From The Moscow Times, Dostoevsky Rocks: Crime and Punishment has been made into an opera; and a new television mini-series of War and Peace doesn't do Tolstoy's novel justice. A review of Classics for Pleasure by Michael Dirda. Michael Dirda reviews Portraits and Observations: The Essays of Truman Capote. A review of Fallen Angels by Harold Bloom. Holy Code, Bloody Grail: A look at the unstoppable rise and rise of Dan Brown's incredibly bad book. Ken Follett thinks The Da Vinci Code is a little masterpiece. An elegy for the great American novel: If any writer believed in the existence of the Great American Novel it was Norman Mailer. He believed in it utterly, called it the "big one" and dreamed of bagging it – like a hunter in search of game. Now, he and many of his fellow hunters are gone. Can anyone take their place? The gendered reader: Old prejudices still persist and men don’t take women authors seriously. It’s time we appreciated a writer for what she is. The imaginative landscape of Pippi Longstocking's creator encompassed a profound social commitment. On the centenary of Astrid Lindgren's birth, Birgitta Steene reflects on a Swedish writer who made an exceptional contribution to literature and public life in her homeland yet who belongs also to the world (while Lindgren's heirs crack down on rip-offs). From Slate, Happiness Is a Warm Puppy: A look at the dour genius behind Peanuts; here's a very different take on "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown". More and more on Schulz and Peanuts: A Biography by David Michaelis. From Cracked, a look at the 5 most unintentionally hilarious comic strips.
