Ben Kessler
| Gender | Male |
|---|---|
| Industry | Communications or Media |
| Location | Brooklyn, New York, United States |
| Introduction | I'm a playwright who labors as a web copywriter during the day. As regards my day job, I think I'm like most people in that I balance restlessness and dissatisfaction with gratitude at having a steady paycheck at all. In my writing for the theater, I try to effect liberation (catharsis) through emotional expression and a felt awareness of real-world struggle. These qualities can be found in the artworks that help make life worth living, from Shakespeare to Spielberg, from Tennessee Williams to Morrissey. The lucky reader can find these and other aesthetic verities clearly and compellingly explicated in the criticism of John Demetry, whom I would like to thank for hosting me on this blog. |
| Interests | Theater, Movies, Pop Music, Music Videos, Fiction, Philosophy |
| Favorite Movies | A.I.: Artificial Intelligence, The Magnificent Ambersons, Masculin-Feminin, Senso, Lawrence of Arabia, The Fury, Notorious, The Shanghai Gesture, The Long Day Closes, Intolerance, L'Avventura, Bonjour Tristesse, Ganja & Hess, Excalibur, Two English Girls, Michael, Easy Living, No Greater Glory, Gentleman's Agreement, The Sun Shines Bright, Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle |
| Favorite Music | Morrissey, Pet Shop Boys, Fleetwood Mac, Donna Summer, Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band, Saint Etienne, Jay-Z, Kate Bush, The Shangri-Las, Iris DeMent, Scritti Politti, Erasure, Dexys Midnight Runners, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Pulp, Elvis Costello, Kid Creole and the Coconuts, Kylie Minogue, Au Pairs, Goldfrapp, Dusty Springfield, The Wedding Present, Girls Aloud, Lene Nystrom, Public Enemy, Kirsty MacColl, The Ditty Bops, Would Be Goods, Michael Jackson, The Pipettes, Justin Timberlake |
| Favorite Books | The Wings of the Dove, Tender Is the Night, The Ambassadors, Women in Love, The Portrait of a Lady, Washington Square, The Golden Bowl, The Violent Bear It Away, Pierre or the Ambiguities, The Sound and the Fury, Pale Fire, Another Country, Dubliners, The Bridge of San Luis Rey, Veronica, Because They Wanted To, Operation Shylock, Chocolates for Breakfast, V. |