‘Mawrdew,’ he wrote ‘Mawrdew,’ he wrote

Published in 1975, James McCourt’s novel Mawrdew Czgowchwz is engaged with a longing for the divine.

on July 07, 2017 at 9:44 AM
Invitation to the trance Invitation to the trance

“To mark the book’s publication, and to manifest the spirit of linguistic improvisation, Koestenbaum will perform piano miniatures (Scriabin, Chopin, Fauré, Milhaud, Poulenc) while incanting spontaneous Sprechstimme-style soliloquies.”

on August 25, 2015 at 1:24 PM
The Met: What is to be done? The Met: What is to be done?

Coming as Peter Gelb did from the music industry, opera lovers hoped that he would display a more distinctive knack for casting and an improved talent pipeline than Joe Volpe offered during the waning years of his tenure.

on April 15, 2014 at 1:24 AM

So, just as an anchor posting for a return to discussion of Mawrdew Czgowchwz (to resume Wednesday morning), La Cieca offers a little trivia question for the cher public. No prizes for the winner, but your doyenne is sure that sheer competitiveness will inspire you as so often before.

on August 17, 2010 at 11:58 PM

So how about another angle on Mawrdew Czgowchwz? Since, at the end of the novel, the eponymous oltrano decides to take a brief hiatus from her métier of “musicry” to star in motion picture, how about we produce (in the boundless realm of imagination) a film based on the McCourt novel? Above, La Cieca’s nominee…

on July 29, 2010 at 10:39 AM

By popular demand (by which La Cieca means she is going to make this discussion happen if it kills half the free world), here’s the 2002 parterre box interview with Mawrdew Czgowchwz author James McCourt.

on July 23, 2010 at 4:05 PM

La Cieca is delighted to throw out the first ball or lift her baton or whatever it is one does to launch a discussion, which in this case is on the topic of that most quintessential of all opera novels, Mawrdew Czgowchwz—though she does insist on prefacing anything she says with the caveat that she’s…

on July 22, 2010 at 12:20 PM

La Cieca was thinking that what with all the reading ye cher public are doing at the beach (or, more likely, bars and steam rooms and museums or wherever you hole up) it might be an interesting experiment to convene a virtual (i.e., online) book discussion. Except, instead of Oprah’s Book Club, this will be…

on July 15, 2010 at 12:20 PM