When Naguib Mahfouz serialized his novel 'The Children of Gebelawi' in Arab-language newspapers, the fundamentalist Muslim group al-Jihad promptly put a bounty on his head. Thirty years later, in 1994, the Nobel Prize-winner was stabbed in the neck outside his Cairo home. Though he lived to tell the

Dramatic, Epic, Intense, Modernist literature, Mythic

Architecture is an art form that is heavily inspired by theory -- the production of pieces so monumental and visible is understandably self-conscious. Some architects, however, transcend impersonal theory and create from their own history, spirit, and pleasure. Carlo Scarpa was such a visionary; he c

Bright, Charming, Dramatic, Layered

Like Pina Bausch, Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker has an affinity for the dramatic and overwrought -- Mark Morris even dubbed her "Anne Teresa de Tearjerker." However, we cannot overlook the rigor with which she approaches form. Her pattern-making has been compared to that of such Minimalists as Laura Dea

Dramatic, Euro-surreal expressionism, Hypnotic, Overflowing, Pathos, Severe

Australian director Baz Luhrmann burst onto the international scene with his hit film, "Strictly Ballroom," a funny, campy romantic fable set in the world of competitive dance. Originally produced by Luhrmann as a 30-minute stage play, "Strictly Ballroom" premiered at the 1992 Cannes Film Festival, w

Bright, Dramatic, Film down under, Playful, Pop, Sardonic