Monthly Archives: December 2016

Composers on the operatic stage

Two recent musical premieres drew my attention to a very special operatic figure, the composer. The first premiere was the release on CD of Dellaira’s tragic The Death of Webern, which explores the mysterious circumstances of Webern’s demise in 1945, … Continue reading

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The imperial destiny of the Trojans

The goddess of my life, Artemis Leontis, and I made sure last month to catch one of only five performances of Berlioz’s epic Les Troyens (1856-58) in a fittingly grandiose new production at the Lyric Opera. I have been exploring … Continue reading

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A transatlantic communication between Greek and American poets

My recent post, “Left Melancholy and its Poetry after the American Elections,” has been published under the title “Η Αριστερή Μελαγχολία και η ποίησή της μετά τις Αμερικάνικες εκλογές” in the excellent Greek literary magazine (as well as cutting-edge publishing house) … Continue reading

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“World Literature” as cultural institution and disciplinary regime

Aamir Mufti, Professor of Comparative Literature at the University of California, Los Angeles, and a major thinker in the transnational humanities, has written an Orientalism for the early twenty first century:  not a sequel or an update to Edward Said’s … Continue reading

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The demonic control of Greek mothers over their sons

Greek men are often controlled by their possessive mothers, especially if they are their only male child. Among male intellectuals, scholars, and artists, in particular, there may be relatively few who are not so controlled. Their oppression is brutal and … Continue reading

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