Austin Symphony Begins New Season
Under the baton of conductor Peter Bay, the Austin Symphony inaugurated its 114th season with a controversial work by Tchaikovsky. Upon its debut in 1881, the most influential music critic…
Judge Luttig: America in EXTREME DANGER
Very few people at the Texas Tribune Festival got a standing ovation when they walked in for their talk. One of these was J. Michael Luttig, former U.S. circuit judge…
What is the central fact of the Middle East today?
In his latest book, The Loom of Time, the eminent analyst of modern diplomatic affairs, Robert D. Kaplan, explores issues related to the Middle East. In an appearance at the…
KARL ROVE: Where is Walter Cronkite?
During a discussion at the LBJ Library in Austin yesterday, Karl Rove lamented the lack of editorial integrity amongst the news media today. “Where is Walter Cronkite?” he asked rhetorically.…
THERE IS A LAND OF PURE DELIGHT
Neo-Latin: Two Fascinating Books photo: Mary Sidney (1561-1621) “There is a land of pure delight.” That is the first line of a hymnody by Isaac Watts, who published a book…
The Great Chain of Being
While the German word is not used here, this book is actually a festschrift. That is, a book honouring a respected scholar, in this case Susan A. Stephens, Professor Emerita…
Self-awareness & The Elusive Subject
“The nettles were like fine, stinging strands of silk, sticky to touch, and difficult to untangle.” This slim but cogently argued book approaches the subject of self-awareness by disentangling those…
The Broader Meaning of the Ukraine War
Image: Peter the Great As Ukraine is in the process this week of launching a full-scale ground attack 300km into Russian territory, it is clear this is going to be…
Battle of Pavia Tapestries in Ft. Worth
The Kimbell Art Museum has a very special Italian treat in store this summer, and it’s not gelato. Seven of the most gigantic tapestries ever created are on loan from…
The Airy Lightness of Champagne
Image: Voltaire by La Tour “Throughout the eighteenth century,” we are told in this book by Oliver Wunsch (professor of Art History at Boston College), “delicacy structured debates over morality,…