Stories about Literature from October, 2008
Trinidad & Tobago: Book of the Week
Caribbean lit-blog Antilles picks as its “Book of the Week” Ian McDonald's Selected Poems, which it describes as “a long-overdue survey of the career of one of the Caribbean's most admired writers.”
Angola: On the mermaid Kianda and other mythical beings
Angola has several stories, legends and mythical characters which, like a breath of fresh air, feed the imagination of young ones and adults alike, giving wealth to Angolan history and culture. Read about the mermaid Kianda, and animal tales: deer, tortoise, alligators - they all make people's imagination fly.
Bangladesh: Holiday Literary Supplements
Mahmud Rahman at cruel, crazy, beautiful world writes about the long tradition of publication of holiday special literary supplements of newspapers and magazines in Bangladesh. His post at Words Without Borders Blog reveals that these specials are a delight for both the readers and the emerging writers.
India, Pakistan: Post Colonial English Language Writers
GoatMilk discusses about the post colonial English language writers in India and Pakistan.
Talking to Guyanese litblogger Charmaine Valere
Guyanese Charmaine Valere has lived in the US for over twenty years, but she remains deeply engaged with her home country and its cultural debates via her literary blog, Signifyin' Guyana.
Serbia: International Belgrade Book Fair
Balkan File writes about the 53rd International Belgrade Book Fair.
Brazilian myths and haunts on the Lusosphere – Part 2
On the first article of this series, we searched Brazilian websites that could tell us some stories about the haunts and the mythical beings of Brazilian folklore. Now, in the second article, we will sit and listen to the tales of myth, legend and fear told by Brazilian bloggers; tales about Cabeça de Cuia and Caboclo D'Água, and about the beautiful and sad tale of the Vitória Régia, and give more details about the mysterious Loira do Banheiro and her terrible death.
Jamaica: “Old Boy”
Jamaican Geoffrey Philp is brimming with pride over his alma mater.
Poland, U.K.: “Poles Apart” by Polly Courtney
Sylwia Presley discusses some issues raised in Polly Courtney's novel about Polish immigrants in the U.K., “Poles Apart.”
Angola: A poem for the Blog Action Day
Admário Costa Lindo [pt] publishes one of his poems as his contribution for the Blog Action Day. It is a concrete poem about hunger written in 1974, and there is also an English version.
Brazilian myths and haunts on the Lusosphere – Part 1
The first of three articles that will take us around the virtual campfire to hear stories about ghosts and enchantment from Brazilian folklore: Cuca, Negrinho do Pastoreio, Boitatá and Curupira, are just some of the beings that inhabit the nights, dreams, and nightmares of Brazil. We also find a group of artists who are telling anew a long told Brazilian popular story.
India: And the Bookers prize goes to..
Über Desi reports that the Chennai born Arvind Adiga has won the 2008 Man Booker prize for his debut novel ‘The White Tiger’, which the Guardian describes as “a bracingly modern novel about the dark side of the new India”.
Uruguay: Free Virtual Library of More than 1500 Books
The government of Uruguay received a donation from the government of Spain of a virtual library containing nearly 1500 titles. Any citizen can take a blank CD into their local departmental office and can receive a burned copy of the e-books. Tan Conectados [es] is looking for a complete online...
Haiti, Jamaica, T&T: Thoughts on Haiti
Haiti Innovation wonders what's next for the hurricane-ravaged town of Gonaives, while Jamaican litblogger Geoffrey Philp focuses on a new book about Haiti.
Latin America: More lore, ghosts, demons and frights
On this second installment on the Myths, Lore and Legends of Latin America, we will get to know the Venezuelan Animas and their unfinished business, the Sayona and the Whistler, and Ecuadorian myths such as the foundation myth of Guayas and Kil, Father Almeida, the Headless Priest, the gagones (something similar to familiars) and the Cantuña Cathedral myth.
Trinidad & Tobago: Caribbean Sweeps Book Awards
Antilles, the blog of the Caribbean Review of Books, notes that “the Caribbean is well represented” among the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award winners: “Three of the four categories were won by Caribbean books.”
Bahamas, Jamaica: Money & Culture
Bahamian Nicolette Bethel and Jamaican Geoffrey Philp have a conversation about art, culture and money that leaves the latter to conclude: “Culture is too important to be left in the hands of people who only know about money or power.”
Trinidad & Tobago: Eye on the Prize
Trinidadian blogger Nicholas Laughlin understands that “literary prizes play a hugely important role in what you might call the literary economy” – which is why he's agreed to be a regional judge for the 2009 Commonwealth Writers’ Prize.
Jamaica: Quick Picks
Jamaican Marlon James announces his picks for this year's Nobel Prize in Literature: “My money is on Adonis, largely because a poet is overdue.”
Paraguay: Explaining the Global Economic Crisis with Monkeys
Muna posts an anonymous parable she says is the perfect analogy for the stock market nowadays. It explains the Wall Street Crisis with monkeys, and can be found both in Spanish and in English.
Latin America: lore, ghosts, demons and frights.
The mythology in Latin America is quite rich: some tales have been passed onto us from the Incas, Mayas or Aztecs, and others are colonial imports from Europe. On this first part of the multinational Latin American post, we'll visit some of the most popular myths and legends like the Llorona, the Cegua, the Cadejos and the Evil Light.
