The “Black Indian Tribes” or crews are some of the most colourful participants in New Orleans’ famous Mardi Gras celebrations. A new exhibition at the Musée du quai Branly features their intricate, flamboyant costumes and explains the history of African Americans in Louisiana. Till 15 January 2022. There are more than 40 Black Indian tribes … Continue reading “Black Indians from New Orleans”
David Hockney is one of Britain’s best known and most popular artists (a retrospective at Tate Britain in 2017 attracted a record half million visitors). His brightly coloured pop art in many media is instantly recognisable. Since 2018, he’s been living in Normandy and was inspired by the Bayeux tapestry to produce a narrative cycle … Continue reading “Digital Seasons with David Hockney”
The winner of the U.K.’s most prestigious literary prize, the Booker, will be announced on 15 October. The six authors on shortlist in the running for the prize are from the U.K., Ireland, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and the U.S.A. Their books are overwhelmingly inspired by real historical events, from a terrible lynching in America to … Continue reading “Short List for the 2022 Booker Prize”
On 1952 London’s West End, Agatha Christie’s play, The Mousetrap, is a hit. Hollywood comes knocking at the stage door. But plans for a movie version of this smash-hit play come to an abrupt halt after the film’s Hollywood director is murdered. Reality The Mousetrap occupies a special place in the work of Agatha Christie. … Continue reading “See How They Run: A Whodunit Within a Whodunit”
Under the pseudonym Henry Fuseli, Swiss artist Johan Heinrich Füssli, became one of the leading lights of the 19th-century British art world and a popular proponent of Romanticism and the Gothic. His many depictions of Shakespearean scenes, the supernatural, dreams and nightmares are rich food for the imagination. A new exhibition at the Musée Jacquemart … Continue reading “Gothic Nightmares: Fuseli”
Festival America is usually a bi-annual celebration of the literature of the Americas in Vincennes (94). After two years of COVID cancellations, the festival is finally having its 10th edition celebrating 20 years from 22 to 25 September. The festival attracts large numbers of authors: 61 this year, mainly from the U.S. but also from … Continue reading “Festival America is Back!”
It’s that time of year: the cream of Hollywood, and independent U.S. cinema will be crowding the boardwalk at Deauville for the American Film Festival from 2 to 11 September. There are 13 films in the main competition, seven of them first films and a couple by joint directors. Hollywood is famously obsessed with LA … Continue reading “Deauville with an American Accent: Film Festival 2022”
It’s a very overused phrase to say that a series is eagerly awaited, but with The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, it’s completely justified. There were more than 250 million views of the teaser trailer in 24 hours after it aired during the Superbowl in February. The 8-part lavish first season of … Continue reading “Back to Middle Earth”
Saint-Maur-des-Fossés (94) is delighted to once again welcome dozens of authors from around the world to its festival St Maur en Poche from 24 to 26 June. There will be lots of Anglophone authors present, including the inimitable Maggie O’Farrell, winner of the 2020 Women’s Prize for Fiction for Hamnet, her imagining of the life … Continue reading “Paperback Festival in St Maur”
Baz Luhrmann’s new film is a biopic of Elvis Presley, the founding father of rock ‘n’ roll. Australian writer-director Baz Luhrmann (Romeo + Juliet, The Great Gatsby, Moulin Rouge) has long been fascinated by Elvis Presley. But to tell his story on film, he decided to focus on the relationship between Elvis and his manager, … Continue reading “The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll”
