It’s spring in London and the flowers are bursting forth on Cheyne Walk, which skirts the edge of the River Thames until it gives way…
View More The Nature of Noble LoyaltyTag: Shakespeare
You can’t speak of literary history without mentioning Shakespeare, the British bard one of the most famous pens to ever wield dialogue.
So when the 400th anniversary of his death rolled around on April 23, 2016, and I learned that the First Folio—copies of the original manuscript of his plays published in 1623, would be stopping by the University of South Carolina in Columbia, I knew I had to make my way there. Published seven years after Shakespeare’s death, this book is so significant because it’s the reason 36 of his plays survived beyond his lifetime, and it’s critical to the preservation of 18 of them, which had never been published before.
The plays we would not have known if this book had not been printed include “Julius Caesar,” “Macbeth,” “As You Like It” and “The Tempest.” Having seen all but one of these performed, I have to say what a loss this would have been! To round off my post celebrating Shakespeare and his accomplishments, I look back at the incredible performances I’ve seen staged by the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival at Boscobel. If you live anywhere near the remarkable programming, I highly recommend experiencing one of their performances.
Madame Récamier and the Art of Reclining
Jeanne-Françoise Julie Adélaïde Bernard, known after her marriage as Juliette Récamier, was born on December 4, 1777—240 years ago yesterday. Had she lived during modern…
View More Madame Récamier and the Art of RecliningCelebrating Shakespeare
Celebrating Shakespeare The 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death is April 23rd, the date he passed in 1616 at the age of 52 believed to…
View More Celebrating ShakespeareOne Special Summer with Jackie O
Hegel’s caveat “history teaches us nothing” may be relevant in cultural and philosophical realities but in the design world the statement is far from succinct.…
View More One Special Summer with Jackie OThe Old Familiar Faces
…I have been laughing, I have been carousing, Drinking late, sitting late, with my bosom cronies, All, all are gone, the old familiar faces… These…
View More The Old Familiar FacesThe Age of Genius
“Ordinary facts are arranged within time, strung along its length as on a thread,” writes Bruno Schulz in his short story The Age of Genius.…
View More The Age of Genius