Arts & Life

Linguist Geoff Nunberg finds that in the film Lincoln, screenwriter Tony Kushner oscillates between old and modern meanings of "equality."

Arts

Historical Vocab: When We Get It Wrong, Does It Matter?

7:12pm February 26, 2013

by Geoff Nunberg

We're living in an age obsessed with authenticity, says linguist Geoff Nunberg, but we often choose to nitpick the wrong details. Whether it's Downton Abbey, Mad Men, Lincoln or Argo, Nunberg argues, a historical novel or screenplay should give us a translation, not a transcription.

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Ron Nine, Mitch Ebert, Eden Schwartz, Fiia McGann and Gretta Harley perform in These Streets, a new play based on a series of interviews with Seattle musicians.

Women Of Grunge Reclaim Rock History In 'These Streets'

7:05pm February 26, 2013

by Marcie Sillman

Two years ago, the 20th anniversary of Nirvana's Nevermind sparked a slew of retrospectives about the Seattle grunge scene. But those narratives left something out: the influence of women. A new play by Gretta Harley and Sarah Rudinoff aims to update the historical record.

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Books
Arts

Under Ogawa's Macabre, Metafictional Spell

7:23pm February 25, 2013

by Alan Cheuse

Fiction is reality and reality fiction in Revenge, Yoko Ogawa's absorbing cycle of interlinked, eerie tales. Readers may detect the shadows of Murakami, Borges and Poe, but, says critic Alan Cheuse, Ogawa's delicious tales cast their own singular spell.

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Adele performs the theme song to "Skyfall."

Arts

The Oscars Broadcast, Zooming Way Past Cheeky To Land Squarely On Crass

4:36pm February 25, 2013

by Linda Holmes

Seth MacFarlane hosted the 85th Academy Awards which Monkey See's Linda Holmes says was one of the worst hosting performances in Oscar history. Jokes about women just kept coming. His sexist jokes were in poor taste, sure, but if they'd been funny, nobody would have cared.

Arts

'Argo,' 'Life Of Pi' Win Top Oscars

4:26pm February 25, 2013

by Mandalit del Barco

The movies Argo and Life of Pi and actors Daniel Day-Lewis and Jennifer Lawrence were among the winners at Sunday's Academy Awards. But no one movie swept the show.

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Kevin Cullen and Shelley Murphy are reporters for The Boston Globe.

Books
Arts

Whitey Bulger Bio Profiles Boston's Most Notorious Gangster

1:38pm February 25, 2013

Reporters Kevin Cullen and Shelley Murphy, who covered Bulger for years for The Boston Globe, have a new book out about the career criminal. Bulger was wanted for 19 murders when he was captured by the FBI in 2011. He faces trial in June.

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The Nordic design exhibit includes a lava rock, which Jukka Savolainen, director of the Design Museum in Helsinki, says reminds him of a gnome. The collection showcases the region's design roots, which include references to Bauhaus and 20th century modern

'Nordic Cool' Illuminates D.C.'s Kennedy Center

1:18am February 25, 2013

by Amy Walters

From the Danish modern furniture of the 1950s to the omnipresence of Ikea, Americans have long been attracted to the austere design of Nordic countries. Now a massive festival in Washington, D.C., showcases artists and designers from the very top sliver of the globe.

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Books
Arts

Historical Fiction Gets Personal In 'Philida'

5:44pm February 24, 2013

by NPR Staff

Philida, a slave, is promised her freedom by her owner, who is also the father of her children. But the promise is broken and she takes the matter into her own hands, in this novel by acclaimed South African novelist Andre Brink that was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize.

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Anthony Breznican is a senior writer at Entertainment Weekly and its chief Oscars correspondent.

Arts

EW's Oscar Guy: Predictions, Backstage Tales

6:40pm February 23, 2013

by NPR Staff

At this Sunday's Academy Awards ceremony, Entertainment Weekly's Anthony Breznican will be watching from an enviable location: behind the scenes with the stars. He joins NPR's Jacki Lyden to share his winner predictions and favorite backstage moments.

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Books
Arts

Craving Solitude In 'Ten White Geese'

6:40pm February 23, 2013

by NPR Staff

In Gerbrand Bakker's mysterious — and often menacing — story, a Welsh woman seeks refuge from her past. But as she hopes of strength, she is also quickly reminded of her own mortality. Ten White Geese, which was translated from Dutch, has become an international best-seller.

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