New Shakespeare Movie Puts Hamlet In Kashmir
Shakespeare's Hamlet has been turned into a Bollywood film, but this time, the story is set in Indian-controlled Kashmir. NPR's Scott Simon talks to screenwriter Basharat Peer.
Arts & Life
'Beautiful You' Makes Sex And Death Boring
Chuck Palahniuk aims for piquant social satire in his new novel, but reviewer (and longtime fan) Jason Sheehan finds his fandom severely dented by lazy characterizations and lack of actual satire.
'Heap House' Is A Treasure Of A Trash Tale
Edward Carey's illustrated young adult novel about the keepers of mystical trash heaps (yes, you read that right) in an alternate Victorian London combines thrills with intelligence and compassion.
Alienating Leading Men: The Force Behind 'Listen Up Philip' And 'Majeure'
NPR film critic Bob Mondello reviews Listen Up Philip and Force Majeure — two movies, he says, with compelling lead men who are impossible to empathize with.
40 Years Later, Diane Von Furstenberg's Wrap Dress Still Wears Well
In her memoir, The Woman I Wanted to Be, Diane von Furstenberg says she owes her success to her mother, a strong, strict Holocaust survivor who called Diane her "torch of freedom."
For The Midterm Elections, A Book On 'What It Takes' To Win
The midterm elections are less than two weeks away. Writer Michael Schaub recommends a book that explores what it's like to run for office and live through all the dramatic ups and downs.
'Citizenfour': A Paranoid Conspiracy Documentary About Edward Snowden
Laura Poitras' new film isn't artfully shaped like her other documentaries. But she captures scenes as history is being made — and it will make you look both ways when you're on the street.
Patchett: In Bad Relationships, 'There Comes A Day When You Gotta Go'
Ann Patchett got married and divorced young. To her second husband, she said: "I'll be true, I'll be faithful ... but I don't want to live together." Her book is This Is The Story of a Happy Marriage.
'Rebellion' Charts A Tumultuous, Formative Century
Historian Peter Ackroyd's new book surveys the history of England from the end of the Tudor era to the Glorious Revolution of 1688 — almost a century of war, debate and transformation.
'Test Kitchen': How To Buy The Safest Meat And Make The Juiciest Steaks
The Cook's Illustrated Meat Book gives tips on how to shop for, store, season and cook meat. Why shouldn't you pack your burgers too tight? Two America's Test Kitchen editors explain.