Terry Teachout, a writer, critic, and good friend, writes about a logistical problem I know well: the double lives many musicians, writers, and artists, of necessity, lead. I recently went to a nightclub to hear a musician whom I know and like. The next morning I got an e-mail from my musician friend, who asked whether I’d recognized the woman . . .
“Rhys had a brief career in prostitution and also worked as a chorus girl.” Lillian Pizzichini’s The Blue Hour, a life of writer Jean Rhys, is out 4/29.
In the current New Yorker, Ian McEwan reveals that he sheltered Rushdie after the fatwa was issued. (Online for subscribers only.)
The Smart Set is a weekly feature, compiled and posted by Lauren Cerand, that usually appears Mondays at 12:30 pm, 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 Ms. Cerand at lauren [at] maudnewton.com by the Thursday prior to . . .