Stories about Literature from February, 2008
China: Thoughts and debates on the name-calling professor
The start was in fact very simple. In 2007, Professor Zhong Hua at Sichuan Normal University issued an article entitled Cultural Studies and the Lost of Literary Theory in the 11th issue of “Literature and Art Studies”, one of the core academic journals in China, criticizing an academic work entitled...
A book about political murders in Brazil
The Brazilian IndyMedia site is reporting about a new book by the Brazilian journalist Natália Viana about the political murders of human-rights activists in Brazil in the last decades. The report says the entire book is available to be downloaded here. All the links in this roundup are in portuguese.
Bangladesh: Book fair
Bangladesh From Our View on the 23rd Ekushey Book fair.
Lusospheric Literature: Sabedoria de Improviso
Czarina writes in short, razor-sharp, words in her Sabedoria de Improviso [Makeshift Wisdom, PT] about what she may or may not have learned, and maybe about what she lived. She renders no explanations [PT] for those who need it.
Blogger of the Week: Nicholas Laughlin
Today's Blogger of the Week is Nicholas Laughlin - an author, editor, art enthusiast, activist and "occasional" blogger, who has dreams bigger than life for his hometown in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, and writing projects and engagements which make him wish the day was longer than 24 hours.
Jamaica, Haiti: Haitian Creole
“I learned many things from Felix Morisseau-Leroy and one of the most important was his commitment to the Haitian Creole language”: Geoffrey Philp posts one of the writer's poems.
Trinidad & Tobago: Cultural Preservation
“Even as we fret about the loss of our historic architecture, we are losing the architects of our history”: Blogging from Trinidad & Tobago, The Liming House writes about the importance of preserving “our collective memory.”
Trinidad & Tobago, Australia: de Boissiere Passes On
Blogging from Trinidad & Tobago, Antilles acknowledges the passing of author and centenarian Ralph de Boissiere: “one of the chief figures in the Beacon group, a circle of young, talented, ambitious writers that formed around the Trinidadian magazine of that name in the early 1930s.”
Echoes of Orwell in Senegal
Blog politique au Senegal discusses George Orwell [Fr] and sees echoes of 1984 in Senegal's political system.
Trinidad & Tobago: Commonweath Writers
As the 2008 Commonwealth Writers’ Prize shortlists are announced, Antilles writes: “I'm sure some…will share my disappointment that more Caribbean writers were not shortlisted for the only major writing prize most are eligible for.”
Brazil: Oneself cellphone mobile TV
Mobile webtv live broadcast [pt] proposes a media innovation based on an all times Brazilian favorites street characters: the candy-girls that sell sweeties on trays. “We came up with a new media structure made of a transparent acrylic tray that fits the body ergonomically to allow us to continue walking...
Slovenia: Poetry, Green Views, Cuisine and More
Slovenia is a country with a very healthy blogosphere, which includes blogs from expats. Here's a roundup of what some of them have been talking about in the last few days, in English and Spanish.
Venezuela: Rafael Bolívar Coronado, Writer With Unorthodox Methods
El Alma Llanera (The Soul from the Plains) is Venezuela's second national anthem and the song used by most party hosts in this country to send their guests home. Its lyrics were written by Rafael Bolívar Coronado, a writer who should be known more for his brilliant works, but is often more recognized for the stunts and unorthodox ways to pursue a living. The works, but especially these actions, are alive in the Venezuelan blogosphere and internet forums.
Blogosphere poetry in Portuguese
Pimenta Negra [pt] has a post about a new poetry project in Portugal: “Combining illustration and poetry, “Poesia Quase Anónima” (Almost Anonymous Poetry) is a small anthology of possible new authors dispersed in the Portuguese the blogosphere”.
Brazil: Free books online, no need to print
O Escriba [pt] has created a link to his online library, with free books available for download. Some of them are quite rare, others have been forbidden, such as Roberto Carlos’ biography. He has only an environmentally-friendly wish: “Please avoid printing them out, reading on the screen is not that...
Cuba, Jamaica: Parable Hunting
Jamaican Geoffrey Philp features Cuban-born writer Ricardo Pau-Llosa in his own words, as he talks about his latest book.
Trinidad & Tobago, Guyana: Supercat
Boy, does West Indies Cricket Blog have a book for you!
Guyana: R.I.P. Bernard
Signifyin’ Guyana laments the passing of writer Deryck Bernard.
Jamaica: Marley's Birthday
Jamaican Geoffrey Philp realised early on that “good writing, like a good life, cannot be built solely on negation” – and credits that awareness to Bob Marley's “ability to transform through word-power the consciousness of a generation and to show how life-affirming values could be transmitted in poetry through rhythm...
Jamaica, Dominican Republic: Oscar Wao
Jamaican Marlon James so loved reading The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao that he says: “Junot Diaz should hire me as his publicist.”
Nepal: Kite Runner
Kathmandu Speaks on watching Kite Runner – the film
