As a librarian and an American, I'm a big fan of unwavering defenders of freedom and opponents of censorship, and Barney Rosset is one of the big ones. Rosset, as owner of Grove Press and publisher and editor-in-chief of the Evergreen Review, fought against the Establishment to assure that artists were heard. Without his hard work, we might not know Samuel Beckett, Jean Genet or Henry Miller as we do today. The film Obscene: A Portrait of Barney Rosset and Grove Press tells how Rosset altered the course of history, but not without first enduring everything from lawsuits to grenade attacks. Including appearances by John Sayles, John Waters and William Burroughs, the film also features music by Bob Dylan, Patti Smith and others. Catch it 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, 3200 Darnell St. Call 817-738-9215 or visit themodern.org for more info.
Tue., April 21, 2009