Arts

Arts

'20th Century Women' Mixes Comedy With Disappointment And Loss

1:28pm January 12, 2017

by John Powers

Set in 1979 Santa Barbara, Mike Mills' new film is the story of a teenage boy and the three women who teach him about life. Critic John Powers calls it an "amusing, deeply-felt work."

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Marie-Antoine Carême began his hardscrabble life in Paris during the French Revolution, but eventually his penchant for design and his baking talent brought him fame and fortune.

How A Destitute, Abandoned Parisian Boy Became The First Celebrity Chef

7:31am January 12, 2017

by Nicole Jankowski

Marie-Antoine Carême died 184 years ago today. But in his short lifetime, he would forever revolutionize French haute cuisine and gain worldwide fame. Some of his concepts are still in use.

Books
Arts

Brief But Creepy, 'Fever Dream' Has A Poisonous Glow

7:00am January 12, 2017

by Lily Meyer

Samanta Schweblin's debut novel starts as a warped child's game, and evolves into a terrifyingly toxic eco-horror tale in the vein of short-but-creepy Latin American classics like Pedro Páramo.

Start the new year with a stack of book suggestions from librarian Nancy Pearl.

Books
Arts

Fulfill Your Reading Resolutions With 6 Books From Librarian Nancy Pearl

5:12am January 12, 2017

by Nancy Pearl

Every once in a while, NPR's go-to books guru sends host Steve Inskeep a big stack of books. They're generally "under-the-radar" reads — titles she thinks deserve a little more attention.

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The police force for protection of Italy's cultural heritage is headquartered in Rome's Piazza Sant'Ignazio.

For Italy's Art Police, An Ongoing Fight Against Pillage Of Priceless Works

4:33pm January 11, 2017

by Sylvia Poggioli

Italy is an art theft playground. An elite police squad combats the illicit trade in antiquities and art, but the chase is still on for a stolen Caravaggio painting — No. 1 on the most-wanted list.

Hall-Of-Fame Sportscaster Joe Buck Admits To Being A 'Lucky Bastard'

1:51pm January 11, 2017

Buck's new memoir details his experiences in sports and life, including his addiction to hair-plug transplants. When it comes to announcing, he says, "I don't have a rooting interest for either side."

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Books
Arts

Earthy 'Lotus' Is A Fascinating Flower

7:00am January 11, 2017

by Jean Zimmerman

Lijia Zhang's debut novel — about a young woman in China who fights her way out of the sex trade to become a teacher — is sensitively drawn, full of folk wisdom and concise, touching imagery.

George Lucas, pictured here in 2014, has announced that his museum will be built in Los Angeles. San Francisco had also been in the running.

George Lucas Chooses Los Angeles As Home For His Art Museum

7:53pm January 10, 2017

by Mandalit del Barco

The filmmaker's collection, which ranges from Norman Rockwell paintings to Hollywood props, is headed for a site near his alma mater, the University of Southern California.

Books
Arts

Immigration And Infertility Bring Two Mothers Together Over One 'Lucky Boy'

5:49pm January 10, 2017

by NPR Staff

Shanthi Sekaran's new novel tells the story of a Mexican woman who has entered the U.S. without papers and an Indian-American chef struggling to have a baby.

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Young people have always used language in new and different ways, and it has pretty much always driven older people crazy.

Books
Arts

Why It's Literally Not Wrong To Say 'Literally'

3:14pm January 10, 2017

by NPR Staff

Young people have always used language in new ways, and it has always driven older people crazy. But the linguist John McWhorter says all the LOLs are part of an inevitable evolution of language.