new york times Archives - Page 2 of 4 - Evanston Public Library

Tom Clancy, 1947-2013

October 2, 2013

Best-selling novelist of espionage thrillers Tom Clancy died Tuesday in Baltimore at the age of 66. A former insurance agent, he sold his first novel The Hunt for Red October to the Naval Institute Press for only $5,000. After the book’s publication in 1985, he was propelled to fame and fortune. And when President Ronald Reagan received a copy, he called it “my kind of yarn.” But Mr. Clancy said “writing isn’t divinely inspired – it’s hard work. You do it, and keep doing it until you get it right.” Seventeen of his novels were No. 1 on the New York Times‘ best seller lists, including his 2012 release Threat Vector. And his books including Patriot Games, The Hunt for Red October, and Clear and Present Danger were made into successful Hollywood films. His last book Command Authority is due to be published in December. Read the entire NYT obituary here. And check the EPL catalog for his works.

Laura

The Cat's Out of the Bag–And It Ain't Crookshanks

July 15, 2013

The secret’s out: The Cuckoo’s Calling, a debut detective novel published in April under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith turns out to have been written by J.K. Rowling. The Sunday Times of London uncovered the truth by doing its own detective work, finding similarities with Ms. Rowling’s earlier novel The Casual Vacancy. You can read the entire NYT article here. Better get your name on the waitlist now.

Laura

Mr. Darcy Rising to New Heights

July 10, 2013

A 12-foot tall fiberglass statue of Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy was installed in London’s Hyde Park lake early this week startling passers-by, swans, and swimmers. The statue, showing Darcy from the waist up wearing a clinging wet shirt, is on display to promote Drama, a new British TV channel which will rebroadcast the popular six-part Pride and Prejudice series. Darcy will tour other lakes in Britain before being installed in Lyme Park where the famous scene was filmed. Can’t get to London? Enjoy the DVD. Read the entire article here.

Laura

E.L.Doctorow Wins Gold

May 17, 2013

The 2013 gold medals for the arts given by the American Academy of Arts and Letters have been awarded to novelist E.L.Doctorow and sculptor Mark di Suvero. The medals have been awarded each year since 1909 to two American citizens, in two categories of the arts, for an entire body of work. Fiction winners in the past include Philip Roth, Saul Bellow, Isaac Bashevis Singer, Eudora Welty, and John Updike. Past sculpture winners have included Marin Puryear, Richard Serra, and Louise Bourgeois. Bob Dylan was inducted as an honorary member. Read the short NYT article here, and check the library catalog for works by Doctorow and Mark di Suvero.

Laura

Nigerian Author Chinua Achebe 1930-2013

March 22, 2013

Chinua Achebe, one of Africa’s most acclaimed authors has died at the age of 82 after a brief illness. His first novel Things Fall Apart published in 1958 sold millions of copies and was translated into 45 languages. Achebe received numerous awards, including the Nigerian National Merit Award (Nigeria’s highest award for intellectual achievement) and more than 30 honorary doctorates, but among the tributes he may have valued most was Nelson Mandela’s: “There was a writer named Chinua Achebe in whose company the prison walls fell down.” Novelist Nadine Gordimer in a 1998 NYT book review called Mr. Achebe “a novelist who makes you laugh and then catch your breath in horror–a writer who has no illusions but is not disillusioned.” Check the EPL catalog for books by the author and see the full article in today’s New York Times.

Laura

Van Cliburn, 1934-2013

February 27, 2013

Acclaimed American pianist Van Cliburn died this morning in Fort Worth, Texas at the age of 78. Mr Cliburn skyrocketed to fame after winning the first Tchaikovsky International Competition in 1958 when he was only 23 years old. Given a ticker-tape parade in Manhattan, Van Cliburn’s award held in Moscow “was viewed as an American triumph over the Soviet Union at the height of the cold war” turning him into a “cultural celebrity of pop-star dimensions.” He was born in Shreveport, Louisiana and started studying piano with his mother when he was three years old – by the age of four he was playing in student recitals. In great demand during the 1950s, Van Cliburn stopped performing in concerts in 1978. His last public performance was to help celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Van Cliburn Foundation. Check the EPL catalog for recordings and books. You can read the full obituary in today’s New York Times.

Laura

Morgan Library Celebrates Swann's Way Centennial

February 15, 2013

Just in time for Evanston Public Library’s yearlong discussion of Proust, New York’s’ Morgan Library & Museum opened a new exhibition in honor of the 100 year anniversary of Marcel Proust’s Swann’s Way – the first volume in his 7-volume novel À la Recherche du Temps Perdu (Remembrance of Things Past). The materials, being shown for the first time outside of Paris, are on loan from the Bibliothèque Nationale de France. On exhibit are notebooks , doodles and galleys, postcards and photographs, all related to the creation of Swann’s Way. It sounds like a fascinating exhibit, but as New York Times reviewer Edward Rothstein noted: “It would also help, when you visit, not only to have once read the book, but also to have it fresh in your mind. Otherwise you might pick up fragments of knowledge and see some remarkable artifacts, but will not grasp what kinds of processes are on display here.” Marcel Proust and ‘Swann’s Way’: 100th Anniversary is on view at the Morgan Library through April 28. Book your flight now – or just get in the mood with tea and madeleines. Read the entire NYT article here.

Laura

Hats Off to Dr. Seuss

February 4, 2013

To commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Dr. Seuss classic The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins, the New York Public Library is exhibiting some of the hats in the real Dr. Seuss’s own collection. A hat lover himself, Theodor Seuss Geisel collected hundreds of them, incorporating them into his painting, advertising, and books, even insisting “that guests to his home don the most elaborate ones he could find.” The collection features a red Robin Hood-like cap with feather exactly like the one Bartholomew Cubbins had and the hat worn by the famous Cat in the Hat. The exhibit opens Monday in New York and will then travel to 15 other locations during the year. Maybe Chicago will get lucky. See the rest of the article in today’s New York Times.

Laura

Newbery and Caldecott Awards Announced

January 29, 2013

The John Newbery Medal for this year’s outstanding contribution to children’s literature was awarded to The One and Only Ivan, by Katherine Applegate. It was inspired by the real-life story of a gorilla in Tacoma, Washington named Ivan who “became a celebrity after being placed with a large group of gorillas in the Atlanta zoo, where he made paintings and signed them with a thumbprint.” This is Ms. Applegate’s first Newbery Award, although she has authored numerous books for children. The Newbery award, regarded as the most prestigious honor in children’s literature, was announced Monday by the American Library Association at its midwinter meeting in Seattle. Also announced was the Randolph Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished picture book for children. This year the ALA presented the award to This Is Not My Hat, by Jon Klassen, about a little fish who has stolen a hat and suffers for it. Yesterday’s article in the New York Times has more about the awards.

Laura

Ravi Shankar, 1920-2012

December 12, 2012

Known as the unofficial ambassador for Indian classical music, renowned composer and sitarist Ravi Shankar died Tuesday at the age of 92. He was born in Varanasi, India to a family of musicians and dancers. Trained in both Eastern and Western music, he and his ensemble built a large following for Indian music. He enjoyed mixing the music of different cultures, collaborating with flutist Jean-Pierre Rampal, and jazz saxophonist John Coltrane, who named his son Ravi after him. In 1965 George Harrison of the Beatles began to study the sitar with him, which helped build a following for the sitar. Mr. Shankar also composed many scores for film music (including the film “Gandhi”), ballets, electronic works and concertos. Although popular here and abroad, his style brought criticism among Indian traditionalists: “In India I have been called a destroyer,” he said in 1981. “But that is only because they mixed my identity as a performer and as a composer. As a composer I have tried everything, even electronic music and avant-garde. But as a performer I am, believe me, getting more classical and more orthodox, jealously protecting the heritage that I have learned.” Teacher, performer, composer, Ravi Shankar was considered “the most eloquent spokesman for his country’s music.” Read today’s New York Times obituary here, and check out the EPL catalog for his music.

Laura