5 culture things to know

Fleetwood Mac’s Stevie Nicks gets her own Barbie doll

As part of its Barbie Music Series, Mattel has unveiled a new doll in the likeness of Stevie Nicks, former member of rock band Fleetwood Mac. The $55 preorder for the doll, which wears a flowing black dress and holds Nicks’ signature ribboned tambourine, has already sold out. Meanwhile, the singer recently said in an interview that Fleetwood Mac would not tour again after the death of Christine McVie in Nov. 2022, and added that McVie was irreplaceable.

New Paris exhibition brings van Gogh back to life with AI

A new exhibition at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, which focuses on Vincent van Gogh’s last works, features a virtual reality experience that allows visitors to immerse themselves in the paintings of the Dutch artist, as well as an artificial intelligence rendering of the painter on a video screen which can answer users’ questions.

Senegalese duo win Caine prize for African writing

Senegalese writers Mame Bougouma Diene and Woppa Diallo were awarded the 2023 Caine prize for African writing for their short story “A Soul of Small Places.” Judges praised the “visceral tale” which depicts “the everyday struggles and atrocities faced by women” inspired by lawyer and activist Diallo’s experiences of gender-based violence in Senegal.

Nobel Prize in Literature

Norwegian author Jon Fosse won the 2023 Nobel Prize in Literature. As a novelist and one of the world’s most performed playwrights, the 64-year-old is known for a minimalist writing style and confronting “the critical moment of irresolution,” according to the Nobel committee in Stockholm.

Japan sets up tourist tax at popular shrine

Visitors to Japan’s famous Itsukushima Shrine on the island of Miyajima are now charged 100 yen ($0.67) each, as part of authorities’ efforts to fight overtourism. The collected funds will be used to build and improve tourism infrastructure as well as to maintain the shrine’s architecture.