Arts & Culture

Exclusive First Read: Zadie Smith's 'NW'

Credit Dominique Nabokob

Zadie Smith is the author of White Teeth and On Beauty, among other books.

By editor

Originally published on Wed August 29, 2012 2:26 pm

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Listen to this selection from 'NW'

The title of Zadie Smith's newest novel might be enigmatic for Americans. NW is short for northwest London — an area of particular racial and class diversity. It's the birthplace of the novel's two main characters, Leah Hanwell and Keisha Blake.

4:09 pm

Tue August 28, 2012

For Bootlegger Brothers, A Twisty Path To Profit

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Credit Richard Foreman Jr., SMPSP / The Weinstein Co.

Jack Bondurant (Shia LeBeouf) finds escape from the brutality of his family's bootlegging business in the company of the radiant Bertha (Mia Wasikowska).

Credit Richard Foreman Jr. SMPSP / The Weinstein Co.

Forrest Bondurant (Tom Hardy) is the most level-headed member of the family criminal enterprise.

By Stephanie Zacharek

John Hillcoat's Lawless opens with a scene in which two farm boys urge their younger brother to pull the trigger on a pig that's ready to be transformed into bacon. The boy, whose name is Jack, hesitates and then misfires; one of the older boys finishes the job, neatly and dispassionately.

3:04 pm

Tue August 28, 2012

An 'Ambassador' Of Sorts, But Hardly Diplomatic

Credit Drafthouse Films

Mads Brugger, in character as diplomat Mads Cortzen, conferences with various members of the Central African Republic's government.

By Mark Jenkins

Originally published on Tue August 28, 2012 3:42 pm

"If the Congo was the heart of darkness, this is the spleen."

That's how Danish guerrilla filmmaker Mads Brugger introduces the Central African Republic, the focus of his hidden-camera documentary The Ambassador.

1:34 pm

Tue August 28, 2012

'Real Romney' Authors Dissect His Latest Campaign

Credit courtesy of the authors

Michael Kranish (left) is the deputy chief of the Washington bureau of The Boston Globe. Scott Helman is a staff writer at The Globe. Both have covered politics, presidential campaigns and Congress.

By editor

Originally published on Thu August 30, 2012 11:17 am

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In The Real Romney, Boston Globe reporters Michael Kranish and Scott Helman examine Mitt Romney's political rise since 1994, when he ran for the U.S. Senate in Massachusetts. They explain how Romney shifted from supporting abortion rights to heavily courting social conservatives in the 2008 Republican primary.

12:51 pm

Tue August 28, 2012

Drinking, Dancing, Dolly Parton: Photos Of The '70s Country Music Scene

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Credit Henry Horenstein

Last Call, Tootsie's Orchid Lounge, Nashville, Tenn., 1974

Credit Henry Horenstein

Last Call, Tootsie's Orchid Lounge, Nashville, Tenn., 1974

Credit Henry Horenstein

Ralph Stanley at Home, Coeburn, Va., 1974. "As bluegrass heroes go, Ralph Stanley is right up there with Bill Monroe. He began performing with brother Carter as the Stanley Brothers in 1946, and their old-time mountain sound has been hugely influential."

Credit Henry Horenstein

Dolly Parton, Symphony Hall, Boston, 1972. "Dolly Parton's first hit was 'Dumb Blonde' in 1967, but she soon proved she was anything but."

Credit Henry Horenstein

Bluegrass Music Fan Frank Brown, Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival, Gettysburg, Pa., 1974

Credit Henry Horenstein

Curly Ray Cline at Home, Rock House, Ky., 1974. "Curly Ray Cline ... fiddled for Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys from 1966 to 1993. His fiddling style was simple and precise, a perfect match for the Stanley old-time sound."

Credit Henry Horenstein

Charlie Monroe, Take It Easy Ranch, Callaway, Md., 1973. "Charlie Monroe worked with younger brother Bill as the Monroe Brothers before splitting up in 1938. Bill went on to stardom at the Grand Ole Opry, while Charlie worked smaller venues."

Credit Henry Horenstein

Minnie Pearl and Pee Wee King, Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, Tenn., 1973. "Minnie Pearl was the pre-eminent country comedian of her day. With a price tag hanging from her hat, she regaled her fans with tales from Grinder's Switch, a fictional town that influenced Garrison Keillor and his Lake Wobegon."

Credit Henry Horenstein

DeFord Bailey, Grand Ole Opry House, Opryland, Nashville, Tenn., 1974. "A member of the original Grand Ole Opry cast, DeFord Bailey was discovered in 1926 playing harmonica while operating an elevator. He was fired from the show in 1941 due to changing musical tastes or racism, depending on who's telling the story, and ran a shoeshine business in Nashville until just before his death."

Credit Henry Horenstein

Lester Flatt, Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, Tenn., 1972. "Lester Flatt and banjoist Earl Scruggs were the successful Flatt and Scruggs. Flatt's contributions included strong baritone vocals and a signature guitar run, widely imitated even today."

Credit Henry Horenstein

Drunk Dancers, Merchant's Cafe, Nashville, Tenn., 1974

By Claire O'Neill

It may come as a surprise that the photographer who shot these country stars — and their fans — is from Massachusetts. But, Henry Horenstein explains, country music "was a rural music, not necessarily a Southern music."

As a young photographer, Horenstein spent a good part of the 1970s and early '80s at bluegrass festivals, Nashville's Grand Ole Opry, New England honky-tonks and elsewhere, documenting what he believed was an "era that was going to go away."

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5:03 am

Wed August 29, 2012