COVER STORY
Rivalry
Kurt Andersen and Paul Theroux talk about the rivalries that motivate artists to their best--and their worst.

Renaissance Rivals
Sara Fishko surveys the great rivalries of history. She spoke with the late art historian Rona Goffen, who found that envy is responsible for some of the masterpieces of Western art.
Read an obituary on Rona Goffen
Buy Rona Goffen's book Renaissance Rivals

Hip-Hop's Battles
"Beefs" have kept rap fans intrigued from the early days of hip-hop to this year's conflict between The Game and 50-Cent. Three writers and fans explain how the battles got started: William Eric Perkins in Philadelphia, Tricia Rose in Santa Cruz, and Adam Mansbach in Berkeley. Produced by Jonathan Mitchell.
Go to the website of Adam Mansbach
Buy Adam Mansbach's book Angry Black White Boy
Go to a page on William Eric Perkins' book
Buy William Eric Perkins' book Droppin' Science
Go to the website of Tricia Rose
Buy Tricia Rose's book Black Noise

Hong Kong Cinema
Besides making American action movies more exciting again, Hong Kong and Chinese films have somehow combined Eastern philosophy with ferocious duels to the death. Produced by Jocelyn Gonzales.
Read Ric Meyers's columns
Go to a page on Jeff Yang's book with Jackie Chan

SPECIAL GUEST
Paul Theroux
Paul Theroux has written fiction and nonfiction for more than 35 years. His books on Patagonia, Oceania, and Hong Kong have made him the most acclaimed travel writer of our time. Dark Star Safari chronicles a rail journey the entire length of Africa. His most recent book is Blinding Light, a novel. He lives in Cape Cod and Hawaii, where he sells his own brand of honey.
Go to Paul Theroux's website
Buy Paul Theroux's latest novel, Blinding Light
Buy Paul Theroux's book, Sir Vidia's Shadow

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DFRW: London Underground Map

London's old, intensely convoluted subway required a new kind of map that broke the rules of cartography. Chris Spurgeon explains why the 1931 Underground map was copied from Tokyo to Chicago.
Go to a webpage about Harry Beck and the evolution of the Underground map
Go to a Flash presentation about Harry Beck's Underground map
Buy Mr. Beck's Underground Map

E. L. Doctorow
talks about The March. It's a historical novel set during the destructive campaign of General William T. Sherman, as he marched with his forces from Atlanta to Savannah toward the end of the Civil War. Doctorow tells Kurt how this new philosophy of "total war" empowered the people it defeated.
Buy E.L. Doctorow's novel, The March

Aha! The Rookie
Christine Chapman has always been an actress, but she couldn't manage to perform with a full-time job and a family to care for. Her dream of being in theater got a shot in the arm from Dennis Quaid one afternoon in an empty movie theater. Produced by Jonathan Mitchell.

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