Stories about Literature from October, 2006
Albania: Poetry
Our Man in Tirana posts a poem by a contemporary Albanian poet.
Hungary: “Holidays in Hell”
Inspired by P.J. O’Rourke’s “Holidays in Hell,” Further Ramblings of a N.Irish Magyar writes that the Hungarian tourism authorities should “hit the reality button and go for the masochist market.”
Czech Republic: Dalai Lama in Prague
My Czech Republic Blog writes about the Dalai Lama's sixth visit to Prague.
Arabisc: Unemployment, personal attacks and the birth of a new author
Like many parts of the modern world, unemployment is a plague attacking Arab countries. Anonymous blogger Alloush writes about a discovery he made while surfing the world wide web. The Arab blogger found an online forum bringing together unemployed people from across Saudi Arabia – which he is quick to...
Poland: Ryszard Kapuscinski and the Nobel Prize
The beatroot writes that the Nobel Prize for Literature “is not a literary prize at all, it merely reflects the contemporary obsessions of the West – and particularly Sweden” – and this is why Ryszard Kapuscinski didn't win this year.
Lebanon: Politics and the Finer Arts
The political turmoil in Lebanon seems to be taking its toll on the Lebanese blogosphere. Many posts reflect on the internal squabble going on. But we can still find some art, poetry and environmental concerns. Starting with the fine art of caricature: Amal started a series of cartoons in which...
Trinidad & Tobago: Poet Mervyn Taylor
Geoffrey Philp launches a new writers series called “In My Own Words” with Trinidadian poet Mervyn Taylor.
China: Youth, too much free time
Obscurity is here to stay for the residents of a distant northern Chinese town, it seems, judging from a post this week from Chongqing-based blogger-journalist Ran Yunfei. 中国的县之多，从未听说过某一县，当然不足为奇。比如山西的方山县，我就从未听说过。但最近这个县的县委书记张国彪来了个铁腕政策，打着为保护未成年学生的幌子，关掉该县县城所有网吧，干涉商人经商之自由，以及人们了解信息之自由。还被许多人赞美，这真是滑天下之大稽。 There are many counties in China. To have never heard of a certain country is of course nothing strange. Shanxi‘s Fangshan county,...
India: Kiran Desai and the Booker
Indian author Kiran Desai wins the booker for ‘The Inheritance of Loss’. Ultra Brown has some interesting links and Amitava Kumar has a little on the author and her first work.
Africa: poem for 1st Carnival of African Women
A poem from Mshairi for the 1st Carnival of African Women.
Serbia: A Bookstore in Pristina
Wu Wei writes about her favorite bookstore in Pristina, Kosovo: “I don't know why I find it so satisfying a place to browse. The stock presumably doesn't change that much, but it seems to get rearranged, so that new juxtapositions appear, surprising you and offering new discoveries. It's rather like...
Congolese Writer Alain Mabanckou on André Schwarz-Bart
Alain Mabanckou, a novelist and poet from Congo-Brazzaville now living in California, pays tribute (Fr) to Polish-Jewish writer André Schwarz-Bart, author of Le Dernier de justes who passed away last weekend. Schwarz-Bart, who grew up in France during the German occupation, lived in Guadeloupe with his wife, writer Simone Schwarz-Bart.
Jamaica: Colin Channer
An interview with Jamaican writer Colin Channer is the latest in Geoffrey Philp's 5 Questions series.
Myanmar: Historical Text from Myanmar
The blogger at Myat Thura links to sites that are hosting materials on Burmese history. One of the link points to a translation of a classic work on Burmese history called the Burmese Chronicle.
Jamaica: Can blogging effect change?
Presenting the results of his “Can blogging effect change” poll, Jamaican writer Geoffrey Philp highlights some of the ways he's benefitted from blogging.
Mexico: “Blog to be Wild”
Blog to be Wild [ES] describes itself [ES] as the “first series of lectures about the culture of online expression.” Various bloggers from Monterrey, Mexico will hold five tables of discussion at this month's International Book Fair of Monterrey about the various genres of weblogs as well as workshops [ES]...
Belarus: Music, Literature and Politics
TOL's Belarus Blog writes about the Accordion Party at Minsk YoYo Club; privileges installed for certain government officials; and the temporary closure of a literary journal that was publishing “some political analysis as well.”
The Kannada Context: “Gandhigiri”, nADahabba and Everything Else
Gandhi Jayanti (Gandhi‘s Birth Anniversary) was observed yesterday in India and elsewhere. It was celebrated the most by the electronic media, of course. What was different this time, however, was that, a lot of them talked about “Gandhigiri”, the new phrase, and supposedly the newly revived way of life. Curiously,...
Albania: Ismail Kadare's Novel
Wu Wei reads Ismail Kadare's novel, The Successor: “The Successor is about the ways totalitarian leaders keep their colleagues in check, by invoking the good of the Party. Or perhaps the ways in which the colleagues keep themselves in check by their own fear, having given their leader all power.”
Caribbean: 5 Questions with poet Adrian Castro
Geoffrey Philp continues his series of Five Questions with Caribbean writers — this week he chats with Caribbean/South Florida poet Adrian Castro.
China: the dead don't have vacation
October 1 is the national day of People's Republic of China. Han Song is brainstorming about his new science fiction storyline: if the deads become alive again, what would they have done during the one week vacation? (zh)
