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When Police Came For Her Child-Molesting Husband, Alice Munro Told Them Her Daughter Was Lying

Retired Ontario Provincial Police Detective Sam Lazarevich recalled coming to arrest Gerald Fremlin in 2004 and the furious reaction from Munro; he remembers thinking "Aren't you going to defend your daughter?" Police already had Fremlin's letter confessing the sexual abuse; it had been sent to Munro 11 years earlier. - AP

Peter Schjeldahl And The Art Of Dying

Like Karl Marx and Jim Harrison, who died at their desks, and George Orwell, who was writing a book review when he died, Schjeldahl wrote until the end. We can be grateful for that because we have this book. - The New York Times

Former British Museum Head Gets A Shiny New Job

In the release, the commission said it had chosen Hartwig Fischer, 61, because of his “global expertise in leading international cultural institutions and museums.” It did not mention Fischer’s time at the British Museum. - The New York Times

A Budding Career at 94: Never Give Up On Your Dreams

After all, June Squibb not only has a new movie out, but, at 94, she’s got her first starring role. - The Guardian (UK)

Dorothy Lichtenstein, Who Worked Tirelessly To Give Her Husband Roy’s Art Away, Has Died At 84

“She did not want the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation, of which she was co-founder and president, to continue in perpetuity. ‘We are working toward a sunset in 2026,’” says the foundation’s executive director, who said that “there was still some artwork and roughly $40 million in cash.” - Boston Globe

Well, Turns Out Alice Munro Wasn’t Better Than Her Miserable Characters

“So much of Munro’s work was about someone forgiving someone else (especially a woman forgiving a man) for something unforgivable, or about making some other horrible compromise of the soul — and also about how wretched these compromises are.” - Los Angeles Times (MSN)

Gen X Actress Shannen Doherty, Star Of Beverly Hills 2010, Has Died At 53

Doherty was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015 but continued working, both in TV and in her own popular podcast, including when the cancer spread to her brain. - Variety

Bill Viola, Who Showed Us All What Video Art Could Do And Be, Has Died At 73

“Many of his most powerful works slow down the passage of time so that viewers become keenly aware of their own physical presence and thoughts.” - The New York Times

Anthea Sylbert, Costume Designer For Chinatown Turned Producer With Goldie Hawn, Has Died At 84

Sylbert, said Hawn, “didn’t have any fear at all. She fought for what she believed in and made everyone around her better.” - The New York Times

Inside The Fight To Save Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch

The story of the sprawling former estate of pop singer Michael Jackson took a new turn this week when Neverland Ranch stood in the direct path of a wildfire that’s burned 34,000 acres in Santa Barbara County. - Los Angeles Times

Meet Japan’s Biggest Kabuki Star, Danjuro Ichikawa XIII

"The 13th man to bear the name Danjuro Ichikawa — passed down between generations of Kabuki stars for over 300 years — he’s a household name in Japan, showing up in ads, movies and TV shows. … In his latest production, he plays 13 parts, including a princess, a sushi chef and a fox." - AP

Shelley Duvall, 75

Before she fled Hollywood for her native Texas in the mid-1990s, Duvall had a thriving career as a versatile, one-of-a-kind actress and head of her own production company, Think Entertainment. - The Hollywood Reporter

Some Of Alice Munro’s Associates Knew About Her Husband’s Sexual Abuse Of Her Daughter

Said Munro biographer Robert Thacker, "I knew that it was going to come out, and I knew that I would be having conversations like this." He confirmed that several others learned of the abuse, and of Munro's decision to remain married, after her daughter contacted police in 2005. - The Washington Post (MSN)

Alexander Knaifel, One Of Russia’s Leading Post-Soviet Composers, Is Dead At 80

"Knaifel was one of the most prominent Russian composers of his generation, both at home and in the West. He played a key role in redefining Russian contemporary music after the fall of the Soviet Union, bringing religious themes to the fore and pioneering a radical minimalist aesthetic of contemplation." - Gramophone

Alice Munro’s Daughter Tells Of Abuse At Hands Of Stepfather That Her Mother Learned Of, And Denied

Andrea Munro yesterday wrote an essay for the Toronto Star detailing the abuse, her mother’s response, the ways her father (owner of Munro’s Books in Victoria) treated her, and the legal case she brought against her stepfather, who was found guilty. - The New York Times

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