Literature

Ceramics by artists from 30 countries are on display at Slovenia's National Museum in a juried exhibition that provides an insight into the new and diverse ways in which this medium is being explored today.

The Athens branch of the Goethe Institute (goethe.de) is hosting an exhibition organized by Germany's Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations that explores the sociopolitical situation in Europe today and ponders the notion of a "European identity." Curated by Sabina Klemm and Sanja Kojic Mladenov, "Eurovizion: Crossing Stories and Spaces" opens on April 28 with a performance by Ivana Ivkovic,

Perhaps it was the fact that my daughter was in her final year of high school while I was reading "The Tale of Genji," a 1,300-page tome written more than 1,000 years ago by a lady-in-waiting at the court of a Japanese emperor. But when I reached a pivotal scene, a few lines of poetry nearly undid me.

"Who built Thebes of the seven gates? In the books you will find the name of kings. Did the kings haul up the chunks of rock? There are so many reports and so many questions."

The first Harry Potter television series is set to be made, with author JK Rowling acting as an executive producer, Warner Bros. Discovery announced on April 12.

Rowling has recently faced accusations of transphobia for putting an emphasis on biological sex over gender identity in comments about trans women. She denies the accusation.

A mega exhibition honoring the Egyptian pharaoh Ramses II opened on April 7 in Paris, with his sarcophagus making a rare voyage abroad for the occasion.

The ornate coffin will be on show to the public at the Grand Palais museum in the French capital through Sept. 6.

The swiftness of lawlessness and the slow movement of the state apparatus and justice can be quite astonishing. A prime example is the construction of large, unauthorized buildings that are provocative in nature. These monstrosities are erected during the winter and are nearly completed by summer. We're not talking about discreet or underground structures here.

Legendary spy James Bond faces a race against time to save King Charles III's upcoming coronation in a new story to be released ahead of the May 6 ceremony, it was revealed on March 31. 

Author, actor and comedian Charlie Higson has been commissioned to write the book, in which Bond has to thwart plans to disrupt the coronation ceremony, according to Ian Fleming Publications.

After a bleak reimagining of "A Christmas Carol" in 2019, Steven Knight is back to give another Charles Dickens tale, "Great Expectations," similar treatment, with equally grim results. While the underlying story is better suited to such tinkering, even Olivia Colman's toothy performance can't salvage this six-part production, meaning viewers should set their expectations accordingly.

Every major tragedy in Greece is met with a lot of dust and noise. Briefly. Then the matter vanishes. The course of justice is desperately slow. Catharsis takes so long in coming, the matter is forgotten or loses its urgency.