Books

Books
Arts

'Hong Gildong:' Korea's Classic Swashbuckler Gets A New Translation

7:00am March 17, 2016

by Genevieve Valentine

A young nobleman leaves home and ends up joining a group of outlaws — sound familiar? No, it's not Robin Hood, it's the iconic Korean hero Hong Gildong, and it's time the rest of the world met him.

'The Rope' Chronicles A Good Death, And A Bad Start

6:40pm March 16, 2016

by NPR Staff

Kanan Makiya's new novel is named for the rope used to execute Saddam Hussein. It follows one Shiite militiaman from the day of Saddam's fall through the tumultuous years that follow.

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'Putin Country' Offers A Glimpse Inside 'Real' Russia

1:27pm March 16, 2016

Veteran foreign correspondent Anne Garrels takes us deep inside Russia, where citizens struggle with a shaky economy and widespread corruption, but seem supportive of their controversial president.

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Left: Julia Ward Howe, pictured during her honeymoon in England. Right: Her husband, Dr. Samuel Gridley Howe. He would soon prove controlling of every aspect of her life, including what she ate.

Battle Hymn At The Dining Table: A Famous Feminist Subjugated Through Food

11:30am March 16, 2016

by Nina Martyris

Julia Ward Howe wrote the Civil War psalm The Battle Hymn of the Republic. She was adrift in a lonely war of her own, against a husband who controlled every aspect of her life, including what she ate.

Books
Arts

With Beauty And Wonder, 'The Winged Histories' Soars

10:31am March 16, 2016

by Jason Heller

Sofia Samatar returns to the world of her award-winning debut, A Stranger in Olondria, with a companion tale of four women caught up in war and turmoil, trying to preserve and pass on their stories.

Actor Henry Godinez as the philosophy professor Oscar Amalfitano, in "Part II: The Part About Amalfitano," from the Goodman Theatre's lengthy production of 2666.

Books
Arts

Have 5 Hours To Spare? See Bolaño's Epic '2666' Onstage

8:42pm March 15, 2016

by Derek John

Roberto Bolaño's posthumous novel 2666 weighs in at more than 900 pages — a challenging read, to say the least. Now Chicago's Goodman Theatre has adapted it as a 5 1/2 hour stage production.

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Taking an intelligence test at the University of Maryland: In one month of brain training, former NPR correspondent Barbara Bradley Hagerty vastly increased her scores in intelligence tests.

Forget About It: Your Middle-Aged Brain Is Not On The Decline

6:54pm March 15, 2016

by Barbara Bradley Hagerty

You forget someone's name, or why you ran downstairs. Your brain is getting older, and the connections are weakening. But research shows the middle-aged brain is actually operating at its peak.

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Books
Arts

Men Are Momentary, But Art Is Forever In 'Innocents And Others'

1:22pm March 15, 2016

by Maureen Corrigan

Dana Spiotta's new novel centers on a friendship between two female filmmakers. Critic Maureen Corrigan calls it an uncanny work, whose characters and ideas linger "long after the story is over."

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Books
Arts

Beautiful 'Breathing' Is A Nuanced Family Drama

12:27pm March 15, 2016

by Heller McAlpin

Elizabeth Poliner's book takes a familiar dramatic trope — the death of a child — and makes it the linchpin for an intricate tale that follows a close-knit family at a cultural turning point.

'The Story Of Hong Gildong' Helps Define Korean Sense Of Identity

4:27pm March 14, 2016

Hong Gildong is to Koreans — both North and South — as Superman is to Americans. NPR's Ari Shapiro talks to Minsoo Kang, the translator for the new English version of the classic Korean tale.