The Blog of the LCSNA

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The Blog of the LCSNA

The Economist’s World in 2015

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Alice (and Cheshire Puss) has made the Sgt. Pepper-like cover of UK’s The Economist’s special issue, “The World in 2015.” Emma Hogan’s article inside in its “Culture” section is of interest as much for what it left out as what it included. The Morgan Library, NYU, and the Rosenbach’s exhibits are mentioned, but not the Alice150 celebration of which they are a part. Robert Douglas-Fairhurst’s forthcoming dual biography is mentioned, but not Edward Wakeling’s, which precedes it. It says Wonderland has been translated into “around 100” languages, when the number in our forthcoming volume is 170. Mysteries abound: what exactly does “a picture book with key scenes will be published” mean? But all in all, we are grateful for the notice.

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Alice Songfest

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Next Saturday, November 29, noon to 2 pm (East Coast time), Dee Michel will be doing a special version of his radio show, A Little Stage Music: all songs are related to Alice in Wonderland! Listen live at WMUA 91.1 FM if you’re in the Amherst area, or stream it from WMUA.org (live; it will not be available for podcast).

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New Volume of Poetry Translated into Russian

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Russian poet/scholar Dmitry Yermolovich has produced a volume, Охота на Угада и прочие странные истории (The Hunting of the Snark and Other Strange Tales), of Carroll’s poetry, containing his new translations of “Hiawatha’s Photographing,” “The Hunting of the Snark,” “The Three Voices,” “The Lang Coortin” and a number of other poems. All of them are printed in English and Russian side by side, and are supplied with endnotes and the original illustrations. An appendix contains poems by Lear and Milne.

His website is here. You can order it directly through the publisher through eBay here for $19, including shipping. The ISBN is 9785990533936.

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Peanuts in Wonderland

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IMG_20141109_0001The Peanuts in Wonderland exhibition opened yesterday at the wonderful Charles M. Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa, California (in Wine Country, a bit north of San Francisco). The gallery welcomes visitors with what seems to be a Victorian parlor, replete with photographs of or by Dodgson (and J. M. Cameron), books, and the like. With many framed examples of original art and glassed-in displays of comic books, toys, and such, the history of the intertwining of Carroll’s characters and the mediums of comic books, comic strips, and animation unfolds, with many examples from Peanuts and other strips. The display is beautifully mounted, with many “Easter eggs” (e.g., a disappearing Snoopy and his grin on a wall, a minuscule Sally Brown falling down a rabbit hole behind a tiny door), not to mention great swag (a Disappearing Cheshire Beagle mug, etc.).

The Museum itself is always worth a visit to fans of Schulz and Peanuts of all ages; this exhibition is a fine excuse for Carrollians. The show is open until April 26, and there’s a panel discussion on March 7, but come anytime!

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Wheelock Family Theatre Alice Musical Oct 17 – Nov 16

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This just in:  The Wheelock Family Theatre in Boston is mounting a new Alice musical.  Starting last Friday and running weekends through November 16th, tickets available here.  From their press release:

This new adaptation sends us on a fantastical coming of age adventure. Alice, relying on her wit and empathy, must negotiate the seemingly arbitrary rules of polite society; the tea parties, the poetry recitals, the croquet matches, and the important dates with royalty. In this distorted adult world of Wonderland, will Alice retain her dreams when pressured by the capricious nature of conformity?

This new musical adaptation of the stories “Alice in Wonderland” and “Alice through the Looking Glass” by Stoneham local, Andrew Barbato, offers a fresh musical perspective on the satirical vignettes drawn up by Lewis Carroll. Barbato, who has graced local stages as an actor, has been writing plays since he was a teen. “WFT has been an instrumental force in my artistic development and I feel lucky to have been mentored by founding members Jane Staab and Susan Kosoff,” says Andrew. “Places like WFT replenish my soul and remind me that the journey is much richer than the destination.

A nice review of the show appeared in the Boston Globe on Oct 22nd.

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Alice in Nightmareland

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This sounds fun for Halloween (my fave natch).  The town of Cedartown, GA will be puttin’ on a show, with a holiday theme accentuating its inate Alice-ness.

Cedartown residents have the chance next month to be tricked and treated to an original theatrical production written, directed and starring hometown folks.  A cast of more than 60 local actors and actresses will perform “Alice in Nightmareland” on Saturday, Oct. 18. Showtimes are 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 general admission.

Described as an Alice-in-Wonderland-meets-Tim-Burton performance, the show director, Roland Chandler, describes it as a family event. “It’s kind of a creepy but fun show with lots of laughter. Definitely a family-friendly show. It’s not like a gory spook house, it’s a great plot with great actors.”

If you live in the area, this sounds like great fun.  Go, and tell us all about it!

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Carroll Has Made the Big Time – A Question on QI

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Even though I am American, I love QI.  Hosted by Stephen Fry, who wouldn’t?  This year  to celebrate Series L, the questioneers have published a special set of 20 questions in the Daily Mail Event page.  And Carroll made the list!

Q10 LEWIS CARROLL
Lewis Carroll wrote many books but he was also a superb inventor. What did he invent?
a) A gas-fired toothbrush.
b) A pair of wheeled slippers.
c) A hat that combed your hair.
d) An alarm clock that threw you out of bed.

Answer: d). Lewis Carroll was the pen name of Charles Dodgson (1832-1898), an Oxford mathematics lecturer. He designed ‘The Alarm Clock Bed’, which featured in the Great Exhibition of 1851. It woke occupants by tipping them out at a set time. His other inventions included a device for writing down thoughts at night without getting out of bed and an early form of the game Scrabble.

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