“Chee’s novel charts Berne’s course from the mid-19th-century snowbound Minnesotan frontier, to the tents of a roving circus troupe, to the bowels of the Tuileries in Second Empire France, to the basket of a hot-air balloon hurtling away from Paris during the bloodshed of the Commune. Along the way, there are cameos from the likes of Giuseppe Verdi, Ivan Turgenev, George Sand, Emperor Napoleon III and Empress Eugenie, the courtesan Cora Pearl, and, most fascinating of all, the Comtesse de Castiglione, Imperial mistress and likely spy.” [Vogue]

La Cieca

James Jorden (who wrote under the names "La Cieca" and "Our Own JJ") was the founder and editor of parterre box. During his 20 year career as an opera critic he wrote for the New York Times, Opera, Gay City News, Opera Now, Musical America and the New York Post. He also raised his voice in punditry on National Public Radio. From time to time he directed opera, including three unsuccessful productions of Don Giovanni. He also contributed a regular column on opera for the New York Observer. James died in October 2023.

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