqué vaudeville act during the circus off- season; at eight, he outgrew his cutes (and his child stardom) and joined his high-flying parents on the trapeze. Eventually he had to learn to “fly funny” because he grew too tall to fly straight. In one way or another, Riggs has been flying ever since.The rest, as they say, is history. And what a story it is. In Flying Funny, Riggs shares many highs and lows while describing circus life and the evolution of America’s popular entertainment during the twentieth century. From his early life in circus and vaudeville to his creation of the Brave New Workshop, we see how his show business experience and instincts helped him create in Minneapolis what became the “next wave” in American entertainment—improvisation. As a young man, Riggs lost everything in a tornado, got an education on the fly, and sailed with the All American circus to post–war Japan. On a slow boat home and restless about his future, he developed the idea of Word Jazz—creating a script on stage as it is being performed—and shortly after he opened the Instant Theater in New York. Later, he moved to Minneapolis where he founded the Brave New Workshop, launching the careers of comic greats such as Penn and Teller, The Flying Karamazov Brothers, Louie Anderson, Peter Tolan, Pat Proft, Nancy Steen, Liz Winstead, Al Franken and many others. Today, the Brave New Workshop thrives as the longest running improvisational theater in America. From flying funny on the trapeze to theater without a net, Dudley Riggs’s story is filled with hearty laughs and eyebrow-raising insights. With a wry sense of humor and infectious warmth, he shares the exhilaration of flying whether through the air or on the stage.Trade Review"Dudley Riggs not only brought comedy to thousands of people, he paved and provided a safe environment for artists to stretch the boundaries beyond the norm. He made people think, but mostly he made them laugh their asses off. He’s an American institution, a Minnesota treasure, and my earliest mentor and friend. If you love show biz, comedy, the circus, or just want to laugh your ass off, you’ll get his book Flying Funny!"—Louie Anderson"The great Dudley Riggs is a titan of comedy. There was no laughter west of the Mississippi before him. He let us perform at his theater when we were just getting started, so we owe him a blurb. So buy this book."—Penn & Teller"It’s a lucky person who finds their wings in order to fly in this life. Dudley Riggs had the good fortune of being born on the high wire with no other option but to fly. And fly he did! Life without a net is a brave and honorable journey, and Dudley shares exactly this in his story. One can equate Riggs’s big-top lifestyle to their own everyday circus and perhaps find some wings of their own."—Mo Collins"Always wanted to run away with the circus . . . but your busy schedule never allowed it? Well, this book is the answer. It will pull you by the sleeve and set you on the tightrope or the flying trapeze . . . until you find yourself landing on the stage of an improv theater. Bravo, Maestro Dudley Riggs!"—Philippe Petit, high wire artist and author"Riggs is known nationally as founder of the Minneapolis-based Brave New Workshop, but his memoir Flying Funny: My Life without a Net doesn’t dwell on the comedy club. It’s about growing up among circus people, his brief career as an aerialist and the ‘stubborn, recurrent notion I had of creating an original scene onstage while performing it.’"—Pioneer Press"Like Riggs himself, his book is warm and a bit bashful in tone, avoiding the acres of melodrama and flamboyant flimflam found in many show business autobiographies. It reads like the work of a man with more good cheer than worry, making it through life’s travails without deep scars on his body or spirit. "—Star Tribune"The book is as entertaining as Riggs’ life and career and is recommended."—Circus Report and Show Biz USA"In this amusing memoir the ex-acrobat is still flying funny."—SpectacleTable of ContentsContentsForewordPreface1. The Polar Prince2. Vaudeville3. The World’s Fair4. The Riggs Brothers Circus5. School on the Road6. The Circus at War7. The Great Alberty8. Flying Funny9. Clown Diplomacy10. Fliffus It is!11. Word Jazz12. Change the Act?13. Yes . . . Please!14. Instant Theater15. New Ideas16. Theater Without a NetAcknowledgments

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Book SynopsisAn expansive and revelatory study of Robert Smithson’s life and the hidden influences on his iconic creations This first biography of the major American artist Robert Smithson, famous as the creator of the Spiral Jetty, deepens understanding of his art by addressing the potent forces in his life that were shrouded by his success, including his suppressed early history as a painter; his affiliation with Christianity, astrology, and alchemy; and his sexual fluidity. Integrating extensive investigation and acuity, Suzaan Boettger uncovers Smithson’s story and, with it, symbolic meanings across the span of his painted and drawn images, sculptures, essays, and earthworks up to the Spiral Jetty and beyond, to the circumstances leading to what became his final work, Amarillo Ramp.While Smithson is widely known for his monumental earthwork at the edge of the Great Salt Lake, Inside the Spiral delves into the arc of his artistic production, recognizing it as a response to his family’s history of loss, which prompted his birth and shaped his strange intelligence. Smithson configured his personal conflicts within painterly depictions of Christ’s passion, the rhetoric of science fiction, imagery from occult systems, and the impersonal posture of conceptual sculpture. Aiming to achieve renown, he veiled his personal passions and transmuted his professional persona, becoming an acclaimed innovator and fierce voice in the New York art scene.Featuring copious illustrations never before published of early work that eluded Smithson’s destruction, as well as photographs of Smithson and his wife, the noted sculptor Nancy Holt, and recollections from nearly all those who knew him throughout his life, Inside the Spiral offers unprecedented insight into the hidden impulses of one of modern art’s most enigmatic figures. With great sensitivity to the experiences of loss and existential strife that defined his distinct artistic language, this biographical analysis provides an expanded view of Smithson’s iconic art pilgrimage site and the experiences and works that brought him to its peculiar blood red water.Trade Review "Only someone who has immersed themselves in the life and art of Robert Smithson for forty years could have written a biography as deep and engaging as Inside the Spiral. Suzaan Boettger illuminates the artist’s religious thought, examines the complexities of his gender identity, and takes a psychoanalytic lens to his sources and esoteric symbolism, bringing coherence to our understanding of this remarkably complicated artist, his body of work, and his writings. A monumental achievement."—Jonathan Fineberg, University of the Arts, author of Modern Art at the Border of Mind and Brain "Suzaan Boettger’s long-awaited Inside the Spiral: The Passions of Robert Smithson is the first biography of this 'enantiomorphic' artist, whose oeuvre encompassed geological and sacred time alongside the moment of the snapshot, the 'dematerialized' theorizing and mapping of the non-site alongside the absolute site-specificity—viewable from outer space—of the Great Salt Lake. Boettger reveals fascinating and hitherto unexplored aspects of Smithson’s earliest formation, including his status as a 'replacement child' for a dead older brother, while her fearless exploration of the artist’s Christological bent, his hermeticism, and his difficult navigation of sexuality yields nuanced psychological insight. Unburdened by academic jargon, the work is supported by extensive reference to Smithson’s writings, notes, interviews, library, and other records, of which Boettger has long been recognized as the foremost scholar."—Judith Rodenbeck, University of California, Riverside "This book sheds important new light on Robert Smithson. Meticulously researched and wide-ranging in scope, it explores the intricate connections between Smithson’s personal history and his art. While revealing a great deal of new information about Smithson’s life and psychology, Suzaan Boettger also engages with his art in a focused and detailed way and writes about individual works with great perceptiveness. Readers will come away from this book with a fresh and enlarged understanding of Smithson’s life and art."—Jack Flam, editor of Robert Smithson: The Collected Writings"[An] extensive biography of an artist I have stood by for some fifty years which is impossible not to consider definitive, particularly in its investigation of the artist’s unconscious as well as conscious motives."—Joseph Masheck, The Brooklyn Rail "That his art appears larger after reading Inside the Spiral is as much credit to his own capacious imagination as it is to Boettger’s ingenious attempts to contain it."—Artforum"Inside the Spiral is one of the most informative and well written biographies I have ever had the pleasure of reading. To use the American vernacular, Suzaan Boettger can write like 'hot-damn'!" —Robert Maddox-Harle, Leonardo Reviews

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Book SynopsisBen Hecht had seen his share of death-row psychopaths, crooked ward bosses, and Capone gun thugs by the time he had come of age as a crime reporter in gangland Chicago. His grim experience with what he called “the soul of man” gave him a kind of uncanny foresight a decade later, when a loose cannon named Adolf Hitler began to rise to power in central Europe.In 1932, Hechtsolidified his legend as ""the Shakespeare of Hollywood"" with his thriller Scarface, the Howard Hughes epic considered the gangster movie to end all gangster movies. But Hecht rebelled against his Jewish bosses at the movie studios when they refused to make films about the Nazi menace. Leveraging his talents and celebrity connections to orchestrate a spectacular one-man publicity campaign, he mobilized pressure on the Roosevelt administration for an Allied plan to rescue Europe's Jews. Then after the war, Hecht became notorious, embracing the labels “gangster” and “terrorist” in partnering with the mobster Mickey Cohen to smuggle weapons to Palestine in the fight for a Jewish state.The Notorious Ben Hecht: Iconoclastic Writer and Militant Zionist is a biography of a great twentieth century writer that treats his activism during the 1940s as the central drama of his life. It details the story of how Hecht earned admiration as a humanitarian and vilification as an extremist at this pivotal moment in history, about the origins of his beliefs in his varied experiences in American media, and about the consequences. Who else but Hecht could have drawn the admiration of Ezra Pound, clowned around with Harpo Marx, written Notorious! and Spellbound with Alfred Hitchcock, launched Marlon Brando's career, ghosted Marilyn Monroe's memoirs, hosted Jack Kerouac and Salvador Dalí on his television talk show, and plotted revolt with Menachem Begin? Any lover of modern history who follows this journey through the worlds of gangsters, reporters, Jazz Age artists, Hollywood stars, movie moguls, political radicals, and guerrilla fighters will never look at the twentieth century in the same way again.Table of Contents Foreword Acknowledgments Introduction Prelude: The Lost Land of Boyhood Part I: THE NEWSPAPERMAN The Chicago School of Journalism Chapter 1: The Chicago School Chapter 2: Shades of Black: The Stages of Hecht's Cynicism Chapter 3: Propagandist in Training Chapter 4: The Journalist and the Gangster Part II: THE WRITER The Chicago Renaissance and Hollywood Chapter 5: The Chicago Renaissance: Little Children of the Arts Chapter 6: Crying in the Wilderness Chapter 7: The Un-Jewish Jew Chapter 8: Return Part III: THE ZIONIST From Humanist to Public Enemy Chapter 9: Jewish Knights: The Bergson Group Chapter 10: "Champion in Chains" Chapter 11: Campaign for a Jewish Army Chapter 12: "A Challenge to the Soul of Men" Chapter 13: "One of the Greatest Crimes in History" Chapter 14: Blood and Fire Chapter 15: Only Thus Part IV: THE MEMOIRIST Writing about L.A.'s Al Capone Chapter 16: "Some Kind of Strength" Chapter 17: Champion in Chains, Revisited Chapter 18: The Old New Journalist Chapter 19: Time Out for Psychology Conclusion Selected Bibliography Notes Index

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Book SynopsisHarry Fenn was one of the most skilled and successful illustrators in the United States in the latter half of the nineteenth century, a time when illustrated periodicals and books were the primary means of sharing visual images. Fenn’s work fostered pride in America s scenic landscapes and urban centers, informed a curious public about foreign lands, and promoted appreciation of printed pictures as artworks for a growing middle class. Arriving in New York from London in 1857 as a young wood engraver, Fenn soon forged a career in illustration. His tiny black-and-white wood engravings for Whittier’s Snow-Bound (1868) surprised critics with their power, and his bold, innovative compositions for Picturesque America (1872 74) were enormously popular and expanded the field for illustrators and publishers. In the 1880s and 90s, his illustrations appeared in many of the finest magazines and newspapers, depicting the places and events that interested the public from post-Civil War national reconciliation to the World’s Columbian Exposition in 1893 to the beginnings of imperialism in the Spanish-American War.This handsomely designed volume documents Fenn’s prolific career from the 1860s until his death in 1911. Sue Rainey also recounts his adventurous sketching trips in the western United States, Europe, and the Middle East, which enhanced his reputation for depicting far-flung places at a time when the nation was taking a more prominent role on the world stage.

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Book SynopsisUnderstanding Rainer Werner Fassbinder introduces scholars and students to the controversial and prolific but brief career of a filmmaker hailed as one of the New German Cinema's most talented exponents. Combining a chronological survey with a thematic exploration, Wallace Steadman Watson reviews the entirety of Fassbinder's artistic output, focusing specifically on fifteen of the filmmaker's thirty-eight feature-length works. Watson's interpretations of these films, all of which he studied in Germany, scrutinise the financial constraints, material conditions, and script development involved in their production.Watson draws on a wide assortment of Fassbinder interviews—many of which are not available in English—and on theoretical and critical approaches employed in the Frankfort School, performance and reception theories, gay and lesbian film theory, and studies of melodrama and camp. Watson also incorporates his own interviews with Fassbinder's mother and with the woman who served as Fassbinder's film editor and companion during the final four years of his life.

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Book SynopsisChet Atkins called Lenny Breau (1941-1984) ""the greatest guitarist who ever walked the face of the earth."" Breau's astonishing virtuosity influenced countless performers, but unfortunately it came at the expense of his personal relationships. Ron Forbes-Roberts analyzes Breau and his recordings to reveal an enormously gifted man and the inner workings of his music.Trade Review"Forbes-Roberts walks the line between adulation and research, music nerd and general interest reporter, with aplomb, and most importantly delivers a very readable account of a personality most readers should find endearing (if heart-breaking)." - Boston Phoenix "[A] thorough and fascinating biography, which includes a discography and analysis of Breau's recordings." - Toronto Globe and Mail "Forbes-Roberts does a credible job of depicting the variables that fostered Breau's total devotion to his instrument and subsequent descent into heroin addiction. Where Forbes-Roberts does his best work, though, is in his technical explanations of Breau's unique guitar system and his comprehensive critical analyses of the artist's recording sessions." - All About Jazz"

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Book SynopsisWilliam Vacchiano (1912–2005) was principal trumpet with the New York Philharmonic from 1942 to 1973, and taught at Juilliard, the Manhattan School of Music, the Mannes College of Music, Queens College, and Columbia Teachers College. While at the Philharmonic, Vacchiano performed under the batons of Arturo Toscanini, Bruno Walter, Dimitri Mitropoulos, and Leonard Bernstein and played in the world premieres of almost 200 pieces by such composers as Vaughan Williams, Copland, and Barber. Vacchiano was important not only for his performances, but also for his teaching.His students have held the principal chairs of many major orchestras and areprominent teachers themselves, and they have enriched non-classical music as well. Two of his better known students are Miles Davis and Wynton Marsalis. Last Stop, Carnegie Hall features an overview of the life of this very private artist, based on several personal interviews conducted by Brian A. Shook and Vacchiano's notes for his own unpublished memoir. Shook also interviewed many of his students and colleagues and includes a chapter containing their recollections. Other important topics include analyses of Vacchiano's pedagogical methods and his interpretations of important trumpet pieces, his 'rules of orchestral performance,' and his equipment. A discography, a bibliography of Vacchiano's own works, and lists of his students and the conductors and players with whom he performed round out this richly illustrated examination of one of the most influential trumpet players and teachersof the twentieth century.

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Book SynopsisThe New Yorker recently referred to Pat Metheny as 'possibly the most influential jazz guitarist of the past five decades.' A native of Lee's Summit, Missouri, just southeast of Kansas City, Metheny started playing in pizza parlors at age fourteen. By the time he graduated from high school he was the first-call guitarist for Kansas City jazz clubs, private clubs, and jazz festivals. Now 66, he attributes his early success to the local musical environment he was brought up in and the players and teachers who nurtured his talent and welcomed him into the jazz community. Metheny's twenty Grammys in ten categories speak to his versatility and popularity. Despite five decades of interviews, none have conveyed in detail his stories about his teenage years. Beneath Missouri Skies also reveals important details about jazz in Kansas City during the sixties and early seventies, often overlooked in histories of Kansas City jazz. Yet this time of cultural change was characterized by an outstanding level of musicianship. Author Carolyn Glenn Brewer shows how his keen sense of ensemble had its genesis in his school band under the guidance of a beloved band director. Drawn from news accounts, archival material, interviews, and remembrances, to which the author had unique access, Beneath Missouri Skies portrays a place and time from which Metheny still draws inspiration and strength.Trade ReviewBrewer presents a very detailed yet balanced view of Metheny's musical growth, and the KC area musicians that were part of that development. That approach gives the reader an insight into the overall KC jazz scene at the time." - Terry Perkins, reviewer for Downbeat magazine

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Book SynopsisAlthough in 2000 he became the first sideman inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, “King Curtis” Ousley never lived to accept his award. Tragically, he was murdered outside his New York City home in 1971. At that moment, thirty-seven-year-old King Curtis was widely regarded as the greatest R & B saxophone player of all time. He also may have been the most prolific, having recorded with well over two hundred artists during an eighteen-year span. Soul Serenade is the definitive biography of one of the most influential musicians of the 50s, 60s, and early 70s. Timothy R. Hoover chronicles King Curtis’s meteoric rise from a humble Texas farm to the recording studios of Memphis, Muscle Shoals, and New York City as well as to some of the world’s greatest music stages, including the Apollo Theatre, Fillmore West, and Montreux Jazz Festival. Curtis’s “chicken-scratch” solos on the Coasters’ Yakety Yak changed the role of the saxophone in rock & roll forever. His band opened for the Beatles at their famous Shea Stadium concert in 1965. He also backed his “little sister” and close friend Aretha Franklin on nearly all of her tours and Atlantic Records productions from 1967 until his death. Soul Serenade is the result of more than twenty years of interviews and research. It is the most comprehensive exploration of Curtis’s complex personality: his contagious sense of humor and endearing southern elegance as well as his love for gambling and his sometimes aggressive temperament. Hoover explores Curtis’s vibrant relationships and music-making with the likes of Buddy Holly, Sam Cooke, Isaac Hayes, Jimi Hendrix, Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, Sam Moore, Donny Hathaway, and Duane Allman, among many others.

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Book SynopsisGrammy Award–winning pianist, bandleader, and composer Cedar Walton (1934–2013) is a major figure in jazz, associated with a variety of styles from bebop to funk and famous for composing several standards. Born and raised in Dallas, Walton studied music in Denver, where he jammed with musicians such as Charlie Parker and John Coltrane. In 1955, Walton moved to New York, immediately gaining recognition from notable musicians and nightclub proprietors. When Walton returned to the U.S. after serving abroad in the Army, he joined Benny Golson and Art Farmer’s Jazztet. Later, he became both pianist and arranger for Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. Next, he worked as part of Prestige Records’s house rhythm section, recording with numerous greats and releasing his own albums. One hallmark of Walton’s impact is his numerous long-term collaborations with giants such as trombonist Curtis Fuller and drummer Billy Higgins. By the end of his career, Walton’s discography, as both band member and bandleader, included many dozens of vaunted recordings with some of the most notable jazz musicians of the 1960s through the first decade of the twenty-first century. Ben Markley conducted more than seventy-five interviews with friends and family members, musicians who played with or were otherwise influenced by Walton, and industry figures such as club owners. Musicians interviewed include such stars as Jimmy Heath, Benny Golson, and Ron Carter. Walton’s wife Martha shared her extensive archives of photos, ephemera such as fliers and tour itineraries, and letters.

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Book SynopsisThroughout his career Oliver Stone (b. 1946) has broken traditions and challenged audiences with a series of daring, angry, violent, and often confrontational films. Politically charged movies such as Nixon (1995), JFK (1991), and Wall Street (1987), and his Vietnam trilogy of Platoon (1986), Born on the 4th of July (1989), and Heaven and Earth (1993) provoke and enrage critics and audiences from all ideological walks. In a short time, Stone has established himself as one of the most admired and most reviled directors in American cinema. Ranging from 1981 to 1997, the fifteen conversations featured in Oliver Stone: Interviews reveal a man frustrated by what he sees as the hypocrisies of American politics, of conservatism, and of the Hollywood film industry. But the conflicts and tensions these issues generate spellbind him. In the interviews, Stone comes off as a man as brash, outspoken, confident, and complicated as his movies. His obsessions -- the 1960s, the ways in which Vietnam shaped the country, the nature of violence, and the role of the media in shaping it -- resurface again and again, no matter what film Stone is discussing. Though the subjects of Nixon, JFK, Born on the 4th of July, The Doors (1991), and Heaven and Earth are rooted in the turbulent 1960s, Stone as interviewee and filmmaker is firmly entrenched in the present. He fiercely discusses how the attitudes and political effects of the 1960s have defined later decades and generations, as he talks about his satire of the stock market (Wall Street, 1987) and media exposure (Natural Born Killers, 1994). Bolts of the director's raw wit and enthusiasm for the cinema shine through all of Stone's ferocious rage. Stone loves writing as well as directing. Whether discussing his screenplays written for other directors -- which include Scarface (1983), Midnight Express (1978), or Conan the Barbarian (1982, with director John Milius) -- or his own films, Stone emphasizes how crucial screenwriting is to making great movies. ""Directing is a natural extension of writing,"" he says in a 1987 interview with Michel Ciment. ""A director can always pull through with noise everywhere and his colleagues around. I don't think a good director can make a good film with a bad screenplay, but a bad director can deliver an acceptable film if he has a good screenplay. So for me, that's the number one priority."" Charles L. P. Silet is a professor of English at Iowa State University.

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Book SynopsisThis is the first collection of interviews with John Ford (1895--1973), whom many aficionados of fine films consider not only the major American filmmaker but also one of the most extraordinary American artists of the twentieth century. Among the world's filmmakers who have been devotees of Ford's work are Jean-Luc Godard, Ingmar Bergman, Akira Kurosawa, Martin Scorsese, George Lucas, Wim Wenders, and Orson Welles, who, when asked from whom he learned how to make Citizen Kane, exclaimed ""John Ford, John Ford, John Ford!"" And yet, Ford, unquestionably a giant of the international film world, is far less known, his genius less recognized, although his accomplishments comprise perhaps the best film biography of all time (Young Mr. Lincoln), the best war film (They Were Expendable), a masterly romance (The Quiet Man), a sublime film of childhood (How Green Was My Valley), classic adaptations from fiction (The Grapes of Wrath, The Long Voyage Home), and the American Western, on which he left his indelible signature (Stagecoach, My Darling Clementine, Fort Apache, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and The Searchers). Although his was a brilliant career, Ford was not a self-promoter. He refused to discuss his film art. In fact, with interviewers he proved to be gruff and impatient. With those who asked him intellectual questions he was downright cantankerous. His sarcasm, impatience, and occasional mean-spiritedness were quick to surface during interviews. The legend is that he was the interviewee from hell. Yet there were times when he let the walls down and spoke openly and even generously. This book includes at least a dozen such lucid encounters with him, many reprinted for the first time. Also for the first time, several French interviews have been translated into English and show how with French critics Ford enjoyed making conversation. Included too are interviews newly discovered and not listed previously in any bibliography, as well as his poignant and revelatory interviews granted when he knew he was dying. Gerald Peary, a professor of communication and journalism at Suffolk University in Boston, is a film critic for the Boston Phoenix and editor of Quentin Tarantino: Interviews (University Press of Mississippi).

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Book SynopsisIn full command of both Hollywood stylistics and camp aesthetics, Spain's Pedro Almodóvar (b. 1951) has become a master of the audacious and the unorthodox, of the permissive and the polemical. Pedro Almodóvar: Interviews documents the 22-year-long cinematic career of the most internationally celebrated Spanish art-film director since Luís Buñuel. Many of these interviews, from French, Italian, and Spanish periodicals, appear for the first time in English. Almodóvar's early cinematic ventures in Super 8 and 16mm in the 1970s marked and memorialized the rise of the Movida, Madrid's underground vanguard artistic movement. Almodóvar's critical success in his native Spain came with What Have I Done to Deserve This? Almodóvar made his mark in the United States with his kitschy, melodramatic comedy and Academy Award nominee Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, and his outlandish and irreverently funny Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! For all its taboo-breaking plots, eccentric characterizations, and explosive palettes, Almodóvar's cinema of excess has matured into one of tender compassion. All About My Mother, winner of the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar and of Best Director at the Cannes Film Festival, and his fourteenth feature to date, Talk to Her, winner of the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, 2003, cement Almodóvar's commitment to characters on the margins and to social critique. Covering more than two decades, the interviews collected here trace Almodóvar's journey from the small village of Calzada de Calatrava to Madrid, from his humble and Catholic provincial upbringing to his superstar status as Spain's leading postmodern auteur. Originally published in Spain, France, Italy, and the United States, these conversations disclose as much about Almodóvar's personal biography as they do about his thematic universe, his directorial personality, and his maturing style. Paula Willoquet-Maricondi is assistant professor of media arts at Marist College, in Poughkeepsie, New York. She is the co-editor of Peter Greenaway's Postmodern/Poststructuralist Cinema.

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Book SynopsisThis collection of interviews with the renowned filmmaker, animator, artist, and member of the Monty Python comedy troupe covers the phases of his career from his early work as a cartoonist and animator through his most recent and most difficult projects.Among many subjects, Gilliam discusses his formative years as an artist and humor-magazine cartoonist, his move from the United States to England, his entry into British television, and his success as resident animator for the Monty Python's Flying Circus television show.As co-director of Monty Python and the Holy Grail and as director of Jabberwocky Gilliam made his advent as a maker of feature films, followed by such popular movies as Time Bandits and The Fisher King. A mixture of critical acclaim and film-studio animosity greeted his epic Brazil. Gilliam discusses all these, as well as the damage The Adventures of Baron Munchausen did to his career and the disasters that plagued his attempt to film a time-travel comedy called The Man Who Killed Don Quixote after the commercial disappointment of his unexpectedly acerbic Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. In his conversations with a diverse array of interviewers Gilliam talks about an eclectic succession of topics, including his idiosyncratic tastes in painting and architecture, his fascination with the art and history of medieval Europe, his outspoken hostility for the commercial film industry, his views on comedy, fantasy, and film, and his philosophical perspectives on contemporary society.""I like the idea,"" he says, ""of actual demons sucking your brains out--envy and greed, these things being tangible. It's somehow on a common level, a more sensible way of dealing with the world. . . .""Trade Review"I like the idea of amazing and astounding people. That's great, and that's what I do for a living." - Terry Gilliam"

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Book SynopsisThe imagination of Walt Disney (1901-1966) is still seen in theme parks throughout the world bearing his name, on numerous live-action films and television specials, on toys and assorted merchandise, and on an international corporation known both for the high quality of its creative output and its ubiquity. Walt Disney: Conversations collects interviews and profiles of the man who created Mickey Mouse, and produced such full-length animated classics as Snow White, Cinderella, Fantasia, Bambi, The Lady and the Tramp, Dumbo, Sleeping Beauty, Peter Pan, and Pinocchio, along with countless short cartoons. Bringing together over twenty pieces from the late 1920s to the late 1960s, this book traces Disney's career from the early classic Steamboat Willie to the construction of Disneyland, and the live-action ventures The Mickey Mouse Club and Mary Poppins. Walt Disney: Conversations shows how Disney saw his productions as shapers of popular culture and reveals how firmly he understood the issues of his time. Featuring an interview conducted by producer Cecil B. DeMille, Disney's testimony before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), and rarely seen pieces from the Disney corporation's archives, Walt Disney: Conversations reveals a complex visionary whose impact on animation, live-action film, television, and theme parks has never been equaled.

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Book SynopsisThe previously unpublished autobiography and additional essays by the orchestrator-composer of some of America's most important musical theatre productions. The remarkable career of composer-orchestrator Robert Russell Bennett [1894-1981] encompassed a wide variety of both "legitimate" and popular music-making in Hollywood, on Broadway, and for television. Bennett is principally responsible for what is known worldwide as the "Broadway sound" and for greatly elevating the status of the theater orchestrator. He worked alongside Jerome Kern, Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Richard Rodgers, and Frederick Loewe on much of the Broadway canon, eventually providing orchestrations for all or part of more than 300 musicals between 1920 and 1975. This work is the first publication of Bennett's autobiography, which was written in thelate 1970s. It also includes eight of his most important essays on the art of orchestration. George J. Ferencz is Professor of Music at the University of Wisconsin at Whitewater.Table of ContentsThe Bennett Family Tree Growing Up in Freeman To New York, 1916 To Paris, 1926 Rodgers and Hart in London To Hollywood, 1930 Hollywood Beckons Again Russell Bennett's Notebooks and Other Adventures in Network Radio Victory at Sea The Sound of Music Remembrances "The Bohemians" Eight Selected Essays by Robert Russell Bennett

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Book SynopsisThe first English translation of the correspondence between two composers and friends. Désiré-Emile Inghelbrecht was a conductor and composer. His friendship with Claude Debussy began in 1911 (although they had met previously), and he soon became one of the Master's closest friends. This book is the first publication, in the original French and in English translation, of the correspondence between these two musicians. Beginning rather formally in 1912, with the salutation "Mon cher Inghelbrecht," the correspondence soon became much moreintimate, with Debussy addressing Inghelbrecht as "Mon cher ami" or "Cher Inghel." Although Debussy had a reputation for being cold and distant and for avoiding strangers, this was just his way of maintaining his privacy. This aloofness enabled him to express in private the warmth he felt toward those few close friends whose intimacy he needed and cherished. Inghelbrecht was in the forefront of this group. Their friendship was based not only on a mutual respect for each other's talents as artists and musicians, but also on the sharing of intimate secrets and warm feelings. Inghelbrecht's wife would later write that her husband retained the mark Debussy left on him. "For him, he was a beacon, a guide. And he had the deep joy of being able, up until his last days, to bring to life with passion, with all his talent-the works of a man who had been for a few years his friend." Margaret G. Cobb, the"doyenne of Debussy scholars," brings to life these two talented men. She enriches Richard Miller's idiomatic translation of the letters with copious notes and wonderful illustrations to illuminate a great musical friendship. Margaret G. Cobb is also the author of The Poetic Debussy, available from the University of Rochester Press. In 2002 she was awarded the title of Officier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Government'sMinistère de la Culture et de la Communication.Trade ReviewA wonderful book, one that will be welcomed by everyone interested in French modernist music. The richness of the lives that unfold from the pages of these letters is engrossing, and the translation is superb. Margaret Cobb's meticulous work on Debussy has long been deeply admired by her devotees, and this book adds so much to our understanding of an enigmatic composer and of one of his close collaborators. -- -- Carolyn Abbate (Princeton University), author of Voices: Opera and Musical Narrative in the Nineteenth Century .The friendship recounted in this book is one that echoes in the legendary Debussy recordings of the 1950s and 1960s conducted by D. E. Inghelbrecht. Among the many endearing glimpses here of two strong artistic personalities is their shared love of Musorgsky and Chabrier, and a telling blend of wit with uncompromising artistic aims. This is a book to put an extra spring into our playing of Debussy. -- -- Roy Howat, pianist, author of Debussy in Perspective: A Musical Analysis , and Editorial Board member of the Oeuvres Complètes de Claude Debussy .Elegant and easily accessible. . . . By 1914 [the composer-conductor Inghelbrecht] had become the recipient of some of Debussy's wonderful revelations, such as the Jacques-Émile Blanche portrait showing him like 'a cream cheese that has had too many late nights' [p. 47]. . . . Beautifully produced and illustrated, and should be owned by all who love Debussy. -- Robert Orledge * MUSIC AND LETTERS *Table of ContentsList of Letters List of Illustrations Preface Acknowledgments D.E. Inghelbrecht: A Biography Letters from Debussy to Inghelbrecht Appendix A: Letter from Inghelbrecht to Debussy Appendix B: Letters from Inghelbrecht to d'Annunzio Appendix C: Letters from Chouchou Debussy to Inghelbrecht Biographies Bibliography Discography Index

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