Behind the Scenes with Kubrick

By Adrien Mory

La Cinémathèque française in Paris is hosting a complete retrospective of the work of Stanley Kubrick. The exhibition is a great opportunity to re-discover the world of this unique and mysterious film maker who made such a mark on the 20th century.

Al-Aswany: Books and Revolutions

By The Global Dispatches

Egypt's best-selling author Alaa Al Aswany talks to The Global Dispatches about his time in Tahrir Square during the revolution that toppled Hosni Mubarak, his new book "On the State of Egypt", Dostoyevsky, the Muslim Brotherhood and some neglected classics of Egyptian literature.

Omara Portuondo and Chucho Valdés

By Eugenia Crassens

On tour in Europe to promote their new album, simply entitled “Omara and Chucho”, the legendary Cuban musicians had the audience jumping out of their seats when they performed at Rome’s Auditorium Parco della Musica.

Wicked Company

By Lev Myshkin

Philipp Blom's new book "Wicked Company: Freethinkers and Friendship in Pre-Revolutionary Paris" recounts the life of Baron d’Holbach’s intellectual salon of free thinkers, the “epicenter of intellectual life in Europe", in 18th century Paris. His salon was regularly attended by Diderot, Rousseau and a steady stream of eminent visitors from the 1750s right up until the French revolution.

Beat Box

By MC Ledbetter

Updated for June 2011. Every month we recommend a few music CDs that are worth digging up from the archives. This month The Wild Tchoupitoulas, Arnaldo Antunes and Hound Dog Taylor get main billing.