New on DVD: “Great Writers: William Faulkner”

You know how some people like to say that you can never learn anything from watching television? Well, the folks at Kultur Entertainment have put together a series of documentaries that proves that adage wrong. Called the Great Writers Series, these 45-minute films take viewers behind the scenes of the life and times of some of the greatest novelists of the 20^th century, including Truman Capote, John Steinbeck, Tennessee Williams, and William Faulkner. In fact, Great Writers: William Faulkner is now available on DVD. Featuring insightful commentary, archival documents and rare interviews, it’s a thought-provoking look at Faulkner’s life, as well as the politics and social events that helped shape his writing.  

Ed Robertson
www.edrobertson.com

New book by Will Durst skewers partisan politics from every angle

We mostly think of Will Durst as a stand-up comic, radio personality (his talk show with Willie Brown is back as a podcast via willandwillie.com) and political satirist nonpareil. But he’s had his share of odd jobs – 103, to be exact. Why so many? “I have always, still have and probably forever will have an eensy-weensy, teeny-tiny, itty-bitty problem with authority,” Durst confesses in his new book, The All-American Sport of Bipartisan Bashing. “Of course, I was always aiming for Big-Time Headlining Comedian, for which there is no apprenticeship program, and it was necessary to keep my nights free.”

Durst is at his edgy best in All-American Sport, a witty collection of short riffs that skewer partisan politics from every conceivable angle. I had a chance to chat with him last week for The Wave Magazine; click here for the complete article.

Ed Robertson
www.edrobertson.com