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THE NPR INTERVIEWS 1994

Name: THE NPR INTERVIEWS 1994
Author: Robert Siegel
ISBN: 0-395-70741-2

edited by Robert Siegel ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 15, 1994

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All Things Considered host Siegel selected the nearly 100 interviews here, all broadcast on NPR in 1993, with an eye to material ``that read well on the page.'' Capturing the breadth of subjects covered by NPR's shows, the book groups the interviews under ten section headings, including ``Arts and Letters,'' ``Science,'' ``The Story of the Year: Bosnia,'' ``Washington,'' and ``Animal Life.'' Robert McNamara reveals his intention to write an autobiography that will contain previously unpublished information about US intervention in Vietnam; Karen Armstrong talks about her book, A History of God; and the General Aviation liaison for the Anchorage International Airport unwittingly tells a story of worker exploitation in the tale of three pigs—Larry, Moe, and Curly—who, after successfully fulfilling their mission of gorging on gulls' eggs (to reduce the population of birds posing a hazard to aircraft), were respectfully turned into bacon. The interviews are remarkable for their brevity. Among broadcast media, NPR is notable for the comparatively evolved attention span it expects of its listeners; but laid out on the page, these interviews are so short that the book is an occasion more for pleasurable grazing than for the ``in-depth'' coverage on which NPR prides itself. (Author tour)

Pub Date: Nov. 15, 1994

ISBN: 0-395-70741-2

Page Count: 320

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1994

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.