Reading the New Yorker. Feb. 1, 2016 and going backward, for abit, January 18

Read book review by Adam Kirsch, "What Makes Goethe Great?"

Read under "The Talk of the Town", Dept of Hoopla, Kitchen Sink, about Chief curator of painting and sculpture, Anne Temkin's hosting of the recent Marcel Duchamp's 100th anniversary, on January 15 at the MOMA. Anne was known to me when she was a curator at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, during Anne De Honcourt's role as Award winning director, who told a story about being bounced upon the knee of Marcel Duchamp, as her father, Rene de Harncourt was the first? director of the MOMA.  Philadelphia has an incredible legacy with Duchamp which has been celebrated from time to time.  .

January 18.  John Ashbery, "Dangerous Asylum."  Like the last line:  "Off you go then".  Conveys his sense of humor..?

Read Adam Gopnik's "Henry James's Memoirs".  Something to be said for authors writing their own memoirs, which differs from their autobiographies, and from their biographies in advance of death. Contemporary authors seem to be learning this.  WS Merwin, for instance.  I love Colm Toibin's book about Henry James, THE MASTER.

Perhaps  I will say more later.  Check back...I am updating just now.


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