The Theatre FULLER'S CIVIL WAR by Edith Oliver.

The Sky Line THE SKY LINE THE MALADY OF GIGANTISM by Brendan Gill. Pittsburg today has so thoroughly transformed itself in respect both to its appearance and to the sources of its income that in the 1985 Places Rated Almanac it was listed as the most desirable city to live in in the entire United States. And it has earned this distinction in...

The Talk of the Town Franco Moschino by Holly Brubach. Talk story about viewing "From Queen to Empress," an exhibition of Victorian costumes at the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum with the Italian designer, Franco Moschino who was in NY to celebrate the publication of his book "To Be Or Not To Be: That's Fashion!" Moschino struck the writer...

Television China Star by Naomi Bliven. Talk story about a NY woman named Yue-sai Kan, the most popular television personality in the world. She is the narrator&executive producer of a series of travelogues that have captivated China's entire viewing population. Her program, "One World," shows her audiences places they are unlikely to visit...

Comment by Adam Gopnik. Comment about the announcement that Charlie Chaplin's films will no longer be available for "theatrical release" in this country. The details of this announcement were a little murky & perhaps the apocalyptic tone of the headline--Chaplin Heads Offscreen!"--was merely some kind of opening ploy in a negotiation between...

Fiction Brunch by S. L. Wisenberg. Leah's oldest friend Bruce is planning a brunch. He can't invite Jerry because Jerry &Leah have broken up&he also can't invite Leah's friend&his old girlfriend, SUsan. Bruce remarks, "There are no happy couples, only people who haven't broken up yet." Leah &Bruce met most...

Annals of Diplomacy II-THE ABOLITIONIST by John Newhouse. ANNALS OF DIPLOMACY about nuclear weapons in the Reagan era & the arma-control talks with the Soviet Union during Reagan's second term. At the beginning, not many expected that in the thaw to come Reagan would suppress some of the deeply held anti-Soviet views he had carried with...

Books by Brad Leithauser.

Dance A KIND OF DANCER by Suzannah Lessard. PROFILE of composer Vittorio Rieti. Writer attends a concert of Rieti's work at Merkin Hall. All the pieces on the program of music were in the French neoclassical style--which is to say that the composer was indisputably a modernist. Rieti lives in a 2-bedroom apartment on Madison Ave...

The Talk of the Town Protection by George W. S. Trow. Talk story about Stephen D'Andrilli and his security-consultation company, Guardian Group International, with offices near City Hall...

The Current Cinema THE COMEDY OF EVIL by Pauline Kael.

Fiction Dog Heaven by Stephanie Vaughn. The writer recalls events of 24 years ago. Her father, an Army officer, is in charge of the missile batteries at Fort Niagara where the family also lives. She is one of a small number of Army kids at the Lewiston-Porter Central School along the American-Canadian border. Sparky...

Poetry The Continuous Life by Mark Strand. What of the neighborhood homes awash...

Poetry Galloway Tale by Tom Pow. He told the map men anything...

Poetry A Village Walk Under Snow by Alfred Corn. Roiling flakes...