Literature in Art Books

I was a bit disappointed that this volume did not include "The Poor Little Rich Man" in its selection, but it is otherwise a nice collection of Loos' delightful and insightful essays. In addition to "Ornament and Crime", this book gives you:

Our School of Applied Art
The Christmas Exposition in the Austrian Museum
The Jubilee Exhibition: The Exhibition Buildings
The Silver Court and the Neighboring Pavilion
Men's Fashion
The New Style and the Bronze Industry
Interior Design: Prelude
The Interiors of the Rotunda
Chairs
Glass and China
Luxury Carriages
Plumbers: Baths and Kitchen Ranges
Gentlemen's Hats
Footwear
Shoemakers
Ladies' Fashion
Underwear
Furniture
The Furniture of 1898
Printers
A Review of the Applied Arts I
A Review of the Applied Arts II
The English Schools in the Austria Museum
Pottery
Surplus to Requirements
In Praise of the Present
Culture
Cultural Degeneration
Brief Intermezzo
Beethoven's Ears
Hands Off!
Ornament and Education
Short Hair
Oscar Kokoschka
On Josef Hoffman

Other People's Words reminds us of the value of creative work. Barbara Francis very clearly explains plagiarism - and other research/writing pitfalls - to young writers and the adults in their lives. Other People's Words offers students practical advice, as they hone their skills, in responsible research and ethical writing. This is a wonderful entry in the Issues in Focus Today series presenting school and life lessons.

What could be a drag is actually an in-depth, original look at stage representations of lesbians and gay men from Oscar Wilde to the present day. And what a wild ride it is! Author Alan Sinfield samples scores of British and American plays and playwrights (including Coward, Maugham, Hellman, Williams and O'Neill) and examines them in the contexts in which they were produced and viewed, whether it be the West End of London or the Lower East Side of New York. Most fascinating is how homosexuality views changed throughout he decades --- how the '60s produced an exuberant cultivation of "kinky" humor and gay political activism (think "Boys in the Band"); how AIDS impacted the theater (think "Love! Valor! Compassion!") Unlike the recently published "Something For The Boys," Sinfield knows how to write ... and rein in any subjective gushing. Ab Fab!

I am the Canadian writer the previous reviewer has vilified for writing too autobiographically in Excessive Joy Injures the Heart, my sixth book. This reviewer must have searched for me on amazon.com using a misspelling of my first name (in my case "Elisabeth" is spelled with an "s") and therefore couldn't access the site where most of my books appear and so chose to review me on the site of Rosemary Sullivan's Oxford Book of Stories by Canadian Women in English by reviewing just me, all by myself alone.

But besides my own story ("There Goes the Groom") which I hope is an innovative account of emotional chaos marked by the irrational comedy of real life, there are many other terrific stories in this collection: Elizabeth Hay's intensely dynamic "Friends," a story about the ups and downs in the fierce relationship between two women friends; Dionne Brand's vivid and musical story about her grandmother; Sharon Butala's relentless although at times almost farcical "Fever;" Alice Munro's "The Albanian Virgin," a panoramic narrative that moves from the mythic to the urban as it also moves across time and continents; Linda Svendsen's eerie and painfully prescient "White Shoulders," as well as fine stories by many other Canadian women writers.

As for Betty Burke's speculations on how much of my own work is autobiographical, it's a question I'm often asked in relation to all of my books, but most often in relation to my two novels (Excessive Joy Injures the Heart and All Times Have Been Modern.) And I suppose it's a very flattering question, really, because when people ask a writer if his or her characters are real, they are frequently really saying how much they long for the characters to be living lives that could conceivably connect with their own.

In fact there are many collisions between the invented and the real in both my novels. I often found these collisions to be the most electric of all to work with while I was writing both books, so much so that I would often work on my novels-in-progress all night long, sleep for a few hours in the morning, then hurry back to begin writing again right after I got up around noon. It was an insane way to live (which will not surprise Ms. Burke), but it was an incredibly euphoric way to live in so many ways too.

This book was very helpful as I was preparing to present Picasso's art to elementary school children. It takes a long, prolific career, and organizes the different periods of Picasso's art so that it is more succinct. The wording is very understandable yet not condescending for older readers. This is a great series for adults, like myself, trying to help children understand why an artist was so great.

I bought this book for my granddaughter, Kristy Soza Ardizzone, who illustrated the cover for my Tween book, THE TOONIES INVADE SILICON VALLEY. I knew this fantastic collection would inspire her to greater heights in her own artistic creativity.

Needless to say, she was moved and inspired by these masterful, unique paintings by renowned artist, Jim Warren.

I, also, am deeply impressed by the aesthetic quality of each and every one of these magnificent paintings, especially the way Warren creates waterfalls from the cascading hair of beautiful women, the awesome cloud formations, intriguing figures rising from and merging with ocean waves etc.

The cover is uttlerly fabulous, prompting me to buy this book. Yes, the cover drew me in, but the entire collection is just as rare. A fabulous collection that every artist should have.

A gorgeous book you will treasure for years to come!

SIDENOTE: You may have noticed that Amazon has made some changes to its website. If it looks the same to you right now, look out for a new format that will be rolling out gradually in the weeks to come. If you can see the changes, especially the review format, I'd like to know what you think. Please leave me a comment with your opinion.

"Love the new look" or "Hate the new look" comments are perfectly acceptable.

My e-mail address is at top of this review. Thank you for your time."

There are few playwrights with the list of awards August Wilson received: Pulitzer, Tony's, Drama Desk - and each of these several times over. There are even fewer African American playwrights with such a legacy, namely none other than August Wilson. His ten play series called the Pitsburgh Cycle chronicles the African-American experience in each of the ten decades of the 20th century. Nine of the plays are set in his hometown of Pittsburgh.

This book examines these plays in the context of contemporary African American literature. By doing so, the author (a Stanford University professor) has found hidden depths that increase the understand of the plays themselves, and add even more respect to the work done by Mr. Wilson. Mr. Wilson changed the face of the American Theater, and the African-American theater in particular.

Paul Klee was not only an excellent musician but an artist who often gave us a little wink in his art work. In the pieces gathered for this book we can enjoy the whimsical animals drawn using a few lines. And, it's not just a book for a single age group but can be enjoyed by young and old. I have been passing it around among the faculty of the school where I teach. Those who know Klee's work are delighted and those new to his work express an interest in learniing more.

A wonderful and insightful examination of the competition between painters and authors in France after the revolution. This book gives a thorough reading of the social and aesthetic roots of artistic production in a period that is not often afforded adequate attention and her interpretations of Girodet's paintings and Balzac's stories are lively and illuminating. The focus on portrayals of the female body [via variations on the Pygmalion myth] plays out contemporary anxieties of gender in fascinating ways. Highly recommended for scholars of art, literature, culture and women's studies.

This is a nice book if you have a little artist in your home. Also great for dog lovers.