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Amanda Claridge, The Archaeologist Who Brought Us The Ruins Of Rome, 72

Claridge "revealed the details of what, to a casual observer, might seem a homogeneous slice of the long-ago," making the ruins speak to any general reader or visitor to the Eternal City. - The New York Times

Legendary New Yorker Writer Roger Angell Has Died At 101

Angell's baseball writing - his gorgeous sentences, his attention to detail, his belief that being a fan was a worthwhile endeavor - earned him award after award, but his essays about his New Yorker childhood and his annual holiday poem also had a devoted readership. - The New York Times

Elspeth Barker, Journalist Who Wrote “One Of The Best Least-Known Novels Of The 20th Century,” Dead At 81

Published when she was 51, Barker's O Caledonia won several awards and was popular in Europe for several years, then faded away. She parlayed the book's success into a busy career as a journalist and essayist, known for being quirky and free-spirited, but never wrote another novel. - The New York Times

Greek Movie Composer Vangelis, 79

He won an Oscar for the stirring score to 1981's Chariots of Fire, which was followed by Blade Runner a year later. Paying tribute, US composer Austin Wintory wrote on Twitter that Vangelis "changed an entire era of music". - BBC

Willa Cather’s Surprisingly Open Life With Edith Lewis

"Their domestic partnership was not a secret. Lewis often was and sometimes still is made over into Cather's secretary (she wasn't) rather than being recognized for what she was: a highly compensated professional woman with a demanding office job who was also Cather's romantic partner and her editor." - Literary Hub

The Einstein Franchise – Rapacious And Wealthy

Einstein had been a well-paid man. His Princeton salary of $10,000 – roughly $180,000 in today’s money – was set by the university to exceed that of any American scientist. But his earnings in life were insignificant compared to his earnings in death. - The Guardian

Did Henry VIII Ever Regret Having Anne Boleyn Beheaded?

The mythology that has developed around the Tudor dynasty has made that seem an improbable question, but there are bits of evidence suggesting that, at least at the very end of his life, the King did indeed repent of the prosecution and execution of his second wife. - Mental Floss

Simon Preston, Organist And Choirmaster With A Major Recording Legacy, Dead At 83

With Christopher Hogwood's Academy of Ancient Music, Preston and his Choir of Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford released landmark period-instrument recordings of Handel's Messiah, Bach's Magnificat, Vivaldi's Gloria, and several Haydn Masses. As soloist, among his 100+ recordings were the complete organ works of Bach and Handel for DG. - Gramophone

Questions About The Arts Donations Of The UK’s Richest Man

While not on any sanctions list, the Ukrainian-born billionaire’s links to sanctioned Russian oligarchs were the focus of discussion among officials involved in a multimillion pound donation by him that helped ensure a trove of literary treasures were saved for the nation. - The Guardian

Disgraced LA Gallerist Ordered To Pay $14.2 Million After Cheating Artists

Douglas Chrismas was considered to be at the forefront of the Los Angeles art scene in the 1980s and 90s at his now-defunct Ace Gallery. But financial troubles overtook his reputation and Chrismas was repeatedly sued by his artists for non-payment and theft of artwork. - The Art Newspaper

The Prolific Korean Movie Director Who Does It All

He has directed twenty-seven features in twenty-six years. Hong has achieved abundance through a radical reduction of means. He funds each movie with the proceeds of his previous films, and he makes his films as he goes. - The New Yorker

David Marcuse, Who Provided Progressives With Books And Gathering Places, Has Died At 73

Marcuse ran several bookstores, but Common Concerns, in Dupont Circle during the Reagan and (H.W.) Bush years, was the most important for a community looking for a home. His (Ed) "Meese is a Pig" T-shirts and posters were top-sellers. - Washington Post

Katsumoto Saotome Preserved The Stories Of Firebombing Survivors

Saotome, a novelist who has died at 90, compiled six books of survivors' testimony and founded a museum as well. - The New York Times

It Was The Sex Toy Scene That Broke Michelle Yeoh

Yeoh, on Everything Everywhere All at Once: "When we were doing the butt-plug fight sequences, I was on the ground, laughing my head off, going like: 'Oh my God! Would I have ever thought that one day I would be doing this kind of martial arts?'" - The Guardian (UK)

What It’s Like To Start Life In Hollywood With No Industry Connections

Haley Lu Richardson was a dancer when she and her mom moved from Phoenix to L.A. Her success has been a slow burn. "I’d rather be doing a smaller independent film with people that I really feel like I can collaborate with and I really trust." - The Guardian (UK)

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