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Thursday, September 16, 2010

The Letters Of Sylvia Beach



I recently held an interview with Keri Walsh, whose book "The Letters of Sylvia Beach" has been out since early this year. I have been a Beachophile for some time now. My interest in Sylvia Beach stems from my study of American expatriates in post-World War I Paris - termed "The Lost Generation" by Gertrude Stein, herself an American expat. Keri's book is well edited and is an excellent link between Sylvia's biography "Sylvia Beach and the Lost Generation" by Noel Riley Fitch and her memoir "Shakespeare and Company". I found it fascinating reading. These are letters from Sylvia to some of the most influential artists of the last century, which seals even further Sylvia's importance in providing support, friendship and even book production from her little bookshop and lending library in Montparnasse.

The interview will be posted at the Shakespeare and Company page I administer on Facebook soon: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=154672695430

Monday, September 6, 2010

Coltrane and me




"Well, I'm trying to learn, I'm trying to broaden myself melodically and rhythmically too. These things that are coming along now are the culmination of...the things that I'm thinking of in these aspects, rhythmic or melodic. I haven't forgotten about harmony altogether, but I'm not as interested in it as I was two years ago." - John Coltrane - 1963