Overviews and Compilations

Africa to America to Paris: The Migration of Black Writers.

Traces the path of African-American literature from the shores of the U.S. to the Left Bank of Paris at the end of World War II through the late 1960s. The program provides context by first exploring the New Orleans salon poetry of Desdunes and then discussing the historic suppression of black activists in the U.S. after the Harlem Renaissance. This program primarily traces the lives of James Baldwin, Richard Wright and Chester Himes who immigrated to Paris seeking greater intellectual freedom. Includes remembrances of fellow artists and readings from their diaries and works. 1997. 53 min. Video/C 5624

The Beat Generation.

A compilation of poetry and prose, music, and commentary on the Beat Generation (sound recordings). Contents: v. 1. San Francisco scene (The beat generation) (Jack Kerouac) -- The beat generation (Bob McFadden & Dor) -- Footloose in Greenwich Village -- Blues Montage (Langston Hughes, with Leonard Feather) -- Manhattan fable (Babs Gonzales) -- Reaching into in (Ken Nordine) -- Parker's mood (King Pleasure) -- Route 66 theme (Nelson Riddle) -- Diamonds on my windshield (Tom Waits) -- Naked lunch (excerpt) (William Burroughs) -- Bernie's tune (Lee Konitz, with The Gerry Mulligan Quartet) -- Like rumpelstiltskin (Don Morrow) -- Oop-pop-a-da (Dizzy Gillespie & his orchestra) -- Basic hip (Del Close & John Brent) -- Christopher Columbus digs the jive (John Drew Barrymore) -- The clown (Charles Mingus, with Jean Shepherd) -- The murder of two men by a young kid wearing lemon colored gloves (Kenneth Patchen, with The Chamber Jazz Sextet) -- v. 2. The hip gahn (Lord Buckley) -- Twisted (Lambert, Hendricks & Ross) -- Yip roc heresy (Slim Gaillard & his Middle Europeans) -- Ha (Charlie Ventura & his orchestra) -- Pull my daisy (David Amram Quintet, with Lynn Sheffield) -- October in the railroad earth (Jack Kerouac & Steve Allen). The cool rebellion (Howard K. Smith) -- Cosmic rays (Charlie Parker Quartet) -- Kookie's mad pad (Edd Byrnes) -- Bebopper (The Gordons, with Hank Jones Trio) -- Hunger is from (Ken Nordine) -- No pictures, please (Rod McKuen) -- Like young (Perry Como, with Mitchell Ayres & his orchestra) -- Married blues (Kenneth Rexroth) -- Psychopathia sexualis (Lenny Bruce) -- v. 3. Jack & Neal ; California, here I come (Tom Waits) -- Readings from "On the road" and "Visions of Cody" (Jack Kerouac, with Steve Allen) -- Interview with Jack Kerouac (Ben Hecht) -- Kerouazy (Don Morrow) -- Cool (Del Close & John Brent) -- But I was cool (Oscar Brown Jr.) -- Uncool (Del Close & John Brent) -- High school drag (Phillipa Fallon) -- Oop-bop sh-bam (Kenny Clarke & his 52nd Street Boys) -- Professor bop (Three Bips & A Bop, featuring Babs Gonzales) -- Beatnik's wish (Patsy Raye & the Beatniks) -- Like having fun (Elmer Bernstein) -- On Beatniks (Carl Sandburg) -- Swinghouse (Gerry Mulligan Quartet) -- The Greenwich Village poets (Charles Kuralt) -- American (Allen Ginsberg). Sound/D 2

The Beat Generation: An American Dream.

In the early 1950s a small group of writers and painters gathered in the Bohemian quarters of New York and San Francisco. They voiced their concerns over America's post WWII euphoria in a manner so raucous and colorful that the media took note and dubbed them the Beat Generation. This film portrait of this volatile period of American culture is illuminated perfectly through rare archival footage and interviews with those who lived through and influenced the era. 1987. 88 min. Video/C 5672

Black Women Writers

A discussion dealing with criticism by black men that black women writers have achieved their success by focusing criticism on black males. 1992. 288 min. Video/C 4252

The Bonn Biennale '98

Presents 2 segments from a German television news magazine. Part 1 visits the Bonn Biennale, a theaterfestival highlighting contemporary theatrical authors, presenting plays from 19 European countries. Part 2 is an interview with Martin Walser, renowned author of Germany's post-war literature and recent recipient of the German Book Industry Peace Prize. 1998. 27 min. Video/C 8080

California Since the Sixties: Revolutions and Cunterrevolutions. Readings by Maxine Hong Kingston's Veterans Writing Workshop and Robert Hass, 2/5/99.

Poetry readings led off by California poet laureate, Robert Hass, reading from his own works followed by poetry and prose written and presented by members of the Veterans Writing Workshop which was originally developed by Maxine Hong Kingston to provide a literary voice for Vietnam War veterans. Contents: Robert Hass (30 min.); Boy and the buffalo, Jim Jenko (sp?) (6 min.); The hunt, Keith Maker (?) (8 min.); Ish, Niki Cashton (?) (7 min.); Prologue to Grief denied: a Vietnam widow's story, Pauline Lorentz (?) (9 min.); The visit, Lee Swenson (?) (8 min.); Muhammad Ali. Live body. One more, Jeremiah Kelvio-Swazaw (?) (6 min.); Untitled piece, Katherine Beckwith (?) (6 min.); The well by the trail. Ambivalent nature of healing, Ted Sexhauer (?) (9 min.) 102 min. Video/C 5980

Cammin leggendo

Ten part journey through Italian culture hosted by Vittorio Gassman, with particular regard for the literature and poetry of specific areas in Italy. 31 minutes each installment. In Italian.

Focuses on the culture of Turin. DVD 7178

Focuses on the culture of the towns of Recanati and Cesenatico. DVD 7179

Focuses on the culture of the town of Como. DVD 7180

Focuses on the culture of the town of Genova. DVD 7181

Focuses on the culture of the town of Venezia (Venice). DVD 7182

Focuses on the culture of the town of Roma (Rome). DVD 7183

Focuses on the culture of the town of Napoli (Naples). DVD 7184

Focuses on the culture of the town of Romagna. DVD 7185

Focuses on the culture of the town of Siena. DVD 7186

Cultural Revolution in the Literary Cannon

African American author and poet Amiri Baraka addresses his experiences at Rutgers University within the larger context of American political culture and racism. 1992. 60 min. Sound/C 1520

The EAV History of English literature.

Presents a historical survey of English literature from Beowulf to the 1980s, using five aspiring young actors, documentary film footage, and historical stills. Into the 18th Century ends with Richardson. Into the 1980's begins with Samuel Johnson and ends with Philip Larkin and Ted Hughes. 103 min. Video/C 1184

First Person Feminine (series I) [Sound Recording]

Tape 1. Mabel Dove Danquah. Efua Theodora Sutherland -- Tape 2. Ama Ata Aidoo. Flora Nwapa -- Tape 3. Barbara Kimenye. Grace Ogot -- Tape 4. Olive Schreiner. Doris Lessing -- Tape 5. Nadine Gordimer -- Tape 6. Miriam Tlali. Bessie Head -- Tape 7. Assia Djebar. Fadhma Amrouche -- Tape 8. Marguerite Taos-Amrouche -- Tape 9. Marguerite Taos-Amrouche. Andree Chedid -- Tape 10. Leyla Erbil. Hualing Nieh. -- Tape 11. Hualing Nieh. Punyakante Wijenaike -- Tape 12. Suvimalee Gunaratna. Chitra Fernando -- Tape 13. Ethel Rovere. Christine Craig. Duration: Each program is approx. 30 min. in length. Originally broadcast in 1980-1981 on WOI-FM Radio, Ames, Iowa. Sound/C 1493

First Person Feminine (series II) [Sound Recording]

Tape 1. Program 1: Evelyne Accad interview. Program 2: Evelyne Accad "In between", pt. 1 -- Tape 2. Program 3: Evelyne Accad "In between", pt. 2. Program 4: Andree Chedid commentary and discussion -- Tape 3. Program 5: Andree Chedid "Mort au ralenti". Program 6: Latifa el-Zayat -- Tape 4. Program 7: Laila Baalabaki. Program 8: Sahar Khalifeh -- Tape 5. Program 9: Sahar Khalifeh. Program 10: Houaria Kadra -- Tape 6. Program 11: Selected modern Arab women poets and critics. Program 12: Soraya Noland interview --Tape 7. Program 13: Leyla Erbil. Program 14: Isabelle Eberhardt --Tape 8. Program 15: Simone Schwarz-Bart. Program 16: Lucie Horlyk -- Tape 9. Program 17: Maryse Conde, pt. 1. Program 18: Maryse Conde, pt. 2 -- Tape 10. Program 19: Vera Bell. Program 20: Lucille Iremonger -- Tape 11. Program 21: Jean Rhys. Program 22: Angelita Reyes -- Tape 12. Program 23: Paule Marshall. Program 24: Liliane Dbevieux Dehoux -- Tape 13. Program 25: Alifa Rifaat. Program 26: Sylvia Wynter -- Tape 14. Program 27: Peggy Appiah, pt. 1. Program 28: Peggy Appiah, pt. 2 -- Tape 15. Program 29: Isak Dinesen (Karen Blixen). Program 30: Micere Githae Mugo. Duration: Each program is approx. 30 min. in length. Originally broadcast in 1981-1982 on WOI-FM Radio, Ames, Iowa. Sound/C 1494

First Person Feminine (series III) [Sound Recording]

Tape 1. Program 1: Danielle Beaulieu "Il neige sur les frangipaniers". Program 2: Danielle Beaulieu "Les coquelicots" -- Tape 2. Program 3: Danielle Beaulieu commentary and readings from her work. Program 4: Nifissatou Diallo -- Tape 3. Program 5: Miriama Ba. Program 6: Aminata Sow Fall -- Tape 4. Program 7: Buchi Emecheta "Second-class citizen". Program 8: Buchi Emecheta "The bride price" and "The slave girl" -- Tape 5. Program 9: Buchi Emecheta "The joys of motherhood". Program 10: Martha Mvungi -- Tape 6. Program 11: Louise Darios. Program 12: Barbara Acquah --Tape 7. Program 13: Louise Gareau-Des Bois. Program 14: Myriam Warner-Vieyra -- Tape 8. Program 15: Amelia Blossom House. Program 16: Hazel Mugot -- Tape 9. Program 17: Santha Rama Rau. Program 18: Pensri Kiengsiri -- Tape 10. Program 19: Jennifer Draskau "Welcome home". Program 20: Jennifer Draskau "The love child" -- Tape 11. Program 21: Catherine Lim "Or else" and "Father and son". Program 22: Catherine Lim "Monkey face". -- Tape 12. Program 23: Ding Ling. Program 24: Yuan-Tsung Chen "The dragon's village"--Tape 13. Programs 25 & 26: Yuan-Tsung Chen "The dragon's village"--Tape 14. Programs 27 & 28: Raden Adjeng Kartini "Letters of a Javanese princess"-- Tape 15. Program 29: Evelyne Accad. Program . Program 30: Summation. Duration: Each program is approx. 30 min. in length. Originally broadcast in 1982-1983 on WOI-FM Radio, Ames, Iowa. Sound/C 1495

Literature: From Words, Truth.

Part of a series of programs on the humanities stressing the relationship between the arts and human emotions. This segment looks at the influences of poetry, literature and the alphabet in the quest for human understanding. Host: Maya Angelou. Originally presented as a segment on the television program Humanities through the arts in 1978. 30 min. Video/C MM587

Furious Flower: Conversations with African American Poets.

A four part video anthology of African American poetry from the 1940s to 1995 offering intimate portraits of leading poets reading and discussing their own works. Originally presented at the Furious Flower Conference held September 29-October 1, 1994 at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

Volume 1, Elders: Part 1 introduces poets who laid the groundwork for today's Black poetry renaissance and mentored many of the younger voices represented in this series. These writers, many of whom began writing during the 1940s provided the wisdom and strong literary voice which brought Black verse to competence and maturity. Featuring Samuel W. Allen, Mari Evans, Naomi Long Madgett, Alvin Aubert, Pinkie Gordon Lane. 114 min. Video/C 6023

Volume 2, Warriors: Part 2 examines the poets of the movements of the 1960s. Their works defined a strong Black cultural identity and waged a war for literary self-determination. Here these veterans read from works which stirred a generation and discuss the achievements and unfulfilled hopes of their movement. Featuring Amiri Baraka, Haki R. Madhubuti, Kalamu ya Salaam, Sonia Sanchez, Eugene Redmond, Nikki Giovanni. 114 min. Video/C 6024

Volume 3, Seers: Part 3 looks at the poetry that followed the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s, which was marked with a broadened scope. While retaining the same political commitment, the poets extended their vision into new regions, exploring personal, sometimes taboo subjects and imbuing traditional forms with a contemporary intensity. Featuring Rita Dove, Toi Derricotte, Dolores Kendrick, Sherley Anne Williams, Gerald Barrax, E. Ethelbert Miller, Michael S. Harper. 114 min. Video/C 6025

Volume 4, Initiates: Part 4 highlights the younger poets of the 1990s who represent the promise and diversity of Black poetry as it develops into the 21st century. Featuring Elizabeth Alexander and members of the Dark Room Collective: Thomas Sayers Ellis, Kevin Young, Sharan Strange, Major Jackson, Vera Beatty, John Keene. 27 min. Video/C 6026

Have You Heard the Word?

From alternative rock concerts, to MTV, to clubs, coffee shops, even public parks and buses, poetry in performance, today dubbed "the spoken word," is back. This documentary, hosted by dub poet Clifton Joseph, examines the roots of this phenomenon and demonstrates its rebirth. The film also includes performances and interviews with many of the most popular spoken word artists today as well as such legendary Beat Generation predecessors as Allen Ginsberg.

Performer: Performers: Maggie Estep, Regie Cabico, Stan Rogal, Reg E. Gaines, Umar Bin Hassan, Bob Holman, Nicole Blackman, Sheri-D Wilson, Edwin Torres, Jeanette Armstrong, Henry Rollins, Bill Kennedy, Adeena Karasick, Jill Battson, Bill Bissett, Gerry Gilbert, Paul Dutton, Christian Bok, Allen Ginsberg. 1994. 57 min. Video/C 5110

Humane Hatred: From Anguish to Art in the Protest Literature of the Black Experience. [Sound Recording]

Recorded at Iowa State University on Dec. 2, 1977. A lecture examining the protest literature of African American and African authors. 51 min. Sound/C 1496

In/Word/Out: Thoughts on Poetry and Performance

Poetry readings and discussion with poets Jeff Filipski, Lyn Lifshin, Michael Basinski, and Gerald Locklin, with E. R. Baxter. 58 min. Video/C 6230

Keats and His Nightingale: Blind Date.

An effort to arouse the curiosity of people who do not like poetry, the program depicts the different views of poetry held by people from all walks of life, especially their views on the poem "Ode to a Nightingale", by the English romantic poet John Keats. 30 min. Video/C 1239

The Modern World : Ten Great Writers.

[1] Joseph Conrad -- [2] Fyodor Dostoyevsky -- [3] T.S. Eliot -- [4] Henrik Ibsen -- [5] James Joyce -- [6] Franz Kafka -- [7] Thomas Mann -- [8] Luigi Pirandello -- [9] Marcel Proust -- [10] Virginia Woolf. Video/C 1253

The NY Beat Generation Show. Volume 2, Women and the Beats.

Panel: Ann Charters, Carolyn Cassady, Joyce Johnson, Hettie Jones, Jan Kerouac, Joanne Kyger. Interviews: Pam Grossman, J.M. Theisen. Moderator: Anne Waldman. A panel discussion by women authors who were involved in the "beat generation" of the late 50's and 60's. 57 min. Video/C 4337

Negro Novelists/Books and Authors with David Littlejohn.

Littlejohn discusses and interprets the work of three African-American novelists; Richard Wright's Native Son, Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man, and James Baldwin's Going to Meet the Man. Also included is a reading by Littlejohn, of poems by Gwendolyn Brooks and Le Roi Jones (now Imamu Amiri Baraka). 60 min. Video/C 2009

Panitikan: A Video Documentary on Philippine Literature

Traces the origins of Philippine literature from the indigenous riddles and chants through the Spanish colonial literature, to the prose and poetry of the 19th century of the nationalist writers and the romanticism, realism and radicalism of the writings of the 20th century. c1989. 35 min. Video/C 8059

Poeti e scrittori italiani del Novecento.

In Italian

1, Eugenio Montale: A A documentary on the life and work of Italian author, Eugenio Montale. Includes biographical details, commentary and interviews with the author and readings from his works. 40 min. DVD 7194

2, Giuseppe Ungare: A A documentary on the life and work of Italian author, Giuseppe Ungaretti. Includes biographical details, commentary and interviews with the author and readings from his works. DVD 7195

3, Leonardo Sciascia: A documentary on the life and work of Italian author, Leonardo Sciasc. Includes biographical details, commentary and interviews with the author and readings from his works. DVD 7196

4, Pier Paolo Pasolini: A documentary on the life and work of Italian author and film director, Pier Paolo Pasolini. Includes biographical details, commentary and interviews with the author and readings from his works. DVD 7197

5, Sandro Penna: A documentary on the life and work of Italian poet, Sandro Penna. Includes biographical details, commentary and interviews with the author and readings from his works. DVD 7198

6, Giorgio Caproni: A documentary on the life and work of Italian author, Giorgio Caproni. Includes biographical details, commentary and interviews with the author and readings from his works. DVD 7199

7, Umberto Saba: A documentary on the life and work of Italian poet and author, Umberto Saba. Includes biographical details, commentary and interviews with the author and readings from his works. DVD 7200

8, Attilio Bertolucci: A documentary on the life and work of Italian poet, Attilio Bertolucci. Includes biographical details, commentary and interviews with the author and readings from his works. DVD 7201

9, Cesare Zavattini: A documentary on the life and work of Italian author and screenwriter, Cesare Zavattini. Includes biographical details, commentary and interviews with the author and readings from his works. DVD 7202

10, Andrea Zanzotto: A documentary on the life and work of Italian poet, Andrea Zanzotto. Includes biographical details, commentary and interviews with the author and readings from his works. DVD 7203

Racism in Literature.

An entertaining and informative look at how racism is handled in comic books and speculative fiction. The program features interviews with minority science fiction authors and cartoonists including black science fiction writer Sanuel R. Delany, native American writer, Owl Goingback, Asian American science fiction writer William F. Wu, and many others. 1995. 30 min. Video/C 5503

Die Romantik: Immer wachst und bluht Verlangen /

The film introduces the romantic era in German literature which started at the end of the 18th century. Important writers of this period are featured, such as Novalis, E. T. A. Hoffmann and Eichendorff. In German. 1997. 30 min. Video/C 7609

The Sci-Fi Files

For centuries, science fiction has predicted the future. This film series explores the history of this art form using clips from films and expert commentary. Parts 1-4, each preceded by 7 minutes of theatrical advertisements. 50 min. each.

Review citations from Media Review Digest (UCB users only)

Review from Video Librarian(UCB users only)

Part 1. Children of Frankenstein. Part 1 traces one of the prevalent themes of science fiction, biological experimentation and its potentially dangerous repercussions. From Frankenstein to 2001, from The Outer Limits to The Fly, this segment highlights some of the dangers of society's relationship with science. Films reviewed: Frankenstein, Outer limits, Sleeper, The Fly, Metropolis, The Humanoids, The Time Machine, Futureworld, Robocop, Brazil, Terminator 2, Blade runner, Barbarella, Dr. Who, Time bandits, Planet of the apes, 2001: a space odyssey. Video/C 5987

Part 2. Spaceships and Aliens. Part 2examines spaceships and aliens, some of the mostenduring icons of science fiction. This episodedescribes space as the playground for both mystery and adventure. Clips from films such as Men in Black and Close Encounters of the Third Kind and the quintessential space program, Star Trek are presented to illustrate the role science fiction has played in our quest for and conquest of the universe. Films reviewed: Alien, Trip to the moon, Star Trek, Destination moon, Flash Gordon, 2001: a space odyssey, Forbidden planet, War of the worlds, Men in black, Village of the damned, Day the earth stood still, Invasion of the body snatchers, Woman in the moon, First men in the moon, Dark star, Close encounters of the third kind, It: the monster from outer space. Video/C 5988

Part 3. March of the Machines Part 3looks at robots, one of the great figures in sciencefiction. Using clips from classic films and comicstrips this episode examines science fiction'sobsession with technology, from robotics to computers,from cyberspace to the technological development ofweapons. Films reviewed: Robocop, Metropolis, Dr. Who, Johnny Mnemonic, Sleeper, 2001: a space odyssey, Godzilla, Them, War game, Terminator 2, Dr. Strangelove, War games, Mad Max 2, Destination moon, Moonraker, Forbidden planet. Video/C 5989

Part 4. Living in the Future Part 4examines science fiction movies that project into thefuture of mankind. By tracing the evolution of thecity, attitudes towards women, sex and relationshipsand the continuing fascination with building ourselves a Utopia--perhaps on Mars, the film examines the dream of what the future may bring. Films reviewed: 1984, Forbidden planet, Rocketship X-M, Stepford wives, Barbarella, Robot monster, Flash Gordon, Devil girl from Mars, Queen of outer space, Metropolis, Woman in the moon, Terminator 2, Blade runner, Soylent green, Johnny Mnemonic, Total recall. Video/C 5990

Science Fiction (Culture Fix)

This program investigates the rapid evolution of science fiction through critical commentary and selected readings from H. G. Wells' The War of the Worlds and The Time Machine, Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, George Orwell's 1984, John Wyndham's The Day of the Triffids, J. G. Ballard's The Drowned World, Philip K. Dick's Blade Runner, Pat Cadigan's Tea from an Empty Cup, William Gibson's Neuromancer, and Jeff Noon's Pixel Juice. c1999. 29 min. Video/C 8398

Tell About the South: Voices in Black & White

The Southern Renascence to World War II. Tells the stories of the writers of the South exploring the literary careers and works of William Faulkner, Zora Neale Hurston, Thomas Wolfe, Jean Toomer, Margaret Mitchell, Erskine Caldwell, the Fugitive poets, the Blues poets and many more, in the context of the South's complex history and rich storytelling tradition during the years from 1915-1940. c1999. 81 min. Video/C 9267

Prophets & Poets. Tells the stories of the writers of the South exploring the lives and works of Richard Wright, Eudora Welty, Robert Penn Warren, Ralph Ellison, Flannery O'Connor, Lillian Smith, William Faulkner, and others, in the context of the South's bi-racial culture and deep sense of "place" during the years from 1941-1962. 71 min. Video/C 9268

Let Freedom Ring. Explores the lives and works of Southern writers Walker Percy, William Styron, Ernest Gaines, Alice Walker, Reynolds Price, Lee Smith, Larry Brown, Alex Haley, Clyde Edgerton, Albert Murray, Margaret Walker, George Garrett, Pat Conroy, Mary Lee Settle, and others, in the context of the rapidly changing post-Civil Rights Movement in the South during the years from 1963 to the present. 70 min. Video/C 9269

The Ten Year Lunch: The Wit and Legend of the Algonquin Round Table.

From 1919 to 1929 in New York City's Algonquin Hotel, a group of poets, novelists, playwrites, critics, humorists and editors met each day to exchange opinions, gossip and the most cutting wit of the day. 60 min. Video/C 1827

Media Review Digest (UCB users only)

Stone Reader

In 1972 Mark Moskowitz read a New York Times book review of "The stones of summer" by Dow Mossman, a title which, later in Moskowitz's life would become an object of obsession. Though he shelved the book for 25 years, Moskowitz finally read it and was amazed at its ingenuity. He was shocked that its one-time author never penned another book. Determined to solve the mystery, Moskowitz documented his research project in finding the forgotten author and getting to the bottom of the publishing mystery of how so many great books of literature, and great authors, just disappear. 2004. 129 min. DVD 3080

Top Hat & Tales: Harold Ross and the Making of the New Yorker

This documentary shows how Harold Ross, a high school dropout and miner's son from Colorado, started the sophisticated New Yorker magazine in 1925 by masterfully capturing the Jazz Age spirit, Broadway glamour and ultradry wit. Incorporating a rich array of film clips from the 20's and 30's -- speakeasies, jazz bands, rising skyscrapers -- this film reflects adazzling Manhattan evoking an image of a metropolis that still glitters. Includes interviews with current and former New Yorker staffers. 2001. 47 min. DVD 7109 [preservation copy]; vhs Video/C 8492

Voices & Visions.

[1.] Robert Frost. [2.] Ezra Pound: American odyssey. [3.] Langston Hughes: the dream keeper. [4.] Walt Whitman. [5.] Hart Crane. [6.] William Carlos Williams. [7.] Emily Dickinson. [8.] Marianne Moore: in her own image. [9.] T.S. Eliot. [10.] Wallace Stevens: man made out of words. [11.] Elizabeth Bishop: one art. [12.] Robert Lowell: a mania for phrases. [13.] Sylvia Plath. 780 min. Video/C 1067

Walter Kempowski: Chronicler Exhibition "40 + 10" (KuBus 22)

Presents 2 segments from a German television news magazine. Part 1 is an interview with Walter Kempowski, one of the most widely read contemporary German authors of today. Part 2 visits Germany's Museum for Contemporary History in Bonn which is presenting an exhibition on 50 years of history of the Federal Republic of Germany: 40 years of separate history and 10 years of joint history. 1998. 22 min. Video/C 8081

Where Poems Come From (Lannan Literary Videos)

Fifteen major poets read their poems and discuss the origins of their poetry in dreams, history, daily life, and the collective unconscious. Poets interviewed: Yehuda Amichai, Lucille Clifton, Victor Hernandez Cruz, Allen Ginsberg, Louise Gluck, Joy Harjo, Galway Kinnell, Philip Levine, W. S. Merwin, Czeslaw Milosz, Octavio Paz, Ishmael Reed, Gary Snyder, Anne Waldman, Alice Walker. 60 min. Video/C 6105

Women Working in Literature.

Performers: Adrienne Rich, Ntozake Shange, Carolyn Kizer, Anne Sexton, Alice Walker, Grace Paley, Cherrie Moraga, Audre Lorde, Joy Harjo, Maxine Hong Kingston, Judy Grahn, Bobbie, Louise Hawkins, Karen Brodine, Barbara Guest, Susan Howe, and Erica Hunt. 60 min. Video/C 3476

A Writer's Place in Politics

What role should writers play in society? Are they merely disengaged artists? In this interview Indian author Arundhati Roy discusses the political situation in India and in particular international commerce and the necessity for authors to use their skills to raise public awareness. 2001. 60 min. Sound/C 1519

To the top

Individual Authors/Poets

[Achebe, Chinua] Chinua Achebe (World of Ideas with Bill Moyers)

Bill Moyers interviews Nigerian novelist Chinua Achebe who discusses the West's often inaccurate portrayal of Africa and how it is the African storyteller's obligation to be the collective memory of the African people. 28 min. Video/C 1575

[Achebe, Chinua] Chinua Achebe: Africa's Voice

This program analyzes the impact Chinua Achebe and his writings have had on world literature, as well as his influence as an editor and a spokesman for a generation of African writers. Dr. Achebe, professors Abiola Irele and Gerald Graff, and Charles Larson, editor of the anthology Under African Skies, discuss the characterization, social implications, and levels of interpretation of Things Fall Apart. Vital concepts indigenous to the Ibos of southeastern Nigeria such as oral culture, reincarnation, and negotiation concepts essential to a deep understanding of the novel are also presented. 1999. 61 min. Video/C 6814

[Achebe, Chinua] Chinua Achebe: African Literature as Celebration.

Uncompromising yet nonpartisan in his views on politics and writing, Chinua Achebe -- author, editor, and literary critic -- ceaselessly explores the collision of European and indigenous African cultures. In this lecture the well-known ambassador of African literature, delivers a thought-provoking introduction to the world-class writing that has come from Nigeria and other African countries during the latter half of the 20th century. 1990. 52 min. Video/C 6900

[Achebe, Chinua] Chinua Achebe: The Importance of Stories

An interview with the first great African novelist writing in English, the Nigerian author Chinua Achebe. He discusses his personal views as an African and how his identity has shaped his writing. 1996. 57 min. Video/C 4625

Review citations from Media Review Digest (UCB users only)

[Akhmatova, Anna]The Anna Akhmatova File (Lichnoe delo Anny Akhmatovoy)

Examines a contradictory age in which a sensitive, lyrical and much loved poet, Anna Akhmatova, stands up to the brutal repression of Josef Stalin. Although her works were banned and weren't published for 17 years, her poem 'Requiem' became the underground anthem for the millions who suffered under Stalin. Directed by Semyon Aranovich. 2007. 65 min. DVD 8914

[Allende, Isabel] Isabel Allende: An Extraordinary Life.

When her daughter became ill and fell into a coma, Isabel Allende began to write the story of her family and the extraordinary events of which they were often the central element: about her mother, abandoned by her father and her mother's lover, Salvador Allende, who was elected president of Chile and was murdered during a coup that brought military dictatorship to Chile; and of her own immigration to California and her success as a writer. 1995. 52 min. Video/C 8669

[Allende, Isabel] Isabel Allende, the Chilean Storyteller

Isabel Allende discusses why she turned to writing novels, the impact of Chile's 1973 coup, her life as an emigre, and her recurring literacy theme of exile. She also describes her longing for her homeland, which continues to take up space in her life. 1988. 44 min. DVD 2295

[Allison, Dorothy] Two or Three Things But Nothing for Sure

A first person narrative by the author Dorothy Allison evoking her childhood in the poor white American South of the 1950's, her birth as a writer and feminist and her coming to terms with a family legacy of incest and abuse. Includes readings by the author from her works Two or three things I know for sure, Skin, and Trash. 1966. 12 min. Video/C 8703

Description from Women Make Movies catalog

[Amichai, Yehuda] Yehuda Amichai. (Lannan Literary Videos; 10).

Israeli poet Yehuda Amichai reads from his poems and is interviewed by Esther Robbins. c 1989. 60 min. Video/C 6103

[Arenas, Reinaldo] Before Night Falls.

Directed by Julian Schnabel, 2000. A dramatization of the life of the poet and novelist Reinaldo Arenas, from childhood in Cuba to his death in New York City. His writings and homosexuality got him in trouble with Castro's Cuba and he spent two years in prison before leaving for the United States. 134 min. DVD 1071

[Ashbery, John] John Ashbery.

John Ashberry discusses the influence of the visual arts on his poetry and reads a selection of his poetry in English and French. Filmed off-air by NET on March 4, 1966. 46 min. Video/C 1215

[Artaud, Antonin]En compagnie d'Antonin Artaud (My Life and Times with Antonin Artaud)

Presents the last two years of the life of French poet, madman, genius, and theatrical impressario, Antonin Artaud. Based on the diaries of Jacques Prevel, a poet who befriended Artaud in 1946 when he was released from an insane asylum. Special features: Documentary by Gerard Mordillat and Jerome Prieur (1933, 21 min.) "Jacques Prevel, de colere et de haine," an intimate portrait of the poet Jacques Prevel, a very close disciple of Artaud, based on the accounts of those close to him ; booklet including interviews with the directors and profiles of the participants ; optional subtitles ; scene selection. Issued with: Veritable histoire d'Artaud le Momo. 1993. 93 min. DVD 5094

[Artaud, Antonin]Veritable histoire d'Artaud le Momo (True Story of Artaud the Momo)

Artaud's friends and colleagues provide moving and extraordinary eyewitness testimony to his final years in this unique documentary. 1993. 93 min. DVD 5094

[Baldwin, James] James Baldwin

This program covers Baldwin's life, from his youth in Harlem to later years as an expatriate in Paris to his death in 1987. Interviews with the author, his contemporaries and critics create an intriguing portrait of Baldwin the man, the writer and avid civil rights activist. The program also explores Baldwin's views on the African-American experience as reflected in his writings. BBC, 1987. 54 min. Video/C 8899

[Baldwin, James] James Baldwin: The Price of the Ticket.

Presents a look at author James Baldwin's life as reflected in his own words and reminiscences of family and friends. 87 min. Video/C 1185

Description from California Newsreel catalog

[Baldwin, James]Negro Novelists / Books and Authors with David Littlejohn Filmed at KQED, October 18, 1965. Video/C 2009

[Baldwin, James]The Negro Writer in America Sound/C 1037

[Baldwin, James] The Negro in American Culture (Pacifica Radio) Sound/C 534

[Baldwin, James] The Artist's Struggle for Integrity Sound/C 281

[Baldwin, James] James Baldwin Interview with Walter Blum of San Francisco Chronicle Sound/C 691

[Baldwin, James] James Baldwin Interviewed by Marianne Heuwagen of Los Angeles Times Sound/C 692

[Baldwin, James] Baldwin vs Buckley 1965 [3/4" Umatic] Video/C 2299

[Baldwin, James] James Baldwin Sound/C 160

[Baldwin, James] James Baldwin: Questions and Answers, Wheeler Auditorium, UCB, 4/26/74 Video/C 2092 pt. 1-2

[Baraka, Amiri] Amiri Baraka (Sounds of Poetry with Bill Moyers)

Artist/activist Amiri Baraka has managed to alter not merely the face of African-American writing, but its very sound and substance as well. Among the first to promote Africanized English, he also introduced an element of jazz into poetry. In this program, Bill Moyers and Mr. Baraka discuss topics centering on the black experience in America. 1999. 27 min. Video/C 6824

[Baraka, Amiri] In Motion: Amiri Baraka

Talks with Amiri Baraka about his early days in Greenwich Village to his present literary and political activities. Focuses on the final 2 weeks before his sentencing at federal court on the charges of resisting arrest. 1982. 58 min. Video/C 5200

[Baraka, Amiri] Amiri Baraka (Lannan Literary Videos; 26).

Amiri Baraka, poet, playwright, novelist, essayist and political activist reads from his work "Boptrees" and from unpublished works in his politically charged, jazz-influenced performance in Los Angeles on February 11, 1991. He is interviewed by poet Lewis MacAdams. 60 min. Video/C 3488

[Barks, Coleman] Coleman Barks (Sounds of Poetry with Bill Moyers)

Coleman Barks, Professor Emeritus of English at the University of Georgia, has become the primary conduit for translating into English the ecstatic poetry of the 13th-century Sufi poet Jalal al-Din Rumi, the bard of Islam. In this program, Bill Moyers and Dr. Barks discuss topics including the intricate challenge of transforming antiquated Persian idiom into modern English while retaining its essence. 1999. 27 min. Video/C 6827

[Beauvoir, Simone de]A Conversation with Simone de Beauvoir Sound/C 37

[Beauvoir, Simone de]Simone de Beauvoir - Interview with Studs Turkell Sound/C 32

[Beauvoir, Simone de]Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir 60 min. DVD 4629

[Beauvoir, Simone de]Simone de Beauvoir: Un Film 110 min. Video/C 1491

[Beauvoir, Simone de]A Question of Place: Sound Portraits of Twentieth Century Humanists Sound/C 374

[Beckett, Samuel] Samuel Beckett: As the Story Was Told

The life of Irish novelist, poet and playwright Samuel Beckett is profiled in this two-part documentary from his Dublin childhood, to his days in Paris, to old age. Excerpts from a performance of the semi-autobiographical Krapp's Last Tape and previously unpublished letters tell the story, along with remembrances of Beckett's lifelong friend and publisher, Jerome Lindon, relatives and others who knew him. 1998. 105 min. Video/C 5626

[Beckett, Samuel] Samuel Beckett: Silence to Silence

Commentary, Declan Kiberd ; voice, David Warrilow ; narrator, Tony Doyle. Samuel Beckett's life and creative genius are portrayed through photographs, recitations of his works, and dramatizations of personal events in his life. 1986. 90 min. Video/C 5794

[Beckett, Samuel] Waiting for Beckett: a Portrait of Samuel Beckett

A documentary which combines film clips of Beckett's works with excerpts of Beckett's letters and a wealth of archival photographs and footage to create a compelling portrait of a man who is regarded as one of the greatest writers of the 20th century. In English and occasional French with English subtitles. Reading Beckett's work and letters, Chris O'Neill. 1993. 86 min. Video/C 6064

[Beowulf] SEE Heaney, Seamus

[Berry , Wendell ] Readings by Wendell Berry and Gary Snyder (Lannan Literary Videos; 78).

Poet and novelist Wendell Berry who lives and works hisfarm in Kentucky has been called the "prophet of rural America." Gary Snyder's poems reflect his study of Eastern literature and culture, his commitment to the environment and his concepts of humanity's place in the cosmos. Here both authors read from their works followed by an interview with Jack Shoemaker, editor-in-chief of Counterpoint Press. Recorded on Recorded on November 10, 1999. 89 min. Video/C 9092

[Berssenbrugge, Mei-mei] Reading by Mei-mei Berssenbrugge Lannan literary videos; 74.

The work of Asian American poet Mei-mei Berssenbrugge has been described as "spiritual exercises in physical form." Here she reads from her works followed by an interview with poet Arthur Sze. Recorded on April 1, 1999. 60 min. Video/C 9090

[Blake, William] William Blake.

Presents the life and thought of William Blake as related to our contemporary situation. Tells how the English poet lived a visionary life, describing and painting heaven. Explains how his bizarre lifestyle kept him poor, obscure, and solitary, but filled his days with delight. 57 min. Video/C 618

[Borges, Jorge Luis] Borges para Millones.

A biographical interview with Jorge Luis Borges which looks at the popular side of Borges' mysterious, arcane, often violent work, and at the man who created Includes staged reenactments of some of his works. 1988. In Spanish. 70 min. Video/C 5064

[Borges, Jorge Luis] Jorge Luis Borges: The Mirror Man.

This program examines the life and literary career of the charismatic Argentine writer, as well as the thematic, symbolic, and mythological underpinningsof his works. Archival interviews with Borges, his mother, his second wife, and his collaborator Adolfo Bioy Casares provide insights into the private Borges while readings from his works demonstrate his virtuosity as a transformer of experiences. 2000. 47 min. Video/C 7389

[Borges, Jorge Luis] Harto the Borges.

Borges repeatedly changed his writing style yet always felt fated, in the end, to be associated with his literary alter ego. This impressionistic program creatively blends archival footage, interviews, extensive film clips, and artwork in an effort to pin down the man behind the mythic persona. Interviewer: Ariel Dorfman. In Spanish. 66 min. Video/C 7383

[Borges, Jorge Luis] The Inner World of Jorge Luis Borges.

Jorge Luis Borges presents background for understanding his life and work. Includes interview with his mother, showing the source of his English literary influence. Discusses the difference in the shadowly outer life of a blind man, and the vivid inner reality apparent in his works. 28 min. Video/C 4472

[Boland, Eavan] Eavan Boland (Lannan Literary Videos; 42).

Eavan Boland is a major Irish poet, and in her nine books of poetry she explores the relationship between gender, art, and national identity--'the meeting place between womanhood and history.' Here Eavan Boland reads from her works "In a time of violence" and "Outside history" followed by a discussion of her work with Los Angeles poet Eloise Klein Healy. Recorded on November 16, 1994 in Los Angeles. 60 min. Video/C 9031

[Boyle, Kay] Kay Boyle. Lannan literary videos; 13.

Kay Boyle, always an eloquent advocate for human rights in her work and life, has published more than 30 books in a rich career that stretches back to Paris in the 1920's. This program presents her final public reading at the Los Angeles Theater Center and includes an interview by novelist Sean Wong. Recorded in Los Angeles on September 11, 1989. 60 min. Video/C 9074

[Bowles, Paul] Let It Come Down.

Against a backdrop of the exotic landscape of Morocco, the enigma of iconoclastic writer Paul Bowles begins to unravel. Interviews with the reclusive Bowles, who speaks with unprecedented candor about his work and his controversial private life, are intercut with the conflicting views of his detractors and supporters. Highlights of the film include exclusive footage of the last meeting of Bowles, William Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg in New York; detailed treatment of Bowles' work as a composer and readings of his poetic works. 1998 72 min. Video/C 7029

[Bowles, Paul] Paul Bowles: The Complete Outsider.

Filmed in Tangier, Morocco where Bowles has lived forthe last forty years, he speaks about his writing and music, his marriage to Jane Bowles, his ties to Moroccan culture, his use of drugs, and his writer and musician friends, including W.H. Auden, Tennessee Williams and Gertrude Stein. Includes interviews with Allen Ginsberg and Ned Rorem. 57 min. Video/C 4295

[Bowles, Paul] Paul Bowles: Things Gone and Things Still Here.

Paul Bowles is one of the last surviving representatives of a generation of artists whose work has shaped 20th century literature and music. This documentary traces Bowles' career as a novelist, translator, musicologist and composer for films and theater. It also discusses his marriage and relationship with Jane Auer, herself an author, and includes interviews with Bowles (who also reads from his writings) as well as interviews with colleagues. c1992. 60 min. Video/C 7829

[Boyle, Kay ] Kay Boyle Interview with Kay Bonetti

Interview with Kay Boyle in her home in Cottage Grove, Oregon in March 1985. Sound/C 585

[Bradbury, Ray ] Ray Bradbury: An Interview

Sound/C 212

[Bukowski, Charles] Bukowski: Born Into This

Seven years in preparation, presents a comprehensive documentary of Charles Bukowski (1920-1994) - international celebrity, poet, novelist and underground cult icon. Includes interviews with relatives, girlfriends, other poets and contemporaries. 2003. Special features: Bukowski's final home movie footage from 1992; sneak peek at previously unpublished poems and "Dinosauria, we"; deleted scene; extended interviews with Bono, Linda Lee Bukowski, Taylor Hackford and publisher John Martin; Tom Waits and Bono read Bukowski poetry; "Born into this" behind-the-scenes featurette; audio commentary by director John Dullaghan. 113 min. DVD 5606

[Bukowski, Charles] The Charles Bukowski Tapes

Fifty two separate interviews documenting Bukowski's views on the world and the human condition. Presents an intimate and unsparing portrait of the renegade poet of contemporary literature, interspersed with readings from his poems. Produced and directed by Barbet Schroeder. 1985. 240 min. DVD 8126; vhs Video/C 7725

[Burroughs, William] Burroughs: The Movie.

A film biography of the writer William Burroughs. Includes interviews with the author, his friends and admirers, and readings from his works. 87 min. Video/C 4143

[Burroughs, William] Fried Shoes, Cooked Diamonds.

Reunion of some leading poets of the Beat Generation: Allen Ginsberg, Peter Orlovsky, Timothy Leary, William S. Burroughs, Gregory Corso, and others. 55 min. Video/C 1802

[Burroughs, William] Towers Open Fire and other films.

William S. Burroughs and Brion Gysin met Ian Sommerville and Antony Balch during their Beat Hotel days in Paris in 1958-59 when Burroughs' Naked lunch was published. These films convey the consciousness of that period in the visual language of four of the artists that defined it. Balch attempts to reinterpret Burrough's writing as cinema. 35 min. Video/C 2991

[Burroughs, William] William S. Burroughs: Commissioner of Sewers.

Interweaves footage from Burroughs' public readings, experimental films in which he appears, his paintings, and an extensive interview with German writer, Jurgen Ploog. 60 min. Video/C 3222

[Carroll, Lewis] Dreamchild.

Alice Hargreaves, the inspiration of "Alice in Wonderland", visits New York at age 80, and reminisces about her friendship with Lewis Carroll and his fantasy creatures. In a wondrous blend of fantasy and reality, she confronts the unsettling memories of her past -- and the Rev. Dodgson (Lewis Carroll), whose affection for Alice created a beloved literary classic. Cast: Coral Browne, Peter Gallagher, Ian Holm. 1985. 90 min. Video 999:3048

[Carruth, Hayden ] Hayden Carruth (Lannan Literary Videos; 36).

Hayden Carruth is a distinguished poet, essayist, and editor. He is 'a people's poet, readily understood, a tribune of our common humanity, welfare and plight. Carruth is also a poet's poet, a virtuoso of form from the sonnet to free verse, from medieval metrics to jazz ones'--The Nation. Here Mr Carruth reads from his "Collected shorter poems, 1946-1991," and talks about his poetry with Michael Silverblatt. Recorded in Los Angeles on November 9, 1993. 60 min. Video/C 9038

[Cather, Willa] Willa Cather: The Road Is All /

A biographical depiction of the life of the American author Willa Cather and the influences of the Nebraska frontier on her work. Cather's life remains largely a mystery because she destroyed so much of her personal correspondence and seductive, largely because she ignored every cultural obstacle in her path. The film is enhanced by the beauty of the endless prairie giving palpable texture to Cather's writing and bringing the frontier to life. Originally broadcast in 2005 on the television program 'American Masters.' 90 min. DVD 4505

[ Cervantes, Lorna Dee ] Lorna Dee Cervantes and Shirley Geok-lin Lim (Sounds of Poetry with Bill Moyers)

American poet Lorna Dee Cervantes founded her own press to publish the works of Mexican-Americans. Dr. Shirley Geok-lin Lim, An English professor uses her Chinese/Malaysian roots to bring a unique Asian-American perspective to her writing. In this program Bill Moyers and the two poets discuss topics that revolve around the theme of otherness. 1999. 27 min. Video/C 6828

[Cheever, John. ] Focus on John Cheever

The writer discusses his career as a television writer, as a teacher of writing, the art of writing and other topics. Sound/C 170

[Cisneros, Sandra. ] Sandra Cisneros

Sandra Cisneros, the author of The House on Mango Street and Woman Hollering Creek and Other stories, is a Mexican-American poet and author, self described as a "terrorist, anarchist" and a "Chicana feminist." Here she reads from her story "Eleven" and other works and is interviewed by poet and novelist Dorothy Allison. Recorded on October 8, 1996. 1999. 60 mins. Video/C 8980

[Clifton, Lucille] Readings and Conversations (Lannan literary videos; 79)

Poet and author Lucille Clifton has written ten poetry books and numerous books for children. Here she reads from her works and is interviewed by the New Mexico author, Denise Chavez. Recorded on Dec. 8, 1999. 74 min. Video/C 9005

[ Clifton, Lucille] Lucille Clifton (Lannan literary videos; 53)

Poet Lucille Clifton reads selections from her works The book of light and The terrible stories and is interviewed by fellow poet Quincy Troupe. Reading recorded May 21, 1996. 60 min. Video/C 9004

[ Clifton, Lucille] Lucille Clifton and Mark Doty (Sounds of Poetry with Bill Moyers)

Like musicians, Lucille Clifton and Mark Doty stress the rhythmic and musical qualities of poems, the former shaping them with economical, everyday language and the latter with language more baroque. In this program, Bill Moyers and the two poets discuss topics such as the weight of racial memory and the encounter between self and history. 1999. 27 min. Video/C 6831

[Clifton, Lucille] Lucille Clifton (Lannan Literary Video Series; 4)

Lucille Clifton, two times a nominee for the Pulitzer Prize, reads at the Los Angeles Theatre Center and is interviewed by Lewis MacAdams. 60 min. Video/C 6095

[Conan Doyle, Arthur]Mr. Sherlock Holmes of London.

Anthony D. Howlett, a noted London barrister and founding member of the Sherlock Holmes Society of London, leads the viewer to the sites that figured prominently in the Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Mr. Howlett and guest experts talk about the beginning of the Sherlock Holmes mythology and review the publishing and film history of Doyle's works. 1971. 43 min. Video/C MM768

[Conrad, Joseph] The Modern World: Ten Great Writers. (Vol. 1)

Video/C 1253

[Corso, Gregory] Beat legend Gregory Corso.

Corso, a mystic and reveler in pure poesia, is known for breaking with current verse conventions to give free rein to language. In this film the bard invents as he goes, energetically offering facts and footnotes, allusion and illusion, as he weaves poetic threads together. 50 min. Video/C 3702

[Crane, Hart] Voices and Visions. (Vol. 5)

Video/C 1067

[Cruz, Victor Hernandez] Victor Hernandez Cruz. Lannan Literary Videos; 12.

Features Cruz in a public reading at the Los Angeles Theatre Center as well as speaking to students at the Harvard School and an interview with Lewis MacAdams. Includes readings from Rhythm, content and flavor, and, Red beans. 60 min. Video/C 6104

[Darwich, Mahmoud] Mahmoud Darwich: As the Land is the Language (Et la terre, comme la langue)

This program describes the life of the great Arab poet Mahmoud Darwich and includes recitation of some of his poems. The film follows Darwich from the Cisjordanian desert to Paris via Cairo and Beirut, tracing the path of his exile from Israel and setting out to understand the emotion distilled by Darwich's words and inimitable rhythm. 1997. 60 min. Video/C 8475

[Dick, Philip K.] The Gospel According to Philip K. Dick

A profile of the life of the influential science fiction writer, Philip K. Dick presented through interviews with contemporaries and excerpts from his writings. Dick's writing and ideas on reality, humanity and technology which blend West Coast utopianism, counterculture paranoia and mystical experience have been adapted into films, including Blade Runner and Total Recall. Since very little interview footage exists of Philip K. Dick, this documentary relies on audio taped interviews with Dick, allowing him to comment in his own words. 80 min. Video/C 7650

[Dickens, Charles] Charles Dickens

Performers: Anton Lesser, Prunella Scales, Timothy West. Recreates the life and London of Charles Dickens, combining documentary and dramatic reconstruction. Explores how his own experiences shaped his work, the use of his novels and reputation to improve social conditions, and his personal relationships. 176 min. DVD 2521

[Dickinson, Emily] Voices and Visions. (Vol. 7)

Video/C 1067

[Dickinson, Emily] The Belle of Amherst.

Julie Harris as America's first notable poetess, through an examination of her diaries and letters and observations on her life and family. Against a handsome set depicting Dickinson's Amherst, Massachusettes home, this portrayal shrewdly balances the agony of the secluded poet with the bright moments when Dickinson could see the joy in life. [1994] 90 min. DVD 8609

[Dostoyevsky, Fyodor] The Modern World: Ten Great Writers. (Vol. 2)

Video/C 1253

[Doty, Mark] Lucille Clifton and Mark Doty (Sounds of Poetry with Bill Moyers)

Like musicians, Lucille Clifton and Mark Doty stress the rhythmic and musical qualities of poems, the former shaping them with economical, everyday language and the latter with language more baroque. In this program, Bill Moyers and the two poets discuss topics such as the weight of racial memory and the encounter between self and history. 1999. 27 min. Video/C 6831

[Doty, Mark] Mark Doty.

Mark Doty reads from his memoir Heaven's coast about his life with his partner who died of AIDS and his poetry books Atlantis, and Sweet Machine. Followed by an interview with poet Eloise Klein Healy. Recorded on February 11, 1997 in Los Angeles. c1999. 60 min. Video/C 8979

[Duras, Marquerite] Marguerite Duras: Worn Out with Desire ... to Write.

In this vintage interview of the 20th century French author, Marguerite Duras, she talks openly about the hardship and the romance of her childhood in French Indochina, sharing how this period haunted her life and shaped her work. Excerpts from her films and readings from her books by actress Elizabeth Rider and Duras herself bring to life those formative years in Vietnam. Originally televised by London Weekend Television, ltd. in 1985. 52 min. Video/C 6901

[Duras, Marquerite] Marguerite, A Reflection of Herself

A personal portrait of the great extremely prolific French writer Marguerite Duras. Between 1943 and 1995, Duras directed 19 films and wrote more than 70 novels, plays, movies and adaptations. Presented through home movies, archival footage, film extracts, readings, and television interviews filmed over many years. 2001. 61 min. Video/C 9786

Description from First Run/Icarus catalog

[Dybek, Stuart ] Stuart Dybek (Lannan Literary Videos; 57)

Stuart Dybek's luminous and haunting stories evoke the ethnic neighborhoods of Chicago where he grew up. Here he reads from his story "Paper Lantern" and from "The Coast of Chicago." Followed by a conversatiion with author Barry Sanders. Recorded on November 12, 1996. 60 min. Video/C 9026

[Egan, Ferol] Ferol Egan, Novelist

Introduced by Jim Hughes. Recorded by the Institute of Governmental Studies, University of California, Berkeley, on May 7, 1980, in the Lewis-Latimer Room of the Men's Faculty Club, University of California, Berkeley. Ferol Egan, novelist, reads from his novel JIMTOWN and gives a presentation entitled Jimtown : a novel of the Mother Lode--in progress. Question and answer session. Sound/C 1135

[Elliot, T.S.] The Modern World: Ten Great Writers. (Vol. 3)

Video/C 1253

[Elliot, T.S.] Voices and Visions. (Vol. 9)

Video/C 1067

[Ellison, Ralph] Ralph Ellison: An American Journey

This first documentary on one of the most gifted and intellectually provocative authors of modern American literature establishes Ralph Ellison as a central figure in contemporary debates over art, politics, race and nationhood. Also presented here are the first scenes ever filmed from Ellison's landmark novel, Invisible man. c2001. 87 min. Video/C 8923

[Erdrich, Louise] The Broken Cord with Louise Erdrich and Michael Dorris. (World of Ideas with Bill Moyers).

29 min. Video/C 1853

[Erdrich, Louise] Louise Erdrich and Michael Dorris (World of Ideas with Bill Moyers).

Bill Moyers interviews Native American novelists Louise Erdrich and Michael Dorris who discuss the values of Native Americans as they apply to the difficulties they encounter today. 58 min. Video/C 1576

[Everson, William] Brother Antoninus: Second Edition

Outtakes from the NET film series USA: Poetry. Brother Antoninus reading his poetry and lecturing in the auditorium of the Dominican monastery at St. Albert's College, 1966. 55 min. Video/C 1209

[Farrukhzad, Furugh]Mirror of the Soul: the Forough Farrokhzad Trilogy: Iran's Greatest Poet Revealed

Forough Farrokhzad, Iran's most celebrated contemporary poet became a legend in her own time for her innovative and controversial poetry. In this extensive multi-part documentary, Farrokhzad's life, work and very soul are laid bare as interviews and commentary dig into her personal and professional life to uncover this outspoken poet who pushed the boundaries of Iranian society. Written and directed by Nasser Saffarian. 2007. 152 min. DVD 8169

[Ferris, Timothy] Berkeley Writers at Work: Timothy Ferris

Author Timothy Ferris reads from his works and discusses his writing process, followed by an interview by Steve Tollefson and questions from the audience. This event took place on October 18, 2001 at the University of California, Berkeley Main Library in the Morrison Room. 78 min. Video/C 9643

[Fitzgerald, F. Scott] Winter Dreams, F. Scott Fitzgerald

Presents a portrait of the author F. Scott Fitzgerald, focusing on his life and work, his tortured marital relationship and his troubled friendships with fellow colleagues such as Ernest Hemingway. c2001. 86 min. DVD 2530

[Fo, Dario] A Nobel for Two: A Documentary on Dario Fo and Franca Rame

Portrays the life and careers of the Italian husband and wife duo of actors and playwrights, who are best known for their satirical and politically radical theater presentations. Their work was censored for more than seventeen years in Italy and they were twice denied U.S. entry visas on political grounds. This film features performance excerpts from classic Dario Fo plays plus interviews with Fo and Rame and numerous theatrical colleagues. 1999. 56 min. Video/C 8800

[Forche,Carolyn] Carolyn Forche (Lannan Literary Videos; 40).

Carolyn Forche, in her lyrical and deeply resonant poetry, meditates on the brutalities and injustices of the 20th century. Here Ms. Forche reads the entire text of her work "The Angel of history" and talks with Michael Silverblatt, producer and host of the literary interview program "Bookworm." Recorded in Los Angeles on May 24, 1994. 94 min. Video/C 9028

[ Ford, Richard ] Richard Ford: in conversation with Gerald Marzorati (Lannan Literary videos; 58)

"It became clear to me that exploring issues such as shelter, money and our sense of well-being on the planet, I could write a book that had in it an inquiry about the American spirit." Here novelist and short story writer Richard Ford reads from his work Independence Day, followed by an interview with author Gerald Marzorati. Recorded on December 10, 1996.Video/C 9027. 60 min. Video/C 9027

[Frost, Robert] Voices and Visions. (Vol. 1)

Video/C 1067

[Fuentes, Carlos] Carlos Fuentes (World of Ideas with Bill Moyers).

Mexican author Carlos Fuentes and Bill Moyers discuss the relationship of the United States with Mexico and with Latin America generally. Fuentes addresses the selective intervention of the U.S. in the affairs of Latin American countries which he believes stifles development in Latin America and damages the international relationship. 28 min. Video/C 1577

[Fuentes, Carlos] Carlos Fuentes. (Lannan Literary Videos ; 17.)

Carlos Fuentes, Mexico's leading novelist and critic, reads from his novels The death of Artemio Cruz and Christopher unborn, as well as unpublished works in English and Spanish. He is interviewed in Los Angeles by Lewis MacAdams. 66 min. Video/C 3486

[Galeano, Eduardo] Eduardo Galeano. Vol. I(Lannan Literary Videos; 47)

Born in Montevideo, Uruguay author Eduardo Galeano is also a journalist, essayist, historical and political activist. Here he reads from his works Walking Words, the Book of Embraces, and his best known work Memory of fire followed by an interview with Michael Silverblatt.The reading took place on May 23, 1995 in Los Angeles. 90min. Video/C 9055

[Galeano, Eduardo] Eduardo Galeano:Readings and Conversations (Lannan Literary Videos; 75)

Uruguayan author and political activist Eduardo Galeano has written passionately about the effects of imperialist exploitation and the violence in Latin American society. Here Mr. Galeano reads from his trilogy, Memory of fire, followed by an interview with author Lawrence Weschler. Recorded on April 22, 1999. 84min. Video/C 9056

[Garrison, Deborah]Deborah Garrison (Sounds of Poetry with Bill Moyers)

The poetry of Deborah Garrison, who recently made herdebut with A Working Girl Can't Win, speaks in a voice sometimes defiant and tinged with sarcasm, but humorous, too, and sweetened by tender longing. In this program, Bill Moyers and Ms. Garrison discuss topics centering on her experiences as a woman in the workforce. 1999. 27 min. Video/C 6832

[Gass, William]Reading by William Gass

American novelist, short story writer, critic and philosopher William H. Gass reads from his works followed by an interview with Michael Silverblatt, host of the public radio program Bookworm.Recorded on November 5, 1998.Lannan literary videos; 72. 101min. Video/C 9094

[Gilbert , Jack] Jack Gilbert (Lannan Literary Videos; 50).

Poet Jack Gilbert, born in Pittsburgh in 1925 is a consummate craftsman whose work, subtle and large of heart, is haunted by love and relationships between men and women. Here he reads from his works "The great fires" and "Monolithos," followed by an interview with essayist and reviewer Jody Allen Randolph. Recorded on November 7, 1995.60 min. Video/C 9029

[Ginsberg, Allen] Allen Ginsberg

An interview with poet Allen Ginsberg shortly before his death in 1997. Gives an overview of his work and of the Beat literary movement. Ginsberg tells the story of a famous 1955 San Francisco poetry reading where three key themes of the Beat movement--candor in thought and language, spirituality and environmentalism--were uncovered for the first time. He reads from three of his poems, including "Kaddish", and tells of his friendship with Jack Kerouac. 1997. 52 min. Video/C 5608

[Ginsberg, Allen] Allen Ginsberg

An interview with poet Allen Ginsberg, this program gives an overview of his work and of the Beat literary movement. Ginsberg tells the story of a famous 1955 San Francisco poetry reading where three key themes of the Beat movement--candor in thought and language, spirituality and environmentalism--were uncovered for the first time. He reads from three of his poems, including "Kaddish", and tells of his friendship with Jack Kerouac. Originally produced in 1995 as a segment of the television program: Literati. Dist.: Films Media Group. 52 min. DVD 6754

[Ginsberg, Allen] Allen Ginsberg (Lannan Lannan Literary Videos; 6).

Allen Ginsberg, one of the major poetic voices of the twentieth century, reads poems and sings songs accompanied by Donald Was at McCabe's Guitar Shop in Santa Monica, California and is interviewed by Lewis MacAdams. 60 min. Video/C 3482

[Ginsberg, Allen] Beat Legend Allen Ginsberg.

On this film Ginsberg, the king of hip verse, the poet-guru who ushered in the cultural counterrevolution, unleashes a storm of dream visions and poetic polemics, sometimes accompanied by a mini-pump organ, and bracketed with historical background information. 86 min. Video/C 3701

[Ginsberg, Allen]Fried Shoes, Cooked Diamonds.

Reunion of some leading poets of the "Beat" generation: Allen Ginsberg, Peter Orlovsky, Timothy Leary, William S. Burroughs, Gregory Corso, and others. 55 min. Video/C 1802

[Ginsberg, Allen]Gang of Souls

William S. Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg, Marianne Faithfull, Jim Carroll, John Giorno, Gregory Corso, Diane Diprima [sic], Ed Sanders, Anne Waldman, Henry Rollins, Richard Hell, Lydia Lunch. Poetry and prose, with interviews of American authors and poets by Winchester Chimes, Tom Becker and Kathryn Simon. 60 min. Video/C 4345

[Ginsberg, Allen]The Life & Times of Allen Ginsberg.

Depicts Allen Ginsberg, an American poet and social activist in the different decades of his life and activities. Includes interviews with contemporaries of his cultural era. 82 min. DVD 6808; vhs Video/C 3463

[Ginsberg, Allen] No More to Say & Nothing to Weep For: An Elegy for Allen Ginsberg

This production features a biographical look at the life of Allen Ginsberg beginning with his early childhood. Many past performances of Ginsberg reading his original work are included, as well as a number of friends and colleagues offering their take on the poet's life and work. Featured friends and poets include Gary Snyder, Ann Charters, Robert Creeley, Peter Orlovsky, Philip Glass, Anne Waldman, Bob Rosenthal, Michael McClure, Ed Sanders, and Patti Smith, as well as a performance with Paul McCartney. Produced and directed by Colin Still. 1997. 50 min. DVD 6679

[Ginsberg, Allen]

Ginsberg featured in Jonas Mekas' "Lost Lost Lost" (Video/C 3979), "Scenes from the Life of Andy Warhol" (Video/C 3981), and "He Stands in a Desert" (Video/C 3978)

Ginsberg's collaborations with Nam June Paik in "Nam June Paik: Avant Garde Harvest (Video/C 3400)

Allen Ginsberg: Biography of a Faggot Individualist -- Network Q (Gay TV magazine) September 1994 (Video/C 4000:1994:9)

[Giovanni, Nikki] Spirit to Spirit: Nikki Giovanni.

Poet Nikki Giovanni reads from her works. Performance footage is intercut with excerpts from interviews, archival film footage and stills. 30 min. Video/C 1832

[Gish , Jen] Gish Jen; Conversation with Don Lee (Lannan literary videos; 81)

Asian American novelist Gish Jen was raised in Scarsdale, New York and educated at Harvard College and the University of Iowa Writers' Workshops. Here she reads from her works followed by an interview by author Don Lee. Recorded on March 1, 2000. 80 min. Video/C 9078

[Gluck, Louise] Louise Gluck (Lannan Lannan Literary Videos; 1).

Louise Gluck, winner of the National Book Critics' Circle Award, reads at the Los Angeles Theatre Center and is interviewed by Lewis MacAdams. 60 min. Video/C 6099

[Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von] Goethe

This three-part production describes the life and works of the German author Goethe in chronological order. Part 1 relates his youth, which brought him the first great success with the novel "The sufferings of Young Werther." Part 2 describes his first years in Weimar and his stay in Italy. And finally Part 3 presents the classic writer who, in addition to many other literary and scientific works finished "Faust," which he had begun in his early youth. Contents: Der junge Goethe, 1749-1775 (28 min.) -- Von Weimar nach Rom, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, 1775-1789 (28 min.) -- In ein neues Johrhundert, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, 1789-1932 (28 min.). 1982. 84 min. Video/C 8136

[Graham, Jorie ] Reading by Jorie Graham (Lannan Literary Videos; 76).

Jorie Graham, a recipient of the Pulitzer Prize, is theauthor of seven collections of poetry. Here she reads from her works followed by an interview with Michael Silverblatt. Recorded on May 20, 1999. 60 min. Video/C 9091

[Grass, Gunter] Gunter Grass.

Part 1 presents a biographical sketch and interview with the German author, Gunter Grass with clips from some of the films based upon his works. Part 2 is a brief history of German libraries followed by a discussion of the effects of automation and the digital library on services to patrons. In German. 1999. 27 min. Video/C 7719

[Grennan , Eamon ] Eamon Grennan (Lannan Literary Videos; 59).

Poet Eamon Grennan was born in Dublin in 1941 and teaches at Vassar College. His lyrical and meditative poems evoke the landscape of his native Ireland as well as his adopted home in suburban New York. Here Mr. Grennan reads from his works "So It Goes," "As If it Matters," and new poems, followed by an interview with poet Cal Bedient. Recorded on March 4, 1997. 60 min. Video/C 9030

[Guest, Barbara ] Barbara Guest (Lannan Literary Videos; 52).

Once associated with the poets of the New York School, Barbara Guest's lyrical poems have often been described as word paintings. Here Ms. Guest reads from her "Selected Poems" and discusses her work with poet and playwright Douglas Messerli. Recorded on April 16, 1996 in Los Angeles. 60 min. Video/C 9031

[Gunn, Thom ] Thom Gunn (Lannan literary videos; 41)

Thom Gunn's austere poems of love and death have distinguished him as a contemporary master. Born in England in 1929, Gunn has lived in northern California since 1954. Here Thom Gunn reads from his Collected poems, which gathers 40 years of poetry, and also from new works. Includes a discussion with author Wendy Lesser, the founding editor of The threepenny review. Recorded in Los Angeles on October 18, 1994. 60 min. Video/C 9006

[Grass, Gunter] Gunter Grass: Ein Portrat.

Presents a portrait of the German author Gunter Grass in different settings: reading from his works, revisiting his birthplace Danzig, and being interviewed. Several of his works incorporate memories of his childhood, but he has also created many works which reflect his ideas about the renovation of social consciousness. In German without titles. 1989. 52 min. Video/C 8135

[Hammett, Dashiell ] Dashiell Hammett: Detective, Writer

Recognized as the innovator of the hard-boiled detective novel, Dashiell Hammett succeeded in elevating the pulp genre to the level of fine literature. Thisiographical documentary effectively tells the story of a man who traveled from the gritty American underworld to the pinnacle of literary society and the glamour of Hollywood only to watch it all escape his grasp. Notes: Originally produced as a segment for the television program American masters. 1999. 56 min. DVD 2533

[Hamsun, Knut] Hamsun (1996)

Directed by Jan Troell; featuring Max von Sydow, Ghita Norby, Nette Hoff, Asa Soderling, Eindride Eidsvold, Gard Eidsvold, Sverre Anker Ousdal, Erik Hiviu, Edgar Selge, Ernst Jacobi. Based on true events this is the story of Knut Hamsun, Norway's most beloved author, who supported Hitler during World War II and was regarded as a traitor after the war. Although Hamsun believed it was his destiny to rescue his country from the ravages of a World War, he and his wife Marie faced the angry wrath of a betrayed nation and the private drama of their turbulent relationship. 153 min. 999:2675

Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database

[Hansberry, Lorraine] To Be Young, Gifted, and Black: A Portrait of Lorraine Hansberry in Her Own Words

Uses excerpts from the letters, diaries, and plays of the late writer Lorraine Hansberry to show her struggle for recognition as a black writer and artist. 90 min. Video/C 5650

[Haro, Joy] Joy Haro (Lannan Lannan Literary Videos; 11).

Joy Harjo, one of the most important Native American poets and author of She had Some Horses, reads for the Laguna Poets in Laguna Beach and is interviewed by Lewis MacAdams. 60 min. Video/C 3483

[Haro, Joy] Joy Haro (Lannan Lannan Literary Videos; 51).

Native American author and poet Joy Harjo discusses her work and reads from her poetry, including "The woman who fell from the sky", "Secrets from the center of the world", "In mad love and war", and "She had some horses." Also includes excerpts from an interview of Harjo by native American author Geg Sarris. Recorded February 2, 1996 in Los Angeles, Calif. 60 min. Video/C 9000

[Hass, Robert] Berkeley Writers at Work: Robert Hass, December 12, 2002

Robert Hass who was appointed Poet Laureate in 1995, reads from his works and is interviewed by Kaya Oak about his writing process and answers questions from the audience. Taped on sight by the Educational Television Office, University of California, Berkeley. This event took place on December 12, 2002 at the University of California, Berkeley Main Library in the Morrison Room. 64 min. Video/C 9446

View it with RealPlayer

[Hawthorne, Nathaniel] Nathaniel Hawthorne--Light in the Shadows.

Portrays the life story of Nathaniel Hawthorne, focusing on his friendships with other New England writers, his other careers, his unsuccessful attempts to have his works published, etc. Includes dramatizations of portions of his works. 25 min. Video/C 803

[Heaney, Seamus] Seamus Heaney on the New Beowulf.

Recently re-translated by Novel Laureate Seamus Heaney, Beowulf has caused a sensation in both the U.S. and the U.K. In this interview Heaney talks about his attraction to the epic poem, the probable background of the bard who created the original, similarities between Old English and bits of Anglo-Saxon that still exist in rural Ireland and the importance of meter and alliteration in driving the poem. 2000. 12 min. Video/C 7885

[Heinemann, Larry ] Larry Heinemann.

Larry Heinemann was inducted into the Army in 1966, served as a combat infantryman in Vietnam and returned home to write Paco's story, a novel about the homecoming of a Vietnam veteran. Here he reads from Paco's story and is interviewed by author Ken Lincoln. Recorded on March 12, 1990 at the University of California, Los Angeles. c1990. 60 min. Video/C 8981

[Heller, Joseph] A Conversation with Joseph Heller

Recorded in 1974. Joseph Heller discusses his latest book Something happened and his life as a writer, with Heywood Hale Broun. Sound/C 605

[Hellman, Lillian ] An Interview with Lillian Hellman

Recorded in l969. Ms. Hellman discusses the writing and production of her Broadway plays, her experiences with Hollywood, her involvement with politics, her travels and friendships. Sound/C 602

[Hellman, Lillian ] The Great Playwright Candidly Reflects on a Long, Rich Life.

Sound/C 34

[Hemingway, Ernest] Ernest Hemingway: Grace Under Pressure.

Using archival material, live interviews, and visits to the places where Ernest Hemingway lived, this documentary explores and explains the relationship between the author's life and works, and evaluates both. 55 min. Video/C 861

[Hemingway, Ernest] Ernest Hemingway (American Prose)

Sound/C 573

[Highway, Tomson ]Tomson Highway: Thank You for the Love You Gave

Presents a profile of Canada's formost native playwright, Tomson Highway. This moving documentary takes viewers behind-the-scenes into the world of a passionate, creative artist who reveals himself through his many accomplishments - music, playwriting, and novel-writing. Included are excerpts from selected works and frank discussion of residential schools, violence against women and his conviction that native artists, through their work, make a crucial contribution to the revival of native spirituality. 1997. 47 min. DVD 8998

[Himes, Chester] Chester Himes: A Writer's Turbulent Journey.

A program on the life of novelist Chester Himes, who began writing detective novels in his fifties while he was in prison. In his works he created a violent and cynical picture of the African-American experience in the U.S. Here Himes speaks of his youth, the Harlem he knew so well before World War II, his early ventures into writing, his life as an expatriate in France and Spain, the art of fiction and the role of the African-American writer in America. [1999?] 30 min. Video/C 7816

[ Hirshfield, Jane ] Jane Hirshfield (Sounds of Poetry with Bill Moyers)

The effect of Jane Hirshfield's reading is almost transcendental, "like the sound of distant echoes in a canyon." In this program, Bill Moyers and Ms. Hirshfield discuss topics including her experience as a practitioner of Zen and the relative merits of sound and silence in poetry. 1999. 27 min. Video/C 6830

[Hogan, Linda ] Linda Hogan

Linda Hogan, a poet, novelist and playwright, is a member of the Chickasaw Nation. "My writing comes from and goes back to the community, both the human and the global community." Here, Ms. Hogan, who teaches at the University of Colorado reads from her work "The Book of Medicines." Followed by an interview with Hopi and Mewuk Indian poet Wendy Rose. Recorded on February 7, 1995 in Los Angeles 60 min. Video/C 8969

[Hughes, Langston] Hughes' Dream Harlem

Langston Hughes was one of the most prominent figures of the Harlem Renaissance and is often referred to as Harlem's poet laureate. This film shows how Hughes successfully fused jazz, blues and common speech to celebrate the beauty of Black life. This multi-layered documentary consists of spoken-word sessions, roundtable discussions and a tour of Hughes' Harlem hang-outs. 2002. 61 min. Video/C 9423

Description from California Newsreel catalog

[Hughes, Langston] Voices and Visions. (vol. 3)

Video/C 1067

[Hughes, Langston] Hommage à Langston.

The poet Ted Joans reads from the works of Langston Hughes with commentary on the Afro-American poet's life and work. Townsend Center, UCB, February 1, 1999. 95 min. Video/C 6122

[Hughes, Langston] Looking for Langston: A Meditation on Langston Hughes (1902-1907) and the Harlem Renaissance.

A tribute to Langston Hughes, this film attempts to reclaim him as an important black gay voice in American culture. 45 min. DVD 8495; vhs Video/C 2911

"A visual tour-de-force, "Looking for Langston" is a beautiful and lyrical meditation of black and white gay identities. Using the life and work of Langston Hughes during the jazz/blues infused Harlem Renaissance of the 1920's, the film weaves together the poetry of Hughes and Essex Hempill, music, sylized dramatic sequences and archival material in a celebration of gay desire and a testament to contemporary society's attempt to shatter multiple identitites." [from Third World Newsreel catalog]

[Hurston, Zora Neale] Alice Walker on Zora Neale Hurston.

Discussion and reading at the American Poetry Archives, San Francisco State University, 10/20/80. Video/C 1222

[Hurston, Zora Neale] Zora is My Name!

A funny, stirring story based on the life of Zora Neale Hurston, one of the most distinctive writers of the American South and how a turn-of-the-century Black woman captured the folklore of the rural South. 90 min. Video/C 1838

[Ibsen, Henrik] The Modern World: Ten Great Writers. (vol 4)

Video/C 1253

[Ibsen, Henrik] The APA Rehearses

In this program the Association of Producing Artists (APA), a renowned repertory company founded by Ellis Rabb in the 1960s, is seen at work rehearsing and discussing the scenes from Henrik Ibsen's classic play "The Wild Duck." Originally broadcast as a segment on the television series, Camera three in 1967. 2000. 28 min. Video/C 7824

[Ishiguro, Kazuo ]Kazuo Ishiguro

Kazuo Ishiguro, born in Nagasaki, Japan and raised in England, is one of the most brilliant novelists of his generation. Here Mr. Ishiguro reads from his fourth novel, 'The unconsoled' followed by an interview with journalist and novelist Pico Iyer. (Lannan literary videos; 49) 60 min. Video/C 8966

[Inoue, Mitsuharu] A Dedicated Life (Zenshin shosetsuka)

A powerful documentary about the controversial Japanese writer Mitsuharu Inoue, with commentary by other contemporary authors. A moving film that captures the essence of the contentious writer's life, including the significance of his death. Directed by Kazuo Hara. 1994. 157 min. DVD 8549

[Jackson, Helen Hunt]Ramona: A Story of Passion and Protest.

Uses film clips to recap the plot and historical background to explain the immense popularity of Helen Hunt Jackson's 1884 novel, which crystallized public opinion about the whites' maltreatment of Native Americans in much the same way that Uncle Tom's Cabin had done for African Americans. Originally produced for KCET television station, Los Angeles, in 1988. 28 min. Video/C 9443

[Johnson, Charles] A Conversation with Charles Johnson.

Johnson describes his literary objective: to explore classic, metaphysical questions from East and West against the backdrop of African life and history. 27 min. Video/C 2541

Description from California Newsreel catalog

[Jordan, June] A Place of Rage.

A celebration of African American women and their achievements, featuring interviews with Angela Davis, June Jordan, and Alice Walker. 52 min. Video/C 2321

[Joyce, James] The Modern World: Ten Great Writers. (vol 5)

Video/C 1253

[Joyce, James] Bloomsday Cabaret

To understand the lyricism and rhythmic quality of James Joyce's work, take a stroll through the music-filled streets of Dublin and St. John's, as the Bloomsday Cabaret celebrates the music in the life and work of James Joyce. Marking the 100th anniversary of the day Leopold Bloom, James Joyce's hero in "Ulysses," took his famous walk, the musical ensemble performs in pubs, theatres and on the streets as they explore the musical references contained in the works of Joyce. Dist: Films Media Group 2005. 49 min. DVD 5688

[Joyce, James] James Joyce: The Trials of Ulysses

Filmed in Trieste, Dublin, Paris and New York, this documentary film traces James Joyce's life while writing his epic novel Ulysses and examines the history of the novel's publication. Readers in England and America were initially deprived of Ulysses, which became the focus of sensational charges of pornography and obscenity. A U.S. Federal Court decision in 1934 finally ended the legal debate, but more than eighty years after its publication, Ulysses still causes controversy. Includes interviews with authors, academics, Joycean scholars and surviving relatives. 50 min. Video/C 9311

[Joyce, James] Joyce to the World

Celebrate the 100-year anniversary of this amazing tradition when Joyceans around the world open a book, raise a pint, and dress in costume in homage to their fictional heroes. Includes interviews with actors, writers and scholars who disuss the book and the author. Includes old photos of Joyce and film snippets of performances of Joyce's and Homer's Ulysses. Directed by Fritzi Horstman. Dist.: Choices, Inc. 2004. 58 min. DVD 8259

[Joyce, James] Lots of Fun at Finnegan's Wake: With Anthony Burgess

Author-critic Anthony Burgess presents in a free-wheeling manner perspectives on the main themes of James Joyce's great experimental novel "Finnegan's Wake." Erudite and ironic, he is in the unusualsetting of an Irish pub where he utilizes a variety of props to illustrate his points. Originally broadcast as a segment on the television series, Camera three in 1973. 2000. 27 min. Video/C 7822

[Joyce, James] Walking into Eternity: James Joyce's Ulysses: a Dublin Guide with Patrick Ryan.

This lyrical program traces the action of James Joyce's masterpiece through the city of Dublin, tying events in the novel to the places he described, such as Martello Tower, Sandymount Strand, Dublin Quays, the National Library of Ireland, Davy Byrne's Pub, and the Glasnevin Cemetery. This walking tour of Dublin, sprinkled with quotes from Joyce and his novel, is a valuable supplement to the teaching and appreciation of Ulysses. 1999. 29 min. Video/C 8250

[Kafka, Franz] Kafka geht ins Kino

A documentary dealing with the impact of films on the literary works of Kafka. A film by Hanns Zischler. In German with some French. 54 min. DVD 9225

[Kafka, Franz] Kafka

Directed by Steven Soderbergh. Cast: Jeremy Irons, Theresa Russell, Alec Guinness, Joel Grey. In 1919 Prague, Czechoslovakia, Jeremy Irons plays Kafka, an insurance clerk and aspiring writer leading a staid and reclusive life, until his closest friend mysteriously disappears without a trace. A seductive co-worker leads Kafka to a group of anarchists who speak of a "cover-up of monumental proportions" controlled from within a castle outside the city. Searching for the truth, Kafka ventures behind the castle's walls and discovers a terrifying secret. 1991. 100 min. 999:3365

[Kafka, Franz] Metamorphosis

For Gregor Samsa, the ill-fated protagonist of Franz Kafka's novel Metamorphosis, home is where the horror is. Filmed in Kafka's native Prague, this program blends creative reenactments with expert commentary to explore how Kafka's prescient masterpiece about a man turned into an insect shattered notions of the happy family and anticipated the darkness descending on Europe. The autobiographical aspects of the novel are richly documented, as are modern-day examples of what is now called Kafkaesque. 2001. 51 min. DVD 2918

[Kafka, Franz] The Modern World: Ten Great Writers. (Vol. 6)

Video/C 1253

[Kerouac, Jack] See also Beat Generation Audio and Video Resources

[Kerouac, Jack] Jack Kerouac

Jack Kerouac, cult writer of the Beat generation, remains an American icon. This documentary focuses on the 63 days he spent as a fire warden in Washington State where he used the time to gather material for his second book. Examining the time through photos and the commentary of those who knew him, the program illuminates Kerouac's literary style, while detailing his later downward spiral into alcoholism. Interviews with: John Suiter, Tom Clark, Joyce Johnson, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Robert Giroux, John Sampas, Ann Douglas, Carolyn Cassady. 1997. 60 min. Video/C 5601

[Kerouac, Jack] A Jack Kerouac Romnibus.

Multimedia presentation (CD-ROM) of the life and work of Jack Kerouac, a Beat Generation author and poet, via text, photographs, graphics, sound, animation, and video. Compu/D 317

[Kerouac, Jack] Jack Kerouac's Road: a Franco-American Odyssey.

Through excerpts, period footage, and candid interviews, this film shows how Kerouac's restless seeking as a literary bohemian embodied a larger Franco-American pattern of emigration and displacement. Video/C 6885

[Kerouac, Jack] Kerouac: On the Road with Jack.

Award-winning docu-drama on the life and times of Jack Kerouac. Combines rare footage featuring Allen Ginsberg, Lawrence Ferlinghetti and William Burroughs with music by Charles Mingus, Duke Ellington and Zoot Sims. 73 min. Video/C 2253

[Kerouac, Jack] What Happened to Kerouac?

This is a masterful film biography of the great American writer Jack Kerouac, who inspired and defined the Beat Generation. The images come from poets, ex-wives, ex-girlfriends, a daughter, a priest, and the incredible footage of Kerouac on the Steve Allen (1959) and William Buckley (1968) television shows. 96 min. Video/C 1058

[Kinnel, Galway] Galway Kinnel. (Lannan Literary Videos; 2)

Galway Kinnell, winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the American Book Award, reads at the Los Angeles Theatre Center and is interviewed by Lewis MacAdams. 60 min. Video/C 6100

[Kinnel, Galway] Galway Kinnel. (American Prose)

Sound/C 574

[Kingston, Maxine Hong] A Few Minutes About "Max"

A brief tribute to the Asian American author Maxine Hong Kingston by her family, friends and colleagues, with particular reference to her years at the University of California, Berkeley. Maxine Hong Kingston, Alumna of the year 2000, by the California Alumni Association. 11 min. Video/C 8823

[ Kingston, Maxine Hong] Maxine Hong Kingston: Reading and Interview, UC Berkeley, Spring 1990.

Asian American author Kingston reads from her book, Trapmaster Monkey: His Fake Book, comments upon her writings and replies to questions addressed to her by students. 52 min. Video/C 3796

[Kingston, Maxine Hong] Stories My Country Told Me: with Maxine Hong Kingston.

Facing the reality of what happened in Southeast Asia and bringing others together to reconcile with it, has become the life work of novelist Maxine Hong Kingston, who teaches Buddhism and creative writing to Vietnam veterans. In this program Kingston explores the causes and effects of alienation from one's country and travels to France accompanied by Vietnam veteran writers to meet with Thich Nhat Hahn, a Buddhist monk instrumental in the peace accords ending the Vietnam War. 1996. 58 min. Video/C 6892

[Kingston, Maxine Hong] Maxine Hong Kingston: Talking Story.

This video is about the life and writings of the contemporary Chinese-American author, Maxine Hong Kingston. Narrated by B.D. Wong, it includes comments by Kingston, other authors, and literary critics. Also includes readings by Kingston from her works, The Woman Warrior, China Men, and Tripmaster Monkey. 60 min. DVD 9079 [preservation copy]; vhs Video/C 2168

Description from NAATA catalog

[Kingston, Maxine Hong]Stories of Maxine Hong Kingston . (World of ideas with Bill Moyers)

Interview with Maxine Hong Kingston, author of Chinese American ethnic literature, in which she relates her life experiences growing up in California as a first generation Chinese American. 1990. 56 min. DVD 1957; also Video/C 1882

ABC-CLIO Video Rating Guide for Libraries

[Kingston, Maxine Hong] Maxine Hong Kingston.

Interview, Pacifica Radio, 1983. Sound/C 546

[Kingston, Maxine Hong] Maxine Hong Kingston Interview with Kay Bonetti.

Interview, 53 min. Sound/C 587

Maxine Hong Kingston Reads Excerpts from The Woman Warrior and China Men (with Earll Kingston). 53 min. Sound/C 972

Maxine Hong Kingston, Reading. Reading from her book, Trapmaster Monkey: his Fake Book, comments upon her writings and replies to questions addressed to her by students. 1990 52 min. Video/C 3796

Readings 53 min Sound/C 972

Women Working in Literature 60 min. Video/C 3746

[ Komunyakaa , Yusef ] Yusef Komunyakaa

Yusef Komunyakaa, author of eight collections of poetry, was born in Louisiana and has written about his childhood in a rural southern town as well as his experiences in Vietnam. Here Mr. Komunyakaa, a Pulitzer Prize recipient, reads from his works Magic City, Neon vernacular, and Thieves of paradise followed by an interview with author Toi Derricotte. Recorded on November 11, 1997. 1999. 60 min. Video/C 8982

[ Kunitz, Stanley ] Stanley Kunitz (Sounds of Poetry with Bill Moyers)

The recipient of many honors for his poetry, Stanley Kunitz has been a source of encouragement for a century of budding talent and a tireless promoter of the arts. In this program, Bill Moyers and Mr. Kunitz discuss topics such as his love of life and the recurring theme of renewal in his work. 1999. 27 min. Video/C 6829

[ Lamott, Annie ] Bird by Gird with Annie: A Portrait of Writer Annie Lamott

A portrait of the best-selling author and laugh out-loud funny humorist Anne Lamott and the inspiring story of a survivor -- a recovering addict and alcoholic and a single mother who is both a born-again Christian and a liberal activist. The film, a year in the life of the writer, focuses on her gift at demystifying the creative process, the people who inform her life and writing, the beauty of language and the written arts. 1998. 40 min. Video/C 7575

[ Le Guin, Ursula K. ] Centennial Lecture, UCB, 11/16/21 / Ursula K. Le Guin. 2001.

Lecture held in the Morrison Library, University of California, Berkeley on November 11, 2001.On the commemoration of a century of anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley, Ursula Le Guin, the renowned science fiction and fantasy novelist talked about fiction writing and about her father, Alfred Kroeber, founder of the University's Dept. of Anthropology and a leader in American anthropology. 60 min. Sound/C 1502

[Lessing, Doris] Doris Lessing 5/21/87 reads "The New Man".

Doris Lessing reads one of her short stories, then is interviewed and responds to audience questions on various topics including writing techniques and world politics. DVD 8982 [preservation copy]; Video/C 1218

[Lessing, Gotthold] Erziehung des Menschengeschlechts: Lessing und die deutsche Aufklarung

This film, using the persona of a Berlin journalist of today who has to write an article on Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, is designed to give an overview of the period of enlightenment and of Lessing's role in German literary history. Brief views of performances from "Minna von Barnhelm" and "Nathan der Weise" supplement the biographical information about Lessing's attempt to lead a life as an independent writer in the age of Enlightenment. In German. Video/C 7612

[Levertov, Denise] Denise Levertov (Lannan Literary Videos; 37)

Denise Levertov, born in England in 1923, has long been an important American poet, essayist, editor, and teacher. Her poetry is musical, meditative, and transcendent, addressing the nature of faith, the imperiled beauty of the natural world, love, and politics. Ms. Levertov reads from Evening train and unpublished work followed by an interview with author Michael Silverblatt. Recorded on December 7, 1993, in Los Angeles. 60 min. Video/C 9012

[Levine, Philip] Philip Levine (Lannan Literary Videos; 5)

Philip Levine, winner of the National Book Critic's Circle Award, reads at the Los Angeles Theatre Center and is interviewed by Lewis MacAdams. 60 min. Video/C 6102

[ Lim, Shirley Geok-lin ] Lorna Dee Cervantes and Shirley Geok-lin Lim (Sounds of Poetry with Bill Moyers)

American poet Lorna Dee Cervantes founded her own press to publish the works of Mexican-Americans. Dr. Shirley Geok-lin Lim, An English professor uses her Chinese/Malaysian roots to bring a unique Asian-American perspective to her writing. In this program Bill Moyers and the two poets discuss topics that revolve around the theme of otherness. 1999. 27 min. Video/C 6828

[London, Jack] My Jack London: A Daughter Remembers

A documentary which introduces the life and work and the literary values and historic influence of Jack London. Using reminiscences of London's daughter, Becky London, along with archival family photographs and film footage, traces the celebrated life of the author and separates the man from the legend. 1984. 25 min. Video/C 685

[Lopez, Barry]Barry Lopez (Lannan Literary Videos; 30.)

In his books Arctic Dreams, Of Wolves and Men and Crossing Open Ground, Barry Lopez eloquently explores man's sense of his place in the natural world, the intrinsic power of the landscape and human involvement with wild animals. In a reading that took place on Oct.5, 1992, in Los Angeles, Barry Lopez reads his essay Rediscovery of North America and talks with Michael Silverblatt. 60 min. Video/C 3490

[Garcia Lorca, Federico] Federico Garcia Lorca: Family Portrait of a Poet

This documentary traces the life of Federico Garcia Lorca from Fuentevagueros in Andalusia to his death at age 38 in 1936 when he was executed in Granada by nationalists at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War. Archival footage and personal interviews with family, poets, writers and artists provide an accurate portrait of both Lorca the man and the literary giant. 1999. 59 min. Video/C 6818

[Garcia Lorca, Federico] Federico Garcia Lorca: A Murder in Granada

A film biography of the life and circumstances surrounding the death of Spanish poet and playwright Federico Garcia Lorca, explored through interviews with his contemporaries, friends and members of his family. Contains family memorabilia, his drawings and paintings, and the only remaining footage of the poet himself. 1978. 63 min. Video/C 8500

[Garcia Lorca, Federico ] Federico Garcia Lorca: The Spirit of Lorca

Filmed on location in Spain, this vintage program profiles the immortalized poet/dramatist Federico Lorca, capturing the potent essence of Spanish culture in the process. Extracts from his poems, plays, and letters demonstrate his burning passion for the arts, while the details of his life and violent death, as told by his biography Ian Gibson, contemporaries Rafael Alberti and Luis Rosales, and others, presents a thoughtful perspective on Spain's revered literary icon. 1986. 75 min. Video/C 6899

[Lorca, Federico] See Garcia Lorca, Federico

[Mahon , Derek ] Derek Mahon

Derek Mahon, born in Belfast, is one of the most important Irish poets writing today. Mr. Mahon's rich and elegant poetry exemplifies the creative vitality of contemporary Irish verse. He has published more than 12 books of poetry, as well as several verse translations. Here Derek Mahon reads from his Selected poems and talks with Michael Silverblatt. Recorded in Los Angeles on March 8, 1994. 1994. 45 min. Video/C 8978

[Mailer, Norman] Mailer on Mailer.

A candid and comprehensive biographical portrait of the novelist, essayist, journalist and activist, Norman Mailer. Compiled from over 20 hours of exclusive interviews with the writer, this profile includes rare archival footage, photographs and original manuscripts from the Mailer archives. Both fascinated by and at odds with his country, Norman Mailer personally explores the tensions that exist between reality and fiction in this unprecedented film. c2000. 90 min. Video/C 7710

[ [Malouf , David] David Malouf (Lannan Literary Videos; 36).

Born in Brisbane, Australia in 1934, novelist, poet and playwright, David Malouf is considered one of the leading authors of Australia. Here Mr. Malouf reads from his memoir "Twelve Edmondstone Street" and his novels, "An Imaginary Life" and "Remembering Babylon," followed by an interview with the executive editor of Pantheon Books, Errol McDonald. Recorded on January 20, 1998. 60 min. Video/C 9042

[Mann, Thomas] See also German History and Culture

[Mann, Thomas] The Modern World: Ten Great Writers. (vol 7)

Video/C 1253

[[Mann, Thomas] Thomas Mann: Ein Leben.

Thomas Mann is one of the most prolific writers of the 20th century. This documentary portrays his life beginning with his childhood in his parents home in Lubeck till he fled Germany for France in 1933. He was later arrested by the Nazis but dramatically escaped to the United States in 1940. A pacifist and socialist his works are noted for their lucid analyses of contemporary problems. In German. [1997] 44 min. Video/C 5678

[[Mann, Thomas] Thomas Mann: The Writer and His Family

Presents a detailed and personal look at the life of the German author Thomas Mann, by Golo Mann and his other children. 1994. 56 min. Video/C 8802

[Marquez, Gabriel Garcia] Gabriel Garcia Marquez. (Conversations with Latin American Writers).

This program features a rare interview with Latin American writer Colombia's Gabriel Garcia Marquez who's works have drawn international praise for their highly symbolic and ethereal representations of Latin America's social, political and cultural psyche. Here, Garcia Marquez discusses his life and work from a highly personal plane. In Spanish. c1998. 43 min. Video/C 8668

[Marquez, Gabriel Garcia] Gabriel Garcia Marquez: A Witch Writing

This in-depth interview with Nobel Laureate Gabriel Garcia Marquez is presented in the form of a conversation with an old friend he has not seen in a long while. The program is structured to suggest an apparent disorder of time -- a device he has used in his writing. Assisted by readings and dramatizations of his works, the master of "magic realism" focuses on the supernatural aspects of his spellbinding narrative style, in an effort to convey his particular vision of the world. 1999. 52 min. Video/C 7545

[Marquez, Gabriel Garcia] La Magia de lo Real.

Presents a literary biography of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, the Colombian novelist and