2,374 stories by "Terry Teachout"
"There is always one moment in childhood when the door opens and lets the future in."
Graham Greene, The Power and the Glory
Continue reading Almanac: Graham Greene on childhood at About Las…
Hilary Teachout, my beloved wife and life's companion, died two months ago this Sunday, and her ashes were returned to me a week and a half ago. Save for that bleak landmark, nothing much ha…
Graham Greene talks about writing and boredom in a 1983 interview:
(This is the latest in a series of arts- and history-related interviews that appear in this space each Monday, Wednesday, …
"Morality comes with the sad wisdom of age, when the sense of curiosity has withered."
Graham Greene, A Sort of Life
Continue reading Almanac: Graham Greene on morality at About Last Nigh…
In today's Wall Street Journal, I review a webcast from Chicago of TimeLine Theatre's 2013 revival of To Master the Art, a play about Julia Child. Here's an excerpt.
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As t…
"A Dream Comes True: The Making of an Unusual Motion Picture," a promotional featurette for Max Reinhardt's 1935 Hollywood screen version of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. This …
They have tied me to a stake; I cannot fly.
But, bear-like, I must fight the course.
William Shakespeare, Macbeth
Continue reading Almanac: Shakespeare on despair at About Last Night.
"Because I remember, I despair. Because I remember, I have the duty to reject despair."
Elie Wiesel, Nobel lecture, December 11, 1986
Continue reading Almanac: Elie Wiesel on despair at Abou…
Jerry Lewis "introduces" James Brown on The Jerry Lewis Show in 1968:
(This is the latest in a series of arts- and history-related videos that appear in this space each Monday, Wednesday…
"Human life begins on the far side of despair."
Jean-Paul Sartre, The Flies
Continue reading Almanac: Sartre on despair at About Last Night.
From 2008:
I have a Facebook page, believe it or not, but I don't do Irony Lite, nor do I care whether other people find my tastes insufficiently cool, much less insufficiently "white" (by w…
"Despair is the price one pays for setting oneself an impossible aim."
Graham Greene, The Heart of the Matter
Continue reading Almanac: Graham Greene on despair at About Last Night.
Kingsley Amis is interviewed by Simon Raven on Monitor. The interview, introduced by Huw Wheldon, was originally telecast by the BBC on February 2, 1958:
(This is the latest in a series …
"Despair is the conclusion of fools."
Benjamin Disraeli, The Wondrous Tale of Alroy
Continue reading Almanac: Disraeli on despair at About Last Night.
In today's Wall Street Journal I review the latest American Shakespeare Center webcast, a revival of Frank Galati's stage version of The Grapes of Wrath. Here's an excerpt.
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Michael Parkinson interviews James Stewart and his wife Gloria on the BBC in 1973:
(This is the latest in a series of arts- and history-related videos that appear in this space each Monday,…
"To rank the effort above the prize may be called love.."
Confucius, Analects
Continue reading Almanac: Confucius on diligence at About Last Night.
My wife Hilary died a bit more than two months ago. I wrote a fair amount about her passing at the time, but of late I've limited myself to the occasional tweet. That's not because I'm over …
My latest Wall Street Journal "Sightings" column is about the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on smaller arts organizations and the neighborhoods they serve. Here's an excerpt.
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"Every time that a human being succeeds in making an effort of attention with the sole idea of increasing his grasp of truth, he acquires a greater aptitude for grasping it, even if his effo…
Buddy Rich and his big band play Bill Potts' "Big Swing Face" at Holland's Northsea Jazz Festival in 1979:
(This is the latest in a series of arts- and history-related videos that appear in…
"We should never despair, our Situation before has been unpromising and has changed for the better, so I trust, it will again. If new difficulties arise, we must only put forth New Exertions…
From 2005:
I noticed the other day that I'd stopped taking time off on weekends. No, it's not that I'm in the vise-like grip of an obsession: it's that my weekly routine gradually changed wi…
"PERSEVERANCE, n. A lowly virtue whereby mediocrity achieves an inglorious success."
Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary
Continue reading Almanac: Ambrose Bierce on perseverence at Abo…
A new episode of Three on the Aisle, the twice-monthly podcast in which Peter Marks, Elisabeth Vincentelli, and I talk about theater in America, is now available on line for listening …
