Culture
Culture
An accomplishment worth kvelling about
While working on a master’s degree at McGill, Aaron Lansky, MA’80, launched a rescue mission, one that would play a significant role in the preservation of a culture facing serious peril. As the driving force behind the Yiddish Book Center, Lansky has helped save 1.5 million books and built a one-of-a-kind collection.
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Culture
Bringing a Montreal icon back to life
The ninth-floor restaurant at the Eaton's store on Sainte-Catherine Street was renowned for its Art Deco style and officially recognized as a historic monument by the Quebec government. Georges Drolet, an architect with expertise in heritage buildings, played a leading role in the downtown landmark's rebirth.
Culture
How Michel Tremblay became a Scottish sensation
Playwright Michel Tremblay is one of Quebec’s most revered artists, but his works have also been celebrated in Scotland, thanks to the Scots translations of his plays by Martin Bowman, BA’67, MA’69, and Bill Findlay. Those translations were recently collected in the two-volume Michel Tremblay: Plays in Scots.
Culture
An unconventional path to literary stardom
As an undergraduate, Kai Thomas, BA’16, examined old newspaper ads in the McGill Library about runaway slaves. That research helped inform In the Upper Country, his first novel, which won one of Canada’s top literary prizes last year.
Culture
There’s a lot more to Canadian art than the Group of Seven
As the executive director of the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Sarah Milroy oversees an institution whose collection includes works by the Group of Seven and Tom Thomson - some of the most famous art ever produced in Canada. But Milroy insists that is only one part of the McMichael story.
Culture
Updating big band jazz for the 21st century
Darcy James Argue and his big band the Secret Society make some of the most daringly ambitious music in contemporary jazz and they have the Grammy Award nominations and critical acclaim to prove it.
Newsbites Short stories, big ideas
An out-of-this-world composition
Composer Sophie Kastner, MMus’22, recently took part in a unique collaboration with NASA, creating a vivid piece of music about the Milky Way based on data about the galaxy that has been gleaned by the Chandra, Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes.
A lullaby for the world
Jacques J.M.Shore, LLB’80, is a celebrated lawyer (he helped Amazon enter the Canadian marketplace), but his true passion is writing books for children. His latest work has found a new audience – in Ukraine.
Culture
Creating culturally appropriate architecture for the North
Award-winning architect Alain Fournier has worked on dozens of projects for Indigenous communities in the North, creating distinctive buildings and structures that reflect the communities they serve. (Cet article est disponible en français.)
Culture
How one bad day led to a triumphant year
Anuja Varghese, BA’05, won two major Canadian literary awards in 2023, but she struggled in her first attempts to put her book Chrysalis together. “I was trying to write what I thought belonged in a literary short story collection.” Things got easier once she focused on the “the weird stuff, the ghost stories.”
Culture
How historical fiction became a literary juggernaut
Historical fiction, once dismissed as a second-rate genre, is now the dominant force in American literature and a magnet for top literary prizes. In a new book, McGill’s Alexander Manshel examines how that happened.
Culture
Books to consider for your holiday reading
McGill graduates who have published books in recent months include Claudia Dey, Julian Sher, Mariko Tamaki, and Rosemary Sullivan.
Culture
From DJing at Gerts to touring with Radiohead
Before he became a pioneer of turntable music and a contributor to Hollywood soundtracks, Kid Koala (aka Eric San, BEd’96) performed at student dorm parties while pursuing an education degree at McGill.
Culture
Adam Gopnik on mastery, Steve Martin, and his mother
Adam Gopnik, BA’80, DLitt’13, discusses three recent projects – a book about mastering new skills, an audiobook about his friend Steve Martin’s career, and his own star turn in the film Tár.