Arts & Life

Tushenka, canned stewed meat, was both a portable army ration and a prized home ingredient.

From Russia, With Mayonnaise: Cookbook Revisits Soviet Classics

5:48pm December 14, 2015

by Deena Prichep

The dishes that marked the Soviet era still have a strong pull on Russian sentiment (if not stomachs). A new book revisits these recipes, born, in part, of food shortages and ingenuity.

John Powers, NPR Fresh Air's Pop Culture critic, shares his end of year list.

John Powers' List Of Books, CDs And DVDs He Wishes He Had Reviewed In 2015

2:30pm December 14, 2015

by John Powers

Every year, critic John Powers finds himself compiling a list of praiseworthy work he's read, watched or heard that he neglected to mention on the radio. This year, he's sharing his "Ghost List."

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in The Martian, Matt Damon stars as an astronaut stranded on Mars who must use real-world science to survive his science fictional dilemma.

No Warp Drives, No Transporters: Science Fiction Authors Get Real

12:02pm December 14, 2015

by Steve Paulson

Some of the biggest names in science fiction right now — like The Martian author Andy Weir — are writing what's called hard sci-fi, based on real-world science and a vision of hope for the future.

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Books
Arts

Picture This: Frederick Douglass Was The Most Photographed Man Of His Time

5:24pm December 13, 2015

The abolitionist wanted to ensure a more accurate depiction of black Americans during the tumultuous years before the Civil War, Harvard's John Stauffer writes in Picturing Frederick Douglass.

Arts

'The 100' And Other Shows That Are Worth A Second Glance

7:51am December 13, 2015

NPR's Linda Wertheimer talks to Variety TV critic Maureen Ryan about one of her favorite under the radar TV shows of the past year, the CW's "The 100."

Books
Arts

Why And When Men Grow Beards

7:51am December 13, 2015

NPR's Linda Wertheimer talks to author Christopher Oldstone-Moore about his history of the beard, Of Beards and Men.

Books
Arts

A Motley Crew On A Wild Pilgrimage In 'Sophia'

7:04am December 13, 2015

by Juan Vidal

Michael Bible's slim new novel follows a jaded, drunken priest and his chess-master sidekick on a cross country journey, along with a crowd of misfits and outliers who help give the book its charm.

In Krampus a family is stalked by a horrible figure taken from German and Austrian mythology. Above, Allison Tolman from left, Adam Scott Toni Collette.

Arts

Oh Holy Fright: Christmas Horror Movies That Slay

7:25pm December 12, 2015

by Neda Ulaby

Holiday horror is a peculiar — and rich — genre of film. From evil elves to Satanic snowmen, NPR;s Neda Ulaby looks back at the history of ho, ho, ho in horror.

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Books
Arts

Pictures Worth 1,084,170 Words: The 'Harry Potter' Series, Illustrated

5:26pm December 12, 2015

by NPR Staff

The prospect of illustrating all seven volumes filled artist Jim Kay with "terrible panic" — but he left his comfort zone and did it anyway. Here's how he brought the boy wizard's adventures to life.

Jeffrey Tambor plays Maura, a transgender woman, on the Amazon series Transparent.

Arts

Fresh Air Weekend: Tambor Gets 'Transparent'; A 'Murray Christmas'; Author Rick Moody

11:34am December 12, 2015

Tambor talks about playing a 70-something transgender woman on Transparent. David Bianculli reviews Netflix's A Very Murray Christmas. Rick Moody discusses his novel, Hotels Of North America

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