Loustal
Loustal in The New Yorker
December 03, 2007
Books
Nan, American Man
BOOKS review of Ha Jin’s “A Free Life.” A critic cannot but be impressed
by the courage and intellect of the Chinese-American writer Ha Jin. Born
in 1956, he volunteered for the People’s Liberation Army (P.L.A.) at the
age of fourteen and served five and a half years. After…
by John Updike
November 26, 2007
Jazz
Back to Bossa
JAZZ about Bossa Nova singer Rosa Passos. Writer gives a brief history
of Bossa Nova music, which celebrates its fiftieth anniversary next year,
noting the distinction between the watered-down, easy-listening version
that was imported to the United States and epitomized by Astrud
Gilberto’s “The Girl from Ipanema,” and…
by Gary Giddins
July 23, 2007
Books
There She Blew
BOOKS review of “Leviathan” (Norton; $27.95) by Eric Jay Dolin. Writer
considers what the modern equivalent of whaling might be: the oil
industry, fire fighting, or the armed forces. None seem perfectly
analogous. There is no shortage of whaling histories for a Melville
aficionado to turn to. In the…
by Caleb Crain
April 09, 2007
Critic’s Notebook
Strauss in Space
CRITIC’S NOTEBOOK about Strauss’s “Die Agyptische Helena” at the Met…
by Alex Ross
February 05, 2007
Musical Events
Toward Silence
MUSICAL EVENTS about Japanese composer Toru Takemitsu… Tells about
Takemitsu hearing Lucienne Boyer’s “Parlez-Moi d’Amour” while stationed,
at the age of fourteen, in a mountain fortress near Tokyo during the
Second World War. Ever after, he honored the moment as the birth of his
musical consciousness. Takemitsu died in…
by Alex Ross
January 15, 2007
Books
Bombay Noir
BOOKS review of Vikram Chandra’s “Sacred Games.” In Vikram Chandra’s new
novel “Sacred Games” (HarperCollins; $27.95), Ganesh Gaitonde, a kind of
Bombay Al Capone, expresses contempt for the English-speaking classes.
Describing the exploits of Gaitonde and his determined pursuer, Sartaj
Singh, a Bombay cop, Chandra’s intensely ambitious 900…
by Pankaj Mishra
January 08, 2007
Books
Nights At the Opera
BOOKS about librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte… Da Ponte wrote the librettos
for “The Marriage of Figaro,” “Don Giovanni,” and “Cosi Fan Tutte.” But
Da Ponte's contribution to Mozart's operas has often been put down to
mere cleverness. This trend may be changing. Mentions several recent
books about Da Ponte, including…
by Joan Acocella
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