We have a wide range of interviews on music and drama. Emma Smith, Stanley Wells and René Weis choose their best plays of Shakespeare. No single play is chosen by all three, although, five are chosen by two of our experts. Mark Nixon chooses his best Samuel Beckett Books and Sos Eltis discusses Oscar Wilde. Charles Isherwood looks at Broadway and Michael Billington at 20th century theatre. Florent Masse discusses French Theatre and Slavoj Zizek choses his favourite plays, including Sophocles, Shakespeare, Claudel Brecht and Beckett.
Moving from the drama of the stage to that of the screen, we have Darren Aronofsky choosing his best books on making movies and Frank Cottrell-Boyce talks about filmmaking. Barry Forshaw talks about Film Noir and Andrew Sarris looks at film criticism. Ian Christie chooses his best books on Russian cinema and Brian Mcfarlane his on British cinema. Marina Hyde looks at Hollywood and Basil James and Adrian Kohler choose their best books on puppeteering. Meanwhile Richard Walter talks screenwriting and Matt Whitecross film directing. Jane Root discusses where good ideas come from and Woody Allen talks about the books that inspired him.
Turning to music, Igor Toronyi-Lalic chooses his best books on classical music and Philip Vannini looks at the ethnography of music. Andrew Grant chooses his best books on English church music. Giles Swayne chooses his best books on the lives of classical composers, Nikola Matisic and Robert Lloyd both choose their best books on Opera and Michael Tanner discusses Wagner. Alex Ross talks about writing about music. Menrig and Rachel Bowen choose their best music books for kids.
At a more popular level, Keith Spera chooses his best books on the music of New Orleans. Dorian Lynskey looks at protest songs and Greil Marcus at rock music. Keith Kahn Harris discusses heavy metal. Susan Bordo chooses her best books on popular culture.
The best books on Rock Music, recommended by Peter Lawlor
Successful musicians don’t necessarily need formal training or 10,000 hours of practice under their belt; what they must have is a feel for music, an innate gift. But many of rock’s brightest burning stars were lost to drugs. Here, Peter Lawlor—who combined a career as a senior economic advisor with that of an award-winning songwriter, producer and record label executive—selects five of the best books on rock music, focusing on revelatory biographies that peer behind the veil.
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Will
by Will Smith and Mark Manson -
2
Unbound: My Story of Liberation and the Birth of the Me Too Movement
by Tarana Burke -
3
This Much Is True
by Miriam Margolyes -
4
This Will All Be Over Soon: A Memoir
by Cecily Strong -
5
Act Like You Got Some Sense: And Other Things My Daughters Taught Me
by Jamie Foxx and Nick Chiles
The Best New Celebrity Memoirs, recommended by Sharon Marcus
The Best New Celebrity Memoirs, recommended by Sharon Marcus
While it’s easy to dismiss celebrity memoirs as offering cheap, voyeuristic thrills into the lives of famous people we like the look of, when they’re done well, they can give insight into challenges we all grapple with as human beings. They can also be very funny. Sharon Marcus, professor of literature at Columbia University and author of The Drama of Celebrity, recommends the best new celebrity memoirs.
The best books on American Film, recommended by Mark Harris
Five fantastic books on American film, selected by Mark Harris, bestselling author of Mike Nichols: A Life, who explains how “movies can reflect what’s going on in American society—sometimes anticipate it, sometimes fall behind it, sometimes lead it, and sometimes change it.”
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England's Dreaming, Revised Edition: Anarchy, Sex Pistols, Punk Rock, and Beyond
by Jon Savage -
2
Lipstick Traces: A Secret History of the Twentieth Century
by Greil Marcus -
3
Dead Kennedys' Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables (33 1/3)
by Michael Foley -
4
We Were Going to Change the World: Interviews with Women from the 1970s and 1980s Southern California Punk Rock Scene
by Stacy Russo -
5
Ronald Reagan: Fate, Freedom, and the Making of History
by John Patrick Diggins
The best books on Punk Rock (in 80s America), recommended by Kevin Mattson
The best books on Punk Rock (in 80s America), recommended by Kevin Mattson
Punk is more than just a musical genre. It is an ethos. Channelling one’s anger against the triteness of the culture industry’s offerings can be a spontaneous and creative act of resistance and rebellion. Moreover, as Kevin Mattson shows in this selection of books about punk in the 1980s in America, attending a rock concert by a band like the Dead Kennedys was a formative political experience for a generation of citizens, akin to attending a rally or a party convention. It was a spirit of constructive anarchy that can still channel the political anger of the alienated in the 21st century.
Favourite Theatre Books, recommended by Gyles Brandreth
The author and broadcaster Gyles Brandreth selects five of his favourite books about the theatre from the thousands that grace his bookshelves, taking in nonfiction, histories of music hall and amateur dramatics, plus a 16th century ‘romp’ starring one William Shakespeare.
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Handel: The Man and His Music
by Jonathan Keates -
2
Handel and the English Chapel Royal
by Donald Burrows -
3
Charles Jennens: The Man Behind Handel's Messiah
by Ruth Smith -
4
A General History of Music: From the Earliest Ages to the Present Period
by Charles Burney -
5
The Autobiography and Correspondence of Mary Granville, Mrs Delany
by Mary Delany
The best books on Handel, recommended by Andrew Gant
The best books on Handel, recommended by Andrew Gant
George Frideric Handel was born near Leipzig, became established in Italy, and ended life as England’s national treasure. Andrew Gant—author of a new book on Handel’s most famous composition—selects the five best texts for gaining an understanding of Handel’s life and work, and explains why opera divas were the premiership footballers of the Baroque period.
The Best Movies about Race, recommended by Greg Garrett
Movies are a big part of American cultural life and also one of the country’s biggest cultural exports. As a result, movies play an important role in how Americans see themselves, including in attitudes to race. Here Professor Greg Garrett of Baylor University—film historian, cultural theologian and author of A Long, Long Way: Hollywood’s Unfinished Journey from Racism to Reconciliation—talks us through five movies that best illustrate how Hollywood has evolved in terms of race over the past century, from Gone with the Wind to Get Out.
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Awopbopaloobop Alopbamboom: The Golden Age of Rock
by Nik Cohn -
2
British Hit Singles and Albums
ed. David Roberts -
3
John Lennon in My Life
by Nicholas Schaffner & Pete Shotton -
4
Be My Baby: How I Survived Mascara, Miniskirts, and Madness, or, My Life as a Fabulous Ronette
by Ronnie Spector & Vince Waldron -
5
I'm With the Band: Confessions of a Groupie
by Pamela Des Barres
The best books on Rock and Roll, recommended by Craig Brown
The best books on Rock and Roll, recommended by Craig Brown
We might console ourselves with the thought that rock stars are generally miserable, but the truth is that most of them seem to have a great time. Journalist, satirist and Beatles biographer Craig Brown selects five of the best books on that rock and roll lifestyle.
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Beethoven: Impressions by his Contemporaries
by Oscar Sonneck (Editor) -
2
Beethoven Variations: Poems on a Life
by Ruth Padel -
3
Beethoven for a Later Age: The Journey of a String Quartet
by Edward Dusinberre -
4
Beethoven: The Man Revealed
by John Suchet -
5
Beethoven: Anguish and Triumph
by Jan Swafford
The best books on Beethoven, recommended by Jessica Duchen
The best books on Beethoven, recommended by Jessica Duchen
He was a much misunderstood man and one of the greatest composers who ever lived. Music critic and novelist Jessica Duchen talks us through the best books about the German composer and pianist, Ludwig van Beethoven.
The best books on Verdi, recommended by Francesco Izzo
Nearly everyone knows the photo of Verdi’s funeral, the streets of Milan packed with people paying homage to the great composer. How did the son of an innkeeper from Le Roncole become not only one of the most famous opera composers of all time but also a prominent symbol of Italy’s Risorgimento? Verdi expert Francesco Izzo discusses the books to read to best understand the man, the myths, and the music.
The best books on Celebrity, recommended by Sharon Marcus
Why are so many of us fascinated by the lives of celebrities? When did interest in the dark side of celebrity become mainstream? Sharon Marcus, author of The Drama of Celebrity and a professor at Columbia University, recommends books to better understand the phenomenon of celebrity.
The Best Samuel Beckett Books, recommended by Mark Nixon
Samuel Beckett remains one of the most significant writers of the twentieth century. Ruthlessly experimental, his plays, novels, and poems represent a sustained attack on the realist tradition. Dr Mark Nixon looks at the mutating nature of Beckett’s literary style and explains why he didn’t choose Waiting for Godot.
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Good Booty: Love and Sex, Black and White, Body and Soul in American Music
by Ann Powers -
2
The New Analog: Listening and Reconnecting in a Digital World
by Damon Krukowski -
3
All in the Downs: Reflections on Life, Landscape, and Song
by Shirley Collins -
4
Night Moves
by Jessica Hopper -
5
My Thoughts Exactly
by Lily Allen
The Best Music Books of 2018, recommended by Laura Snapes
The Best Music Books of 2018, recommended by Laura Snapes
From a social history of the sexual and racial dynamics at play in American pop music to a meditation on how we consume music in the digital age, deputy music editor at The Guardian, Laura Snapes, picks the best music books of 2018.
Best Music Books for Kids, recommended by Meurig and Rachel Bowen
Have you heard that music is good for children but don’t know where to begin? Musicians Meurig and Rachel Bowen recommend the best music books for children.
Shakespeare’s Best Plays, recommended by Emma Smith
Shakespearean scholar Emma Smith picks her five favourite plays of the Bard, and controversially argues that not only are some of his plays just too long, but also that the most moving moments in Shakespeare’s oeuvre are where we might not expect them
The best books on Wagner, recommended by Michael Tanner
Richard Wagner’s works are as immense as they are influential: the four-part, 15-hour saga Der Ring des Nibelungen is the most analysed opera of all time. And yet, Wagner was arrogant and virulently anti-semitic. Can we separate the musical genius from the man? Opera critic Michael Tanner recommends the best books on Wagner.
The best books on Oscar Wilde, recommended by Sos Eltis
Oscar Wilde cultivated an image of himself as an idle genius, dashing off masterpieces with a lazy brilliance. But below the glittering linguistic surface of his works, suggests Sos Eltis, lies an anarchic politics and a phenomenal analysis of power.
The best books on French Theatre, recommended by Florent Masse
French theater is appreciated as much in reading as in performance. Princeton University’s Florent Masse offers us a reading from the point of view of teaching theater. How did the great men of theater—such as Jouvet, Copeau, or Vitez—build their learning? Discover the principles and references that guide the best directors. (You can also read this interview in the original French)
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Running with the Devil: Power, Gender and Madness in Heavy Metal Music
by Robert Walser -
2
Queerness in Heavy Metal Music: Metal Bent
by Amber R Clifford-Napoleone -
3
Black Sabbath's Master of Reality
by John Darnielle -
4
Into the Black: The Inside Story of Metallica, 1991-2014
by Ian Winwood and Paul Brannigan -
5
True Norwegian Black Metal
by Peter Beste
The best books on Heavy Metal, recommended by Keith Kahn Harris
The best books on Heavy Metal, recommended by Keith Kahn Harris
Metal music, developed in the sixties and seventies, is notorious for its dark and disturbing imagery and its aggressive sound. But there’s nothing to be afraid of, says sociologist and fan Keith Kahn-Harris: it’s all part of the mythmaking of metal.
Slavoj Žižek on His Favourite Plays
The philosopher and cultural critic recently made a foray into drama when he reworked Sophocle’s Antigone—not out of admiration for the original, but to examine the “stupid and morally problematic” character at its heart. Here he selects five plays he admires—but declines to see performed.
Stanley Wells recommends the best of Shakespeare’s Plays
In our Shakespeare series, we ask experts to select their favourite plays from the Bard’s oeuvre. Here, preeminent Shakespearean scholar Sir Stanley Wells chooses five plays that best chart the evolution of the Bard of Avon during his 25-year career.
René Weis on The Best Plays of Shakespeare
In the second of a Five Books series marking the 400th year since the world’s most popular playwright’s death, eminent Shakespearean René Weis picks his five favourite plays, and explains why King Lear will change your life.
The best books on English Church Music, recommended by Andrew Gant
Think you’re not interested in church music? Think again. Read this interview and you’ll soon find yourself ordering some books about it too. And a Happy Christmas from your editors at Five Books.
The best books on Popular Culture, recommended by Susan Bordo
Popular culture shapes our fantasies, our expectations and our beliefs about what is real, argues Susan Bordo. She picks five books that shed light on popular culture.
Alex Ross recommends the best Writing about Music
New Yorker music critic, Alex Ross, explains why writing about music is, really, nothing like “dancing about architecture.”
The best books on Making Movies, recommended by Darren Aronofsky
Darren Aronofsky, the Oscar-nominated director, recommends five amazing books about making movies—and talks about the filmmakers who inspired him.
Woody Allen on The Books that Inspired Him
Film legend Woody Allen talks us through his favourite books, from JD Salinger to Elia Kazan.
The best books on The Music of New Orleans, recommended by Keith Spera
The author of Groove Interrupted transports us to the world of Fats Domino and Professor Longhair, and tells us how (and where) to sample the city’s unique music culture
The best books on Rock Music, recommended by Greil Marcus
Time to get out your old CDs and LPs. The music journalist picks five books from Bob Dylan’s hinterland to confessions of a rock ’n roll groupie, and explains why good criticism is like writing fiction
Santigold on her Favourite Music Books
The critically acclaimed singer-songwriter took an unusual route to becoming a performer. She tells us how she got started, how to get what you want in the music business and how an extraordinary range of influences continue to inspire her
The best books on Broadway, recommended by Charles Isherwood
What divides a hit from a flop, artistically speaking? The New York Times theatre critic takes us behind the scenes to assess the art of writing for Broadway and the rules for avoiding musical disaster
The best books on Protest Songs, recommended by Dorian Lynskey
The journalist and author tells us what happens when protest meets pop music, which book inspired Springsteen and where hip-hop is most potent today
The best books on 20th Century Theatre, recommended by Michael Billington
Britain’s most experienced theatre critic, Michael Billington, selects five essential books for understanding 20th-century drama, from the birth of method acting to the stresses of running a national theatre.
The best books on Filmmaking, recommended by Frank Cottrell Boyce
Filmmaking involves lots of different disciplines, says the acclaimed English screenwriter and author. And the secret of making good films is to look outward – for instance, by reading the history of railways
The best books on Film Criticism, recommended by Andrew Sarris
The legendary American critic, Andrew Sarris, sounds off on auteurism, his own career and the value of the traditional film-writing canon over internet innovations such as IMDB. He picks the best books on film criticism.
The best books on Where Good Ideas Come From, recommended by Jane Root
The former head of BBC2 reveals the two important ideas that made The Office a worldwide success, and says that most good ideas are little ones nurtured over time. Here she chooses five books that hold the key to success
The best books on Film Noir, recommended by Barry Forshaw
Film writer Barry Forshaw plunges us into a world of dangerous women in ankle bracelets, flawed heroes silhouetted against a dark rain-swept street, smoky jazz scores and very unhappy endings.
The best books on Opera, recommended by Nikola Matisic
The Scandinavian tenor argues Verdi is the greatest. Also, “the opera house in itself is an instrument. You play on the space between the audience and the stage”
The best books on Indian Film, recommended by Brian Shoesmith
Professor Brian Shoesmith chooses five books that celebrate the lavish history of the Indian film industry. He maintains that Bollywood has become a global brand — in Perth, you can even take classes in Bollywood dance.
The best books on Classical Music, recommended by Igor Toronyi-Lalic
‘They don’t actually want to know anything, other than that this is a holy great art form beyond any other, that creates these über-geniuses who have no flaws and can do no wrong.’
The best books on The Ethnography of Music, recommended by Phillip Vannini
The Professor of Communication and Culture enlightens us about musical enthnography — what people do with music, and how they interact with music (and with one another)
The best books on The Cult of Celebrity, recommended by Fred Inglis
Fred Inglis, Emeritus Professor of Cultural Studies at the University of Sheffield, selects five books to help us understand the cult of celebrity, which is, as he puts it, “the public dramatisation of our best and worst feelings”.
The best books on The Lives of Classical Composers, recommended by Giles Swayne
From Bach to Stravinsky, British composer Giles Swayne discusses the most insightful books for getting to know the real lives of classical composers. “You can have people who are really extremely mediocre with huge careers, and people who are wonderfully good but don’t have wonderful careers. Bach was one of those.”
The best books on Screenwriting, recommended by Richard Walter
The Hollywood screenwriting guru picks the best five books on writing a blockbusting screenplay. Aristotle knew what he was doing. It’s all about the story. Less is more. One word is better than lots of words. Simple really.
The best books on Film Directing, recommended by Mat Whitecross
The young film director of Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll (about the troubled but brilliant British rock star Ian Dury) talks about the books that inspire his films.
The best books on Russian Cinema, recommended by Ian Christie
From Eisenstein to Tarkovsky, film scholar Ian Christie looks at the titans of Russian cinema and draws attention to the pre-Revolutionary Siberian gold merchant’s daughter who opened a cinema purely for the upper classes.
The best books on Puppeteering, recommended by Basil Jones and Adrian Kohler
Founders of the Handspring Puppet Company pick their favourite five books on puppeteering. Enid Blyton and African Scenery and Animals both make the cut, as does same-sex behaviour in the natural world
The best books on Hollywood, recommended by Marina Hyde
The best books on Hollywood. ‘Smart people went to the ballet and opera, and what the poor and lower middle classes did with their time didn’t matter. But these men in Hollywood had a vision and were creating this product that was loved by everybody of all different backgrounds.’
The best books on British Cinema, recommended by Brian McFarlane
The editor of the Encyclopaedia of British Film talks about Britain’s cinematic offerings. ‘I love Brief Encounter – I cry from the moment Celia Johnson speaks until the credits come up at the end.’
The best books on Opera, recommended by Robert Lloyd
The opera singer says most people of his age feel that the quality of singing has given way to the providing of a dramatic spectacle. His book selection spans Italian opera and revelations of an opera manager