Literature

LONDON—Award-winning writer Lionel Shriver has been sacked from a competition panel after describing a publishing giant as “drunk on virtue” in an article challenging the supremacy of diversity over talent. Shriver is perhaps best known for her novel “We Need To Talk About Kevin,” which won the UK Women’s Prize For Fiction in 2005. Writing in the center-right […]

TORONTO—Poetry can offer hope in the darkest times. Especially in today’s age of technological competition and materialism, poetry comes as a reminder of our shared humanity and spirituality. “A bad person cannot write a good poem,” said Romanian poet Ana Blandiana as she stepped on the stage to accept her Lifetime Recognition Award from the […]

Today we fully expect film, television, and theater to use music to shape meaning. The screeching violins of “Psycho” and the menacing “Jaws” theme, for instance, both depend on a shared 20th-century dramatic language in which music indicates mood. Rewind 400 years and it may not seem like the same is true. Take Shakespearean drama. Many modern […]

On May 31, 1988, President Ronald Reagan stood on Soviet soil and addressed a packed audience at Moscow State University. This fourth in a series of summits between Reagan and Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev was part of their tireless efforts to reduce the nuclear threat at the time. Reagan understood that this wasn’t a […]

Motherhood is getting considerable attention, even if much of the news is concerning. Fertility rates are falling in America as millennials decide not to have children. This should hardly come as a surprise. The cost of raising a child to adulthood has been increasing, and real median household income has only just regained its 1999 level. At this time, when it […]

Artist and documentary filmmaker Masha Savitz recently released her debut book, “Fish Eyes for Pearls: A Magical Realism Memoir.” This “experimental memoir,” as the author has categorized it, is a journey that delves into understandings of aesthetics, memory, relationships, and predestination. Its unique structure redefines what literary nonfiction can be. Savitz is perhaps best known […]

When Ken Ludwig’s daughter was just 6 years old, he, as with most dads, wanted to get to know her and share one of his own loves. As a two-time Olivier Award-winning playwright, Ludwig’s love just happened to be Shakespeare. He started with his daughter and then his son. “I just loved sitting down with […]

Trees were once considered sacred and awe-inspiring: Oaks were worshiped by the European Druids, redwoods were a part of American Indian ritual, and baobabs a part of African tribal life. Ancient Chinese records describe the Ginkgo biloba as a living fossil tree. The ancient Romans and scholars during the Middle Ages venerated trees in their literature. Today we often admire […]

TORONTO—The University of Toronto says it now owns the oldest English-language book in Canada, a 15th century text that introduced ancient ideas to new audiences. The book is an English translation of essays by Roman politician Marcus Tullius Cicero— “De amicitia” (Of Friendship) and “De senectute” (Of Old Age) —published in 1481 by William Caxton, […]

It should be noted that Todd S. Purdum’s “Something Wonderful: Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Broadway Revolution” is not about composer Richard Rodgers (1902–1979) and lyricist-librettist Oscar Hammerstein II (1895–1960) per se. Rather, it’s about what happened when the two men teamed up and the theatrical magic that ensued. Yet despite all the enjoyable nuggets provided in this […]

Poetry can be so elaborate and so profound. Yet in the following poem by J. J. Bitters, a little girl tears us up with a simple yet very sincere verse. Enjoy! Published with the permission of The Society of Classical Poets. The Society’s mission is to preserve humankind’s artistic traditions; to reestablish poetry as one […]

With several books and many films under the Dutchers’ belts, including Discovery Channel’s successful documentary “Wolves at Our Door” (which garnered an Emmy for Jim’s cinematography and one for his wife Jamie’s sound mixing), the couple has produced an enthralling addition to their body of work. Their latest effort, a book called “The Wisdom of Wolves: […]

With its round amphitheater, The Globe is the most famous playhouse associated with William Shakespeare. But long before Shakespeare or his plays appeared at the Globe, another forgotten stage was the Bard’s temporary home. It is even possible that the first purpose-built stage to house Shakespeare was at a playhouse that stood a mile south […]

Author, academic, and home-school expert Susan Wise Bauer’s latest book seems to have flown under the radar since its release earlier this year, but “Rethinking School: How to Take Charge of Your Child’s Education” should be on the nightstand of every parent, every teacher, and anyone invested in the education of our children. While Bauer […]

William Watson called April in his poem the month of “golden laughter.”  With that in mind, here are some lighthearted books that children can enjoy this April and beyond. Joke Books ‘Knock Knock Who’s There: My First Book of  Knock Knock Jokes’ by Tad Hills This knock-knock book has simple jokes with lift-out flaps to […]

Clinical psychologist and University of Toronto professor Jordan B. Peterson already had a vast library of YouTube videos documenting his university lectures and other talks when he found himself at the center of a free speech controversy in 2016. Since then, his popularity has skyrocketed as countless curious individuals sought him out initially, one might […]

Yet another King Arthur incarnation. “King Arthur: Legend of the Sword” filmed by director Guy Ritchie in 2017 will air on HBO March 25 to April 1. It is a testament to the staying power of the legendary King Arthur, his Knights of the Round Table, and Camelot that Ritchie, who is known for crime […]

The authors that penned one of the most popular business books of recent times—“Blue Ocean Strategy”—are back on bookshelves with “Blue Ocean Shift: Beyond Competing, Proven Steps to Inspire Confidence and Seize New Growth.” In their groundbreaking original, strategy professors W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne taught businesses how to “make the competition irrelevant” and […]

For the bookish or just plain curious, this year’s 58th edition of the New York Antiquarian Book Fair, March 9–11, offers some of the world’s most beloved, first-edition best sellers and sought-after rare editions. Not every book fair gets bragging rights, but this one is accredited by the Antiquarian Booksellers’ of Association of America and […]

“In order for a book to be good,” said Leo Tolstoy to his wife, Sonya, on March 2, 1877, “one has to love its basic, fundamental idea. Thus, in Anna Karenina, I loved the idea of the family.” These words Sonya copied into her diary on March 3. This “idea” plays out through the plot of “Anna […]