arts and culture
Frederick Wiseman’s ‘City Hall’: Let us now praise democracy
December 15, 2020Director Frederick Wiseman has gifted us with a movie for our times. City Hall is all about democracy—how it works, who does it, and why it is so vital.
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‘Speaker for the God’: Historical fiction about Jeremiah illuminates enduring social issues
December 14, 2020Jeremiah, like other biblical prophets, was a spokesperson for the poor and powerless. He also warned the ruling class of his day to take the Babylonian threat seriously.
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Brazilian poet diplomat Vinícius de Moraes and ‘The Worker in Construction’
December 11, 2020The year 2020 marked 40 years of farewell to the poet Vinícius de Moraes.
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The revolutionary history of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony
December 8, 2020Like few other composers, Beethoven expresses the will for freedom, the democratic longing of the people.
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John Brown’s maid: Brown as buffoon in ‘The Good Lord Bird’ vs. Brown as radical in ‘Underground’
December 7, 2020The last two episodes of Ethan Hawkes' recounting of the John Brown story have some emotional resonance.
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