Louisa May Alcott in Print and On Screen

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"Woefully Unsung"

In a discussion of literary politics, particularly regarding race and gender, The Economist's "Prospero" blog yesterday lamented the fact that Sigrid Nunez's The Last of Her Kind (among other works by women and minority authors) is not widely acclaimed as a "Great American Novel."....

"'When men write books about family life,' observed Katha Pollit recently, 'they are read as writing about America and the Human Condition. When women write books that are ambitious, political and engaged with the big world of ideas, they are seen as stories about the emotional lives of their characters.' I'm reminded of the way I felt when I first read The Last of her Kind, a fine novel by Sigrid Nunez, a woefully unsung author. Here was a smart, ambitious book—a Great American Novel of sorts—which spanned decades in the lives of two women who first met in college in the 1960s. It was about love, friendship, history and ideas, all from a female perspective. It felt thrilling to feel a real sense of familiarity with the characters on the page. But is it any wonder that Ms Nunez has been marginalised as a women's author? Read more.

Nunez reads on Thursday, October 7.

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UAlbany Authors at Fall Festival, Sat., Oct. 9

The Physics of Sailing, Garlic and Other Alliums, The Nature and Nurture of Giftedness, Toolbox for Sustainable City Living....

These are just a handul of titles for books that will be showcased by UAlbany authors at outdoor presentations during the University's 2010 Fall Festival, from 10:30AM to 3PM. In association with the Homecoming and Alumni Weekends, the festival is free and also features abundant children's activities, a tailgate party for the Danes' football opener, running races for adults and kids, a huge farmers market, and student performances. Signs on campus will direct visitors to events and parking. Click here for a detailed schedule.

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Dear Werner...

One of our favorite critics in the popular media, Roger Ebert, has been suffering from papillary thyroid cancer and its complications since 2002. In 2007, while sitting in the audience at the Toronto Film Festival, Ebert was surprised and delighted to discover that Herzog had dedicated his Antarctic documentary, Encounters at the End of the World, to Ebert. Unable to speak, as a consequence of multiple surgeries, Ebert composed a letter to Herzog that beautifully sums up the maverick director's work and career.

The Writers Institute will open its Fall 2010 series with a screening of the same film, followed by a talkback with Herzog's friend and producer of the film, Henry Kaiser, and with cellular biologist Samuel Bowser, a star of the film who is affiliated with Albany's own Wadsworth Center of the New York State Department of Health.

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Harold Gould (1923-2010)

We mark with sadness the recent passing of Harold Gould, one of Hollywood's great character actors, an alumnus of our University (Albany Teachers College), and a child of the Capital Region-- born in Schenectady and raised in Colonie.

On May 6, 2003, Gould delivered the 7th Annual Burian Lecture of the Department of Theatre, cosponsored by the Institute.

Read the New York Times obituary here.

A 2003 profile by Michael Lisi appeared in the Schenectady Gazette at the time of Gould's visit.

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