MEMETERIA by Thomas May

Arts & Culture Stories from NPR

• Michael Bond, Creator Of Paddington Bear Books, Dies At 91
  Michael Bond, creator of the beloved Paddington Bear books, died Tuesday at 91. The classic children's book character is a scruffy little bear prone to accidents, but he means well.
• 'Baby Driver' Is An Action-Packed, Elegant Joyride
  Director Edgar Wright rejects computer-generated unreality and instead focuses on breathtaking driving in his new heist thriller. Critic David Edelstein says the result is terrifically entertaining.
• Michael Bond, The 'Giant' Behind Paddington Bear, Dies At 91
  "Mr. and Mrs. Brown first met Paddington on a railway platform" — and readers first met Paddington with those words in 1958. Bond, who died Tuesday, turned that bear into an unforgettable friend.
• Actor Michael Nyqvist, Of Swedish 'Dragon Tattoo' Films, Dies At 56
  Nyqvist, whose other films include John Wick and Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol, died of lung cancer, according to his representative.
• Cultural Appropriation Is, In Fact, Indefensible
  Recently, the New York Times published an essay defending cultural appropriation as necessary engagement. But that's a simplistic, misguided way of looking at appropriation, which causes real harm.
• Multiple Narratives Mean Non-Stop Action In 'The Child'
  Fiona Barton's latest — a followup to last year's hit The Widow — picks up with journalist Kate Waters as she digs into another cold case, this one an infant skeleton found at a building site.
• In 'Baby Driver,' The Action, The Script And The Music Go Full Throttle
  "This is a squealing-tires symphony that owes more to Jacques Tati ... than to Justin Lin or Michael Bay," says critic Chris Klimek.
• 'They Love Freedom': Ai Weiwei On His Lego Portraits Of Fellow Activists
  The Chinese artist created Trace while under house arrest, and he wasn't allowed to travel to their San Francisco debut. Now, he has his passport back, and was finally able to see it on display.
• 'The Strange Death Of Europe' Warns Against Impacts Of Immigration
  NPR's Robert Siegel talks to Douglas Murray about his new book, The Strange Death of Europe: Immigration, Identity, Islam. He argues that European civilization is dying as a result of immigration.
• Documentary Giant Albert Maysles' Last Film, 'In Transit,' Is Still In Limbo
  Before he died, Maysles (who also made Grey Gardens) said In Transit was his "dream film." But questions about who owns the rights has made it difficult to see.