THE SUMMER OF 1905: Matisse and Derain
The Museum of Fine Arts Houston is hosting a world-class exhibit right now, and it’s not to be missed. Henri Matisse is a household name, Andre Derain less so. But…
Indie Meme Festival Screener
Footprints on the Water I had planned to go to the Indie Meme Film Festival this year but was laid in bed with something wretched. The organizers of this Austin-based…
Ancient Cryptography
This book is a very fine study of the method of sending messages, whether confidential or encrypted, from the very earliest times. Author MartineDiepenbroek (biography below) writes that the “extant…
Ancient Greece and Sir Kenneth Dover
This book looks back on the life and work of the great Classicist, Sir Kenneth Dover. The occasion was the 100th anniversary of his birth: he made it to age…
Commemorating British Politics
Photo: Magna Carta Memorial, Runnymede In Edinburgh there is a very large monument dedicated to Sir Walter Scott. Even a writer in such a noteworthy publication as the London Review…
Vladeck on the Supreme Court
Image: Dr. Stephen Vladeck In his 2023 book The Shadow Docket, University of Texas law professor Stephen Vladeck explores the underside of Supreme Court rulings, many of which have been…
The Style of Horace
Photo: W. H. Auden The subject of this book on poetry is the alcaic metre. You may be forgiven for not being familiar with it, as it has only rarely…
MILTON: He Shows Us How to be Dauntless
I take the title of my review directly from the text of this book by Stephen Dobranski. As one of the world’s leading experts on John Milton, Dobranski brings his…
Unveiling the Melodic Magic of Girl Guitar
At the heart of Austin’s vibrant music scene, a unique gem has been strumming its strings for seventeen years. This gem is Girl Guitar, a musical sanctuary unlike any other.…
Don Giovanni at Houston Grand Opera
Mozart’s mature opera Don Giovanni has been a fan favourite since it premiered in 1787. The old warhorse is once again trotting on the stage of Houston Grand Opera, which…