· May, 2009

Stories about Literature from May, 2009

Russia: A Blogger's Review of “The Associate”

About a month ago, Jost A Mon blog posted a “roundup of translated crime fiction consumed in April” - which included several books by writers from Central and Eastern Europe. What follows below is a displeased Russian blogger's blitz review of John Grisham's 21st novel, The Associate.

Caribbean, UK: Padel resigns from Oxford post

  27 May 2009

After regional bloggers reacted en masse to the withdrawal of St. Lucian Nobel Laureate Derek Walcott from the race to be Oxford Professor of Poetry, Ruth Padel, Walcott's closest competitor who eventually won the coveted post, has resigned under pressure of mounting allegations that she was the puppet master behind the smear campaign. Caribbean bloggers do not seem surprised.

Jamaica: The Calabash Experience

  27 May 2009

“What was it about this year’s Calabash that still causes its many images and tones and textures to linger in my memory, refusing to leave?”: For Jamaica's Life, Unscripted, on...

Palestine: Israeli Armed Police Disrupt Literature Festival

The Palestine Festival of Literature is a traveling cultural roadshow touring across the West Bank, in Palestine, from May 23 to 28. The aim is to take literary activities to Palestinians, who aren't allowed to travel under the occupation. However, the opening was marred when armed Israeli police ordered the theatre where the event was hosted to shut down. Bloggers from around the world reacted to the incident.

Jamaica: Calabash & Language

  25 May 2009

Annie Paul blogs about Jamaica's Calabash Literary Festival, at which some folks were offended by the colourful language in authors’ readings: “Does shielding young ears from words like pussy, bombaclaat,...

Jamaica, Barbados: Calabash Kicks Off

  22 May 2009

Repeating Islands reports that leading off the readings at Jamaica's Calabash Literary Festival this year will be “Jamaican writers Velma Pollard and Esther Phillips, and Bajan poet Millicent Graham.”

Caribbean: Bloggers React to Walcott's Withdrawal

  18 May 2009

St. Lucian-born Derek Walcott is truly a West Indian man. He has been embraced by literature lovers of countless other regional territories who identify with his writing and see the nuances of the Caribbean come alive in his work. Which was why his Nobel Prize win for Literature in 1992 seemed like a regional victory - and why his withdrawal from the tight race for the coveted position of Oxford Professor of Poetry has left a bad taste in many bloggers' mouths.

Uruguay: The Passing of Writer Mario Benedetti

  18 May 2009

Uruguayan writer and poet Mario Benedetti passed away on May 17 at the age of 88. Benedetti is extremely important to Uruguayan society, especially because of his history as an exile and as an outspoken critic during the military dictatorship in the 1970s and 1980s. However, his works transcend borders and he was beloved all across the region. Bloggers remember the man and what his writings meant to them personally and to the region.

Bloggers raise funds for Brunei Special Olympics Team

  16 May 2009

In providing support to the Brunei Special Olympics team, local bloggers are creating awareness on the team’s forthcoming participation in the World Special Olympics in Athens in 2011. Major fundraising activities were held last May 3: a walkathon and bazaar.

St. Lucia: Walcott Reactions

  14 May 2009

As St. Lucian Nobel Laureate Derek Walcott withdraws from the race for Oxford Professor of Poetry, Repeating Islands posts an update: “The nearly unanimous response…from newspaper reporters, commentators, and bloggers...

St. Lucia: Walcott Withdraws

  13 May 2009

Repeating Islands reports that St. Lucian Nobel Laureate Derek Walcott “has withdrawn his candidacy for the post of Oxford Professor of Poetry citing a smear campaign designed to sully his...