Tag Archives: American Literature

Téa Obreht—Tigers, Myths and Death Rites In The Balkans

Posted on May 2, 2012 by carto

In one of those insane acts that define modern war, NATO airplanes in 1999 (Operation Noble Anvil) bombed Belgrade and a random bomb destroyed part of the Belgrade Zoo. Prince, a Siberian tiger became so traumatized that he started eating … Continue reading →

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Adrienne Rich—American Poet is Dead at 82

Posted on March 30, 2012 by carto

Anthologist and poet Rita Dove included three poems from Adrienne Rich’s The Fact of a Doorframe: selected poems, 1950-2001 in the Penguin Anthology of 20th Century American Poetry. Adrienne Rich, influential poet and writer, is dead at 82. Rich’s distinguished career … Continue reading →

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Gertrude Stein: The Novel Ida, Fame and Celebrity

Posted on February 29, 2012 by carto

Alice B. Toklas was 29 years old in 1908 when she left her home in San Francisco for Paris. She met Gertrude Stein the day she arrived in Paris and the star struck Toklas was moved to write: “She was … Continue reading →

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Thornton Wilder: Our Town Survives Deconstruction

Posted on November 17, 2011 by carto

The house dims, the curtain opens and the stage lights come up; revealed at the back of the bare stage is an older man in white dinner jacket that shines brightly in the stage lighting. He is the Stage Manager. … Continue reading →

Posted in Classics, Theater | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Stephen Foster: Darkies, People and Great Music

Posted on October 14, 2011 by carto

An invitation from Stanford University to attend “An Evening with Stephen Foster” had me searching my library for a book I last remember reading 50 years ago. Incredibly, I found it in a stack of music on the bottom shelf … Continue reading →

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DeLillo: The White Noise of Civilization

Posted on September 28, 2011 by carto

It’s September and the year is 1984. Students are moving into college dorms. They bring with them their entertainment: stereo sets, radios, personal computers, cartons of phonograph records and cassettes. Today, of course, there would be no phonographs or cassette … Continue reading →

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Poet Whispering In the Ear of Congress

Posted on September 23, 2011 by carto

What if this flock of chickens got riled up? Imagine it. Congress, let me whisper in your ear: “The chickens are circling and blotting out the day. The sun is bright, but the chickens are in the way…” Imagine a … Continue reading →

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Georgia: An Echo of Chain Gang Justice

Posted on September 20, 2011 by carto

On Saturday, tenants and sharecroppers from local farms would come to town to swap goods and talk, but the rest of the week was pretty dull. It was a lonesome, isolated place. The nearest bus stop was 3 miles away … Continue reading →

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