March 21, 2013, Filed Under: Authors, Books + ManuscriptsJ. M. Coetzee’s association with The University of Texas at Austin J. M. Coetzee was born in Cape Town, South Africa, in 1940 and graduated from the University of Cape Town. After working three years as a computer programmer in England, he enrolled in The University of Texas at Austin in 1965 to pursue his Ph.D. in English, linguistics and Germanic… read more
March 18, 2013, Filed Under: Theatre + Performing ArtsFrom the Outside In: Model of "Motorcar No. 9," Norman Bel Geddes, ca. 1932 The atria on the first floor of the Ransom Center are surrounded by windows featuring etched reproductions of images from the collections. The windows offer visitors a hint of the cultural treasures to be discovered inside. From the Outside In is a series that highlights some of these images and… read more
March 14, 2013, Filed Under: Authors, Books + ManuscriptsAuthor W. K. Stratton Uses Norman Mailer Papers in "Floyd Patterson: The Fighting Life of Boxing’s Invisible Champion" In Chicago in the fall of 1962, heavyweight champion Floyd Patterson squared up to face Sonny Liston, also known as “The Bear,” in a monumental fight. Liston, a former convict with ties to organized crime, seemed the opposite of the ambivalent and introspective Patterson, who was known to help an… read more
March 13, 2013, Filed Under: Authors, Research + TeachingShort story author Andre Dubus’s papers open for research In 1958, Andre Dubus graduated from McNeese State University in Louisiana and joined the U. S. Marine Corps, thinking it would be “a romantic way to make a living as a writer.” Buoyed by a distinctive voice and a natural ebullience, Dubus’s work enjoyed moderate initial success. After six years… read more
March 5, 2013, Filed Under: AuthorsArthur Machen, Welsh horror fiction author, turns 150 this week The Welsh horror fiction author Arthur Machen turns 150 this week. Machen, an influential figure in the budding supernatural fiction scene of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, is best known for his novella “The Great God Pan,” and for accidentally proliferating a legend about angels protecting the British… read more
March 4, 2013, Filed Under: Theatre + Performing ArtsThe ballet performance that sparked a riot It is 1913 at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, and the audience is screaming, cat-calling, and fist-fighting. It’s the most famous riot in classical music history at the premiere of the ballet The Rite of Spring, composed by Igor Stravinsky, choreographed by Vaslav Nijinsky, and premiered by the Ballets Russes. Accustomed to… read more
