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James C. Scott, An Iconoclastic Social Scientist Who Studied How Marginalized Groups Undermine Traditional Power, Has Died At 87

He was “a big-picture scholar,” readable to non-academics as well as other scholars, and “the theories about resistance to power that he extrapolated led to a new view of supposedly primitive peoples and to a new academic field, resistance studies.” - The New York Times

Edna O’Brien, Groundbreaking Irish Novelist, Has Died At 93

“Ms. O’Brien grew up in a newly independent and staunchly Catholic Ireland with firm ideas about the roles of women, who had no lawful access to abortion, contraception or divorce. In much of her work, Ms. O’Brien limned characters who yearned to break free.” - Washington Post (MSN)

Leonard Slatkin At 80

Few currently active conductors have developed such a natural affinity with the recording studio. The independent producer Andrew Keener, who collaborated on his UK recordings, tells me that Slatkin always stood out as ‘a conductor who is totally studio wise, and who knew how to apportion time in the studio. - Gramophone

Toumani Diabaté, Great Master Of The West African Kora, Has Died At 58

"His exquisite, relaxed playing (of the 21-stringed hard) mixed the ancient and modern, as he switched from pieces that dated back hundreds of years to his own compositions that he said reflected influences ranging from other African artists to Jimi Hendrix, Otis Redding and Pink Floyd." - The Guardian

Perusing Editor Robert Gottleib’s Books

When Mr. Gottlieb, who died last June at 92, wasn’t heartlessly lancing thousands of words out of Robert Caro’s biographical volumes or marking up the manuscripts of Toni Morrison and Salman Rushdie, he loved watching movies. Along the course of his career, he built a vast collection of books on Hollywood’s golden age. - The New York Times

Lewis H. Lapham, Editor Who Resurrected Harper’s Magazine Twice, Is Dead At 89

Born into a very old and eminent family (though one no longer, by his day, very rich), he wrote about the American aristocracy with skepticism and even scorn. Twice he reinvented one of the country's oldest magazines, attracting readers, attention and respect (though never profit). - The Washington Post (MSN)

Stephan Salisbury, Longtime Arts Writer For The Philadelphia Inquirer, Has Died At 77

"(He) fashioned a 43-year career at The Inquirer that featured hundreds of influential stories about Philadelphia’s art and culture and the people who shaped them. He first covered cultural life ... in 1989 and, until he retired in 2022, focused as much on the newsmakers as the culture they created." - The Philadelphia Inquirer

John Mayall, “The Godfather Of British Blues,” Dead At 90

"A multi-instrumentalist who sang and played guitar, keyboards and harmonica, Mr. Mayall was better known as a bandleader who had a superb eye for talent and a steadfast devotion to the purity of the blues." He also helped launch the careers of Eric Clapton and Fleetwood Mac. - The Washington Post (MSN)

What Yuja Wang Did During The COVID Lockdown

As little as possible, actually. "I promised myself to only practise when I wanted to, and then I didn’t want to for 15 months! I just pigged out and watched Netflix. I let my brain drift into stupid movies. ... But after six months I got sick of (it).” - The Telegraph (UK)

Ford Foundation’s Visionary President To Step Down

Darren Walker announced Monday that he would step down as the president of the Ford Foundation at the end of 2025 after what will have been a consequential 12-year tenure in which he shifted the institution’s focus to inequality and oversaw the distribution of $7 billion in grants. - The New York Times

Portland’s Beloved Actor Sam Mowry Has Died At 64

Mowry, in a 40-year career, was an “actor and director known both for his personal gentleness and generosity and for his deep, profoundly captivating onstage speaking voice.” - Oregon ArtsWatch

Esta TerBlanche, Fan Favorite Soap Opera Star, Has Died At 51

Esta TerBlanche was a South African actress whose first language was Afrikaans, so of course she played a Hungarian princess - who ad-libbed a lot - on Days of Our Lives. - The New York Times

How Doing A Comedic Horror Movie Sent Penelope Wilton’s Fame Sky-High

Sure, yes, she’s the prime minister when the Daleks come in Doctor Who, but what really helped her with the Youngs was acting in Shaun of the Dead. - The Guardian (UK)

Cheng Pei-pei, Hong Kong’s Queen Of Swords And Star Of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Has Died At 78

“In a career-spanning six decades, Cheng burst on to the scene in the 1960s, becoming a star for Shaw Brothers Studios, the Hong Kong production company modelled on the Hollywood studios that became internationally famous for action films and period martial arts epics” (aka wuxia). - The Hollywood Reporter

Bernice Johnson Reagon, Founder Of Sweet Honey In The Rock And Legendary Activist Through Song, Has Died At 81

Reagon, also a cultural historian who worked at the Smithsonian, “was an original member in 1962 of the Freedom Singers, a vocal quartet that provided anthems of defiance for civil rights protesters preparing to confront the police or as they were hauled away to jail.” - The New York Times

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