Sunday, May 2, 2010

King Tut in Times Square

King Tut in Times Square? Totally Orientalish. This recent review in the New York Times talks more about the show as spectacle and commodity in addition to its undeniable grandeur. It is a money making venture for the Egyptian Department of Antiquities and rightfully so. It's in Times Square because the Met couldn't afford it. The review in the New York Times is an educational first read for this event,"Mystique of Tut, Increasing with Age". But for a better exploration of the political and historical and comical profile of Hawass, the New Yorker's December article, "Letter from Cairo: The Pharoah".

PEN World Voices: Writers from Lebanon

Today PEN America is sponsoring three panels of Lebanese writers. At 1 p.m., the formidable Elias Khoury; 3 p.m., Rawi Hague; and at 5 p.m., Alexandre Najjar
Event specifics: Le Skyroom, French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF), 22 East 60th Street, between Madison and Park, New York City
Free.