Massive Paisley. Designed by Maharam Design Studio (2007). Via.

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This week: Distilled wisdom, contemporary design, and a monumental shame.

FictionThe Wall: A Novel, by H.G. Adler, Peter Filkins, trans. (Deckle Edge): The third work in Adler’s Shoah trilogy (published posthumously in German), The Wall is now available in English. Like his first two novels, Adler based The Wall on his own experiences in the Holocaust and his postwar life, but avoids detailed historical specifics. The book tells the story of Arthur Landau, a survivor of a wartime atrocity, a man struggling with nightmares and memories of the past, including ones of his deceased wife, as he strives to forge a new life for himself. He tries to publish an account of the war, but those who did not go through it do not sympathize with him. He moves to “Metropolis” and begins a new family in the hopes of regaining some of his humanity. It is near impossible to tell where Adler ends and his protagonist begins. This stream-of-consciousness novel is a valuable look into how one survivor survived after the Holocaust. –RH

Nonfiction: Fallen Leaves: Last Words on Life, Love, War, and God, by Will Durant (Simon & Schuster): This final and most personal work from Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and author Will Durant was discovered thirty-two years after his death, though he alluded to its existence several times while still alive. Twenty-two short essays cover a range of topics: from religion and morals to sex and art. The book serves as a distillation of wisdom from a distinguished scholar, rendered in elegant prose.  CE

Poetry: You Must Remember This: Poems, by Michael Bazzett (Milkweed): Bazzett’s debut collection of free-verse poetry has been described as “a book of unnerving wonders, one in which improbable events are narrated with strange intimacy, lucidity, and sly wit.” A promising first book. CE

Art:  Re-opening of the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum (December 12): The nation’s only museum devoted exclusively to historic and contemporary design, Cooper Hewitt, the Smithsonian’s design museum, will open the doors of its home in Andrew Carnegie’s Fifth Avenue mansion to the public this Friday after a three-year renovation. On view will be ten inaugural exhibitions—including the first long-term installation of Cooper Hewitt’s own wide-ranging collection. —JP

Music: Le Nozze di Figaro (through December 20): ?Four performances remain this season of Mozart's comic masterpiece, Le Nozze di Figaro, including two this week (Monday and Friday). ?I heard the second cast when they stepped into their roles last Thursday, and they are magnificent. Mariusz Kwiecien gave one of his finest performances as the philandering Count Almaviva, while Rachel Willis-Sørensen and Serena Malfi were dazzling in their company debuts as the Countess and Cherubino. Richard Eyre's new production, which opened the season back in September, is an attractive and nimble piece of work that elegantly frames Lorenzo Da Ponte's comedy. ECS

Other: Alberto Giacometti Drawings: An Intimate View (through January 18): The New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting, and Sculpture is displaying the twentieth-century Swiss artist’s drawings in various media, rendered on everything from newsprint to the pages of books. The pieces are on loan from the Louis-Dreyfus Family Collection in Mt. Kisco, N.Y. A panel discussion with the exhibition curator (and frequent New Criterion critic) Karen Wilkin, the Steven and Ann Ames Curator of Drawing at the Whitney Museum, Carter Foster, and the artist Susannah Heller will take place this Tuesday, December 9, at 6:30 PM.  CE

From the archive: On the first day of holiday... : On dismaying disappearances from Junior’s dictionary.

From our latest issue: A monumental shame, by Bruce Cole: The former Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities and current member of the Eisenhower Memorial Commission explains how the plans for an Eisenhower memorial on the National Mall have taken a shameful turn.

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