Stories about Literature from June, 2010
Global: Greek to English, Chinese to Russian, and Spanish to Macedonian
Wikidioms is a new online resource that aims at helping translators to cope with this challenge of translating idioms. Below is an interview with Wikidioms' founder Pavel Kats, and with one of its contributors, Yasna Trandafilovska.
Middle East: Goodbye Saramago
Bloggers across the Middle East mourned the death of Portuguese writer Jose Saramago. Tarek Amr rounds up their reactions.
India, Bangladesh: The Other Side Of Rabindranath Tagore
Words From Solitude highlights the other side of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore.
Portugal: A Tribute in Unison to Nobel Prize Winner Jose Saramago
Today the Portuguese writer and only Portuguese language Nobel Prize Winner in Literature José Saramago died at age 87 in his residence in Lanzarote. Though he might not have liked it, he received a tribute in unison on Twitter.
Jamaica, Guyana: Passing on the Classics
“Any list of Caribbean classics ultimately has to be the responsibility of Caribbean people wherever we are. And we’re not only responsible for creating a canon, but also for passing it on…”: Guyanese diaspora Charmaine Valere weighs in on Geoffrey Philp's question as to what constitutes a Caribbean literary classic.
Egypt: Scheherazade must Die
Freedom of Expression is taking a beating in Egypt. In a series of lawsuits against writers, Scheherazade of 1001 Nights is now being accused of immorality and some lawyers want her dead - in their call for banning the book!
Guyana: Rodney's Anniversary
Repeating Islands notes that this Sunday “will mark the 30th anniversary of the 1980 assassination of Water Rodney, who was killed by a bomb in the middle of Georgetown, Guyana.”
Trinidad & Tobago: Griffith & Antoni
The Caribbean Review of Books is “delighted that two Trinidadians have made the 2010 list” of Guggenheim Fellows.
Brazil/Palestine: The Rose of Gaza
Georges Bourdoukan presents [pt] us with a beautiful poem in honor of the victims of the war and continuous violence in Gaza.
Jamaica, St. Maarten: R.I.P. “Yaya”
Geoffrey Philp's Blogspot acknowledges the passing of the St. Martin folklorist Laurelle “Yaya” Richards.
Guyana: Twittering
Signifyin’ Guyana suggests that “its promise of a succinct, timely message relayed between friends, (and enemies), networkers, netidlers, and all other kinds of purposeful or purposempty folk, is probably why Twitter is so seductive to many.”
Brazil: This is Rio de Janeiro
Rio Gringa reviews Rio é Assim: a crônica de uma cidade, a book by José Carlos Oliveira, “one of the most realistic, jarring, heartbreaking, inspiring, hilarious, and truly Carioca literary visions you will find of the city.”
Jamaica: Ingredients for a Caribbean Classic
What is a Caribbean Classic? Thanks to Jamaican born writer Opal Palmer Adisa, litblogger Geoffrey Philp finds out.
Mozambique: Photos from a Literacy Project
Blog Encounters presents a collection of photos from portuguese artist Margarida Botelho, featuring a literacy project she implemented in Mozambique based on the idea that “If we can learn how to convey our life story in a book with words and illustrations perhaps we can further our awareness of whom...
China: Reading Li Peng's memoirs
Eager to see the memoirs of former premier Li Peng, Chinese netizens over the weekend were posting around links to pirated versions. At Under the Jacaranda Tree, Diane Gatterdam revisits Li's dialogue with Beijing students in 1989 and Blood & Treasure‘s Jamie Kenny notes that the forthcoming book further clarifies...
Philippines: The Life of a Labor Leader
Tonyo Cruz reviews Ka Bel: The Life and Struggle of Crispin Beltran, a new 156-page biography of the prominent Filipino labor leader by Ina Alleco R. Silverio.
Russia: Death of Voznesensky
Vadim Nikitin of Foreign Policy Association's Russia blog posts a eulogy to Russian-Soviet poet and dissident Andrei Voznesensky, who died on June 1.
Bolivia: International Book Fair in Santa Cruz Breaks Own Record
The XI International Book Fair held in Santa Cruz has set a new record this year with over fifteen thousand attendees in the first five days. The fair this year commemorates the Bicentennial of Santa Cruz, as Willy Andres [es] explains. Sixty new literary pieces will be presented; the fair ends June 6 [es].
Jamaica: Rock the Calabash
“Calabash 2010 rocked, it really did”: Annie Paul thinks that “this literary festival provides a neat model for similar ventures that could showcase the best that Jamaica has to offer.”
Trinidad & Tobago: Stepping Out of the Mold?
“Manning has one more chance at posterity: he can decide whether Trinidad AM (After Manning) goes backward (with Keith Rowley) or forward (with Penny Beckles)”: Trinidad Media Arts & Culture blogs about his impression of the country's former Prime Minister.
