Crime fiction This article is more than 12 years oldTop German author confronts his grandfather's Nazi past in new bookThis article is more than 12 years oldFerdinand von Schirach's latest thriller features a character based on his grandfather, who headed the Hitler YouthIt's probably fair to say that Ferdinand von Schirach has become one of Germany's top authors in spite of, not because of, his famous surname. His grandfather was Baldur von Schirach, a Nazi who headed the Hitler Youth and was eventually sentenced to 20 years for crimes against humanity at the Nuremberg war trials. Read More...
Our unequal earthBiodiversityCreativity and agriculture merge with crop art, a craft that uses grains, seeds or leaves as its material – and Minnesota leads the way
When Laura Melnick arrived at a gathering hosted by her husband’s colleague over 25 years ago, she quickly realized this was no ordinary house party. Containers of seeds, toothpicks and Elmer’s glue topped the tables, and guests created pictures with dried seeds and beans that they stuck on to boards. Read More...
OperaObituaryDaniel Catán obituaryMexican-born composer whose romantic operas in Spanish have flourished in the USThe Mexico-born composer Daniel Catán, who has died aged 62 from a heart attack, was one of the many significant musical figures to emerge from Central and South America in recent years. The five operas he wrote – most recently Il Postino – shed the last inhibitions in his generation's retreat from modernism into unabashed romanticism.
Though his style was often compared to that of Puccini and Debussy, it changed with every work, from the lush nature painting of Florencia en El Amazonas (1996) to the Cuban ethnic influences of Salsipuedes (2004), and the more integrated sonorities that portrayed the inner emotions of Il Postino (2010). Read More...
