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F E A T U R E S
What is it about Paris?
Philosophy au lait
D E P A R T M E N T S The Surreal Gourmet
Passages:
Postmark: Los Angeles
Readers' Tips and Tales
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Tuesday, May 6 Riding high
A full list of all
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BY PETER THEROUX | los Angeles, that sprawling mass in sunny Southern California, is one of the most misunderstood cities in the United States. Based on this premise, Theroux sets out to do the unimaginable -- translate the city's complex and undulating culture into plain-spoken English. What helps Theroux successfully achieve this feat are his many tales from his days as a professional translator and teacher in L.A. He masterfully blends the history of the region with his students' own L.A. stories, often tales of violence and poverty. And by picking apart erroneous media reports and public perceptions, Theroux sheds light on such topics as how much of the city was really ablaze during the L.A. riots, how ethnic Beverly Hills really is, and how a visit to Los Angeles does not feel like stepping onto a Hollywood movie set. "Translating L.A." is a rare look at the many hues of Los Angeles, the city, and Los Angeles, the lifestyle.
BY JOAN DIDION
| only three elements were needed: a Volkswagen, a bad marriage and a life insurance policy. "Some Dreamers of a Golden Dream," one of the central pieces in this collection of 20 essays published from 1965 to 1967, is a surreal tale of the ordinary, and of what happens when those ordinary things in life become lethal. Only Didion could be at once so blunt and so subtle in telling this classic story of murder, broken dreams and small-town life on the fringes of Los Angeles. On one hot October night, Lucille Miller, a housewife and mother, left with her husband to buy milk. He was later found burned to death in the family's car. Didion slowly unravels the events leading up to that night, and the irony of how good ordinary must have looked from the place where Miller ended up.
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