Sean Carman, our man in Washington D.C., reports on a reading of Literature From the Axis of Evil. It’s a great paradox that, at a time when communication across borders and between peoples has never been easier, or more vital, there is so little of it. There are American media outposts in every corner of the globe, and yet . . .
Why hasn’t there been a great Martin Luther King biopic like Spike Lee’s Malcolm X? (The last substantial treatment was a ’78 miniseries.)
The Smart Set is a weekly feature, compiled by Lauren Cerand, that usually appears Mondays at 12:30pm and highlights the best of the week to come. Special favor is given to New York’s independent booksellers and venues, and low-cost and free events. Please send details to lauren [at] maudnewton.com by the Thursday prior to publication, with the event’s date in . . .
As his hometown devotes 2007 to him, Kurt Vonnegut says his most recent book is his last. “I’m old, for God’s sake,” he told the A.P. “I’m terribly tired.”
For years there’ve been rumblings about a CIA – Paris Review link. Now co-founder Peter Matthiessen confirms that the magazine was his cover.