books

“What art offers is space—a certain breathing room for the spirit.”
—John Updike

“The artist should never try to be popular. Rather the public should be more artistic.”—Oscar Wilde

The long-awaited Spike Jonze-directed Where the Wild Things Are arrived in theaters on Friday, and the film—based on the beloved 1963 book by author and illustrator Maurice Sendak—topped the domestic box office over the weekend, grossing an estimated $32.5 million from 3,735 theaters, according to Variety.

Just like the classic children’s book, which won Sendak the Caldecott Medal, the PG-rated movie’s appeal extends far beyond contemporaries of its main character: those over the age of 18 comprised 43 percent of the audience this weekend, while families accounted for a mere 27 percent. While I’ve yet to see Where the Wild Things Are, it will likely get me to a movie theater for the first time in about two years. (So there’s no misunderstanding, I love movies and watch a lot of them, but I simply prefer to do so from the comfort of my couch with conveniences of home, i.e., wine.)

Obviously, Where the Wild Things Are is one of the hottest topics on the Web in recent weeks. More importantly, the book and the movie both seem to inspire creativity, awakening that sense of pure imagination that resides within all of us.

So, The Madness of Art offers this roundup of all things wild. Read more…

‘roll the dice’

By Charles Bukowski
from What Matters Most is How Well You Walk Through the Fire

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The Madness of Art presents Reading Buk—nightly readings of selected works of Charles Bukowski—as a special series during the month of April in celebration of National Poetry Month 2009.

‘classical music and me’

By Charles Bukowski
from The Last Night of the Earth Poems

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The Madness of Art presents Reading Buk—nightly readings of selected works of Charles Bukowski—as a special series during the month of April in celebration of National Poetry Month 2009.

‘my cats’

By Charles Bukowski
from Come On In!

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The Madness of Art presents Reading Buk—nightly readings of selected works of Charles Bukowski—as a special series during the month of April in celebration of National Poetry Month 2009.

‘the word’

By Charles Bukowski
from Bone Palace Ballet

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The Madness of Art presents Reading Buk—nightly readings of selected works of Charles Bukowski—as a special series during the month of April in celebration of National Poetry Month 2009.

‘no nonsense’

By Charles Bukowski
from You Get So Alone at Times That It Just Makes Sense

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

The Madness of Art presents Reading Buk—nightly readings of selected works of Charles Bukowski—as a special series during the month of April in celebration of National Poetry Month 2009.

‘hell is a closed door’

By Charles Bukowski
from The Last Night of the Earth Poems

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

The Madness of Art presents Reading Buk—nightly readings of selected works of Charles Bukowski—as a special series during the month of April in celebration of National Poetry Month 2009.

Some suggestions to satisfy your reading, viewing and listening appetite throughout the weekend… Read more…