"Nesting Season": Can birds fall in love?

A new book explores the sexual chemistry of our feathered friends, from swans to "March of the Penguins"

By JED LIPINSKI
PUBLISHED MAY 16, 2010 7:01PM (UTC)

In 2005, "March of the Penguins," Luc Jacquet's documentary about a year in the life of emperor penguins, became a surprise cultural phenomenon. The film, which grossed $77 million  in the U.S., captures the epic sacrifices these birds make to protect their eggs: trekking 70 miles over ice to mate, then fasting for four months in total darkness while enduring Arctic temperatures of minus 80 degrees. Audience members were entranced by the film's central "love story" -- even if, some argued, it wasn't entirely accurate.

 

Susan Sontag

"The Professor and Other Writings": A critic gets personal

Terry Castle discusses her sexually charged new memoir -- and why Susan Sontag stayed in the closet

By JED LIPINSKI

PUBLISHED JANUARY 26, 2010 6:20AM (UTC)

Susan Sontag once called Terry Castle “the most expressive, most enlightening literary critic at large today.” But her new book, "The Professor and Other Writings," proves she's one of our most expressive and enlightening memoirists as well.