The Talk of the Town The Lyrical Approach by Jane Boutwell. Talk story about the Royal Ballet, which was settling into the Metropolitan Opera for a month-long visit. The writer noticed how extraordinarily polite everybody was to everybody else. The writer watched a regular morning men's class, conducted by Brian Shaw, and rehearsals of "La Fille Mal Gardee," "Rituals," and...

The Talk of the Town Zinno's Flight by Faith McNulty. Talk story about Joseph A. Zinno's attempt to fly an aircraft propelled only by the power of his own two feet strapped to bicycle pedals. In recent years a handful of aviators have built flying machines in which they rose into the air under their own steam - though not for...

Musical Events Earthbound by Andrew Porter.

The Current Cinema Tongue for the Muted: A Magnificent South African Film by Penelope Gilliatt. Review of "Boesman and Lena", a South African film from a play by the brave white fighter against apartheid Athol Fugard. The role of Boesman is played by Fugard himself. Tells about Fugard...

Profiles MAHATMA GANDHI AND HIS APOSTLES I-SUBTLER AND MORE LASTING SHAPES by Ved Mehta. PROFILE of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (Mahatma, meaning "great soul" was an honorific title). Writer travelled through India & to other places, beginning in 1971, to collect views of various specialists and the oral testimony of Gandhians in a cross-section of society. Using this and Gandhi's writings, writer tries to...

Books Nicholas Jenkins' Hollow Horse by Naomi Bliven.

Fiction Path by W. S. Merwin. The writer is researching the nomadic legends and their recurrence in later times of an ancient capital city in that city's national library. He is aided in his studies by the city's illustrious philologist and literary historian who introduces the writer to 2 blond-haired twin boys. The twins are...

Fiction Tracking the Elusive Quark by Lewis Grossberger. No man has ever seen a quark. How, then, do we know they exist? The circumstantial evidence is overwhelming. We do not believe the ancient legends, and yet we know there is something out there.... Dr. Gaddis Quigley, of the Iota Institute, set out in June to track the elusive...

Comment by George W. S. Trow. Comment about NBC news special in which footage was shown of Attorney General Robert L. Shevin's walk down Florida's Death Row. Tells about conversation between Florida's Attorney General, an effective advocate of capital punishment, and a prisoner, Robert Sullivan in which the condemned man argues against the death penalty, saying...

The Sporting Scene IN THE COUNTING HOUSE by Roger Angell. SPORTING SCENE about this year's eruption of labor troubles and money squabbles in baseball. At the center of the dispute was a decision by a three-man arbitration panel which ruled that Andy Messersmith, of the Dodgers, and Dave McNally, of the Montreal Expos, were released from affiliation with their...

The Race Track Bold Forbes! by G. F. T. Ryall. Bold Forbes won the Kentucky Derby. He was bought for $15,200 at the 1974 Lexington yearling sales by Esteban Rodriguez Tizol, a Puerto Rican banker...

Cartoon The Inquiring Demographer by Calvin Trillin. This Week's Question: What Are You Doing To Celebrate The Bicentennial? Illustrated story. The above question is answered by: Wendy Brewster, Citizens for a Sound Environment, Newton Massachusetts: We're doing a Bicentennial Recycling Project- a thirteen-star American flag made completely out of old gum wrappers and beer cans... Rocco...

The Theatre Echt Brecht by Brendan Gill.

The Talk of the Town Junior Miss by Jamaica Kincaid. Talk story about New York State's Junior Miss, Dawn Fotopulos. Every year, 50 high-school seniors, representing our 50 states, compete in a televised national Junior Miss contest, sponsored by Eastman Kodak, Kraft Foods, and Breck Shampoo. The winner, America's Junior Miss, receives a $10,000 scholarship to the college of...

Poetry Stars Which See, Stars Which Do Not See by Marvin Bell. They sat by the water. The fine woman...

Poetry Aspects of Lilac by Howard Moss. By the turn of the driveway, two lilacs have called...