Heathcliff suffers and fails in his attempts to gain a cucumber

The New York Times interviews two members of the staff about the new opera by Thomas Adès, The Exterminating Angel, based on Luis Buñuel's 1962 film.

The orchestra’s “regular” instruments also get in on the fun. There’s a lot of dissonance in some of the ensemble scenes — but also some abstracted waltz pulses that are amusing for the would-be-[Glenn Kenny, who writes about film for the Times] The “Liebestod” was a piece of music Buñuel was drawn to almost as much as he was to the drums of Calanda. He also uses it in a rarity, his 1953 Mexican adaptation of “Wuthering Heights.” For him the “Liebestod” is the ultimate musical expression of amour fou, the surrealist ideal of wild romantic love, an overwhelming destructive force against bourgeois values. (Seth Colter Walls and Glenn Kenny)

We are afraid that David Burbidge, chair of Coventry City of Culture Trust (the organisation behind Coventry’s bid to be UK City of Culture in 2021), hasn't read (or not properly) a book he mentions in connection to George Eliot. From Coventry Observer:

“She will undoubtedly be a key figure to celebrate in 2021 if we are successful in our bid to be UK City of Culture.
“Her work and life has recently been featured in a major book The Secret Sisterhood which revealed her friendships with the likes of Charlotte Brontë and her own hidden identity fits with the themes of our bid. . . " (Les Reid)

Erm... sorry but no.

A columnist from Scroll (India) looks back on the time a teacher didn't appreciate her work:

When I was 14 I thought it would be interesting to write a first person account of Heathcliff, the fascinating central character of Emily Brontë’s classic, Wuthering Heights. I was poorly graded on the answer and told it was incorrect. With typical teenage arrogance, I concluded that my teacher lacked imagination. In later years I wondered why she did not explain the importance of objectivity and how perspective can often distort context. Today, all it takes is a search on the internet to learn the many implications of what is now called “fan fiction”. (Bubla Basu)

Craven Herald and Pioneer presents some upcoming local performances of the Hotbuckle Productions touring Wuthering Heights production:

The classic tale Wuthering Heights will be told at Skipton Town Hall and at the Rainhall Centre in Barnoldswick.
The production will be performed at 7.30pm tomorrow in Skipton Town Hall and at 7pm on Tuesday in the Rainhall Centre.
Hotbuckle Theatre Company will present its adaptation of the novel Wuthering Heights, which tells the story of the love between Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff, a foundling adopted by Catherine's father.
Believing that Catherine does not love him, Heathcliff leaves Wuthering Heights, returning years later to seek revenge. (Daryl Ames)

An unlikely and unexpected metaphor in an article on cucumbers in Folio Weekly Magazine.

When I ponder the unsung cucumber, and this happens more than I would care to admit, my mind often wanders to a hot, humid summer’s day. A sultry day in which the whole body, yes, you could even say the soul, cries out for seemingly unattainable refreshment. It is as if I have taken on the persona Heathcliff as he suffers and fails in his attempts to gain the affections of Catherine. Fortunately, unlike Heathcliff, there is a cure for my unquenchable thirst: a cool and succulent cucumber. (Chef Bill Thompson)

ABC (Spain) reports that G.K. Chesterton's Varied Types (which includes an essay on Charlotte Brontë) has just been published in Spanish.

Por su parte, «Temperamentos», (Jus Ediciones) recoge ensayos sobre cinco temperamentos artísticos (William Blake, Lord Byron, Charlotte Brontë, William Morris y Robert Louis Stevenson) y cuatro religiosos (Carlos II de Inglaterra, Francisco de Asís, Savonarola y Tolstói). Si tuviera que hacer alguna objeción, ¿qué más da? Borges, comentando su etapa de profesor de Literatura inglesa decía que no obligaba a leer a sus alumnos, porque sería tanto como obligarles a ser felices. He sido feliz leyendo estos ensayos. No les obligo a leerlos. (Ignacio Sánchez Cámara) (Translation)