Peeling human hearts

George Packer's play Betrayed is now being performed in Berkeley at the Aurora Theatre. The San Jose Mercury News mentions the well-known, for the readers of BrontëBlog, Brontë connection:From the first moments we meet Intisar (an intense turn by Denmo Ibrahim) and her hard-working colleagues, Adnan (Bobak Cyrus Bakhtiari) and Laith (Amir Sharafeh), we see them as quirkily drawn individuals instead...

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Croatian and Nepali

Some recent Brontë translations:To Croatian:Charlotte BrontëJANE EYREISBN: 978-953-178-991-2Collection: Strani pisciTranslator: Giga GračanPublisher: Naklada LJEVAK2008A couple of translations of Jean Rhys's Wide Sargasso Sea:Jean RhysŠIROKO SARGAŠKO MOREISBN: 978-953-178-928-8Collection: Strani pisciPublisher:...

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I danced with a zombie Jane

Cynthia Crossen in The Wall Street Journal admits to her literary flirts:Fictional men I have loved: first and always, Mr. Darcy (Fitzwilliam was his given name, no wonder he preferred "Mr.") from "Pride and Prejudice." Rhett Butler ("Gone With the Wind"), Maxim de Winter ("Rebecca"), Dr. Zhivago. I had a brief fling with Mr. Rochester ("Jane Eyre") but he turned out to have a wife in the attic. I...

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When the RAI spoke Italian

Quando la RAI parlava italiano is a selection of Italian television adaptations (by the RAI) of English novels which is scheduled from January 30 until March in Casa del Cinema (Rome). The first miniseries which will be shown are Cime Tempestose (1956) and Jane Eyre (1957):Friday January 30SALA KODAK...

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Gordon & Caird's Jane Eyre in Marietta

A student production of Gordon & Caird's Jane Eyre: The Musical opens today, January 30, at the Marietta College, Marietta, Ohio:Jane Eyre: The MusicalMusic & Lyrics by Paul Gordon, Book by John CairdDirected by Stephen M. RaderMusical Director by Daniel TadlockAll performances are in the Friederich Theatre of the Hermann Fine Arts Center on the Marietta College campusCharlotte Bronte's beloved...

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This tiny pale girl with a mass of black hair who’s evidently possessed by daemons or faeries

Paper Cuts, a New York Times blog, chats with novelist Kate Christensen, who picks PJ Harvey's To Bring You My Love as one of the songs on her 2009 playlist, says about it:I once read a description of Polly Jean Harvey as “just a girl who fancies a bit of drama,” which made me laugh, because of course she’s the spiritual kin of Sarah Bernhardt and Catherine of “Wuthering Heights,” this tiny pale girl...

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A triple alert

Several alerts for today, January 29:1. Jane Mackay talks about Villette in Leicester, UK:Literature at Lunch at De Montfort Hall, Leicester, UKThe popular series of lunchtime lectures with Dr Jane Mackay, examining the lives, influences and literary themes of our greatest writers and their novels. All lectures are in the Victoria suite and last approximately 1 hour.Thursday 29th January 2009 - Charlotte...

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Wuthering landscape

Welcome a newly-discovered Brontëite to our ranks. The Guardian reports that author Kate Mosse, among others, will be choosing her favourite books for Waterstone's.Their selections will then be displayed in stores across the country, complete with handwritten notes from the authors explaining their choices. Hornby's table will launch on 5 March, with Mosse's due in the summer. "To start with 40 sounds...

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Reactions to Wuthering Heights 2009 (V)

Still a couple of reactions to this latest screen adaptation of Emily Brontë's novel.MOSTLY POSITIVE:Clare Elfman for Buzzine: What? Another remake of one of my sacred favorite oldies? No way! I had been burned by the disappointing redo of that great bitchy free-for-all fast-talk classic, The Women,...

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Brontë Transformation

A press release from the Brontë Parsonage MuseumREFURBISHMENT TRANSFORMS BRONTË PARSONAGE MUSEUMThe Brontë Parsonage Museum will re-open on 1 February 2009 following a major refurbishment. The museum’s permanent exhibition, focusing on the Brontës’ lives and works, had been in place for over twenty-five years and although it remained popular with visitors, was in need of renewal.The exhibition room...

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Reactions to Wuthering Heights 2009 (IV)

Reviews and comments continue to trickle in:MOSTLY POSITIVE:Emily on BrontëBlog: Oh, I loved it from beginning to end. Part 2 was incredible. Haunting, sad, frustrating, devastating. If it had been a full hour and 1/2, it would have been perfect. I wanted to see more of Heathcliff holding Cathy in bed...

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Telepathic orphans

Let's start this post with one more example of bookish influence behind the music. The Johns Hopkins Magazine features an article on music duo Matmos and the following crops up: Daniel is in charge of whatever comes next. He tends to be the conceptual half of the pair, and his concept for the next CD began with a work of scholarship, Nicholas Royle's Telepathy and Literature. Royle sees something...

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Bound to you

We have more information about the Wuthering Heights opera by Frédéric Chaslin & P H Fisher:There is a new movie trailer on youtube:This is a trailer following the main themes of Wuthering Heights, the opera, introducing the characters and their associated tunes.And we have two new promotional posters...

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Peter Bowker talks about Wuthering Heights 2009

Peter Bowker, the screenwriter of the latest Wuthering Heights, has been kindly answering questions from members of the Barnes & Noble Book Club message board. Here's a digest of what has been said there, but bear in mind you can still ask your own questions as he will be answering them until January...

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Reactions to Wuthering Heights 2009 (III)

Some reactions to the second (and final) episode of Wuthering Heights 2009. Our own review can be read here:MOSTLY POSITIVEKnighleyemma's Blog:This adaptation is not very close to the book, but it has several strong points. The music suits the mood of the story very well. The use of unknown actors...

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So Jane Eyre!

Today's newsround and blogs are a true sample of what could be easily defined as a 'motley crew'.Hadley Freeman from the Guardian has found a literary equivalent to Jill Biden:... her back story (she's the second wife who brought love and happiness back into the widowed Biden's life - like, so Jane Eyre! Sorta!) definitely affect this column's judgment about our Jill and her style, and quite right,...

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