Featured stories about Literature
Stories about Literature
Alternative Indian movies: Is Netflix at last embracing cultural diversity?
Netflix, which has become the entertainment go-to for millions during the pandemic's prolonged lockdowns, is exploring new Indian productions that stray away from the typical plotlines and visuals.
The Caribbean's foremost literary festival has released its 2021 longlist; Trinidad & Tobago writers dominate
“Where else would you find Trinidadian street food in the same volume as an appraisal of Thom Gunn's poetry, or Dylan Thomas rubbing shoulders with soca?”
Trinidadian activist and writer Colin Robinson, who did the ‘work of social history,’ has died
"Imagination is as critical to social justice as power. Unless we imagine more just futures and how we get there, change won’t come."
Palestinian poet Mourid Barghouthi's death mourned by many
Mourid wrote: "It’s fine to die, once, our hands crossed on our chests, empty and pale, with no scratches, no chains, no banners, and no petitions."
Nearly six centuries after his birth, who owns Alisher Navoiy, the ‘father of Uzbek literature?’
February 9 marks the birth anniversary of a 15th-century Afghanistan-born poet who championed Turkic heritage, and became a national literary symbol in Soviet and later independent Uzbekistan.
Guyanese-American author celebrates Caribbean identity in new alphabet book
'I noticed how scarce and inaccessible Black children's literature was, compared to other fictional children's books.'
Will poetry be enough to get Czechs to embrace anti COVID-19 vaccination?
The Czech government has launched a new communication campaign aimed at overcoming the population's fear or suspicion of vaccination.
In the Middle East, words escape prison walls to inspire freedom and hope
"Why is our homeland so small and tight, and why am I considered a criminal or an enemy that threatens it!”
The greatness of Caribbean writer Jean Rhys
Best known for “Wide Sargasso Sea,” her daring riposte to “Jane Eyre”, Rhys is an integral part of the literary canon. A panel of writers dissects what makes her great.
During the Cold War, Latin American intellectuals found solace in communist Prague
After World War II, Latin America had authoritarian, US-backed anti-communist governments. Facing repression at home, writers found refuge in communist Prague, in a story little-known in today's Czech Republic.
Proposed tax on books in Brazil may disadvantage readers in poorer neighbourhoods
The Brazilian government is considering a 12 percent tax on literary works. Cultural initiatives warn that the proposal risks widening existing inequalities in access to reading.
The climate crisis message in Jamaican environmentalist's new novel is rooted ‘in love for home’
"The disconnect in the region is between rhetoric and action. We’ve already lost a lot, but we still have much worth protecting, and should be determined not to lose more."
Trinidadian writer Ingrid Persaud talks about her new novel, ‘Love After Love’
"I let the characters lead me and often, I wasn’t too sure where we would find ourselves. It was the only way I could navigate these themes."
‘Lukashenka's time is over': a Belarusian writer urges solidarity from afar
"Lukashenka says Belarusians abroad are controlled by puppet-masters, but it's the other way around. It is the Belarusian protesters in Belarus who are the masters, and we, the diaspora, are...
‘This is a partisan movement of a partisan nation': a Belarusian poet reflects on her homeland's turmoil
"The greatest weakness made visible in these past months has been how little the state knows its own people," says poet Valzhyna Mort
Czech author Radka Denemarková on Kundera and patriarchy in the Czech literature scene
"We still await a book about Kundera written by a young, sensitive, intelligent woman, as Kundera's world is based on patriarchal values."
COVID-19 leads to closure of popular bookshops in Bangladesh
"There are so many second-hand books with probably no more copies in the world… many valuable documents of Bengali literary culture will be lost like this."
Milan Kundera's first Czech biography: Another public dressing-down in his homeland?
"An optimist can still hope there will be a time when the debate around Milan Kundera will overcome its long-lasting neurotic phase."
Jamaica’s Brian Heap, Caribbean regional winner of the 2020 Commonwealth Short Story Prize, talks storytelling
"Jamaican language [...] is designed to subvert the English language. I love its frequent juxtaposition of archaic English words and African expressions and syntax, [...] used to sometimes devastating effect."
Speaking with Jamaica’s Brian Heap, Caribbean regional winner of the 2020 Commonwealth Short Story Prize
"Jamaica is so rich in stories [...] It’s so important for us to delve into the inner life of Jamaican subjects."
