It was an exciting morning to open up our copies of The New Yorker. The Journeys issue had a huge feature on Freya Stark, whose wonderful books we're reissuing this spring, and the Briefly noted section also featured this great review of THE PIANO PLAYER IN THE BROTHEL.
“Cebrián, the first director of the Spanish newspaper El Pais, offers his reflections on the state of the press in pithy essays peppered with quips and aphorisms (as in the title, which refers to a joke about a job more respectable than journalism). Most vital are early chapters on the subversive and opportunistic origins of newspapers, the absurdities of censorship during the Franco era, and the effort to improve a free press after the dictator’s demise. As the book moves from the past to the future, Cebrián’s mode shifts from keen particulars to broad assertions—unavoidably, perhaps, but a chapter on the media’s complicity in terrorism would have benefitted from more daring and detail. Still, this is a welcome contribution to a conversation too often dominated by Anglophone perspectives.”
It's a great start to the week! Also, check out the Best American Poetry Blog, where Overlook editor Rob Crawford will be guest-blogging all week in celebration of National Poetry Month.
