Stories about Literature from January, 2010
Serbia, Russia: Author Awarded for Book on Ratko Mladić
A Slice Of Serbian Politics reports on the award given by the Union of Russian Writers to Ljiljana Bulatović for her book “Report to the General”: “Ljiljana was awarded in the ‘Slav Fraternity’ category with the ‘Imperial Culture’ award for, as it is stated, ‘her courage, commitment, and unswerving dedication...
Syria: A Short Story
Medad blog published a sarcastic short story [ar] depicting a Muslim cleric and a Christian cleric passionately discussing virtue and interfaith understanding as each of them tries to claim a spot that allows them to peep through a crack in the wall of a women's bathhouse.
India: Jaipur Literature Festival
Nilanjana at Akhond of Swat attended the Jaipur Literature Festival and wrote a series of articles on the festival.
Hungary, Slovakia: Open Borders, Assimilation, Nationalism
Hungarian Spectrum writes about nationalism, assimilation, open borders, Hungary's minorities and the Hungarian diaspora in the neighboring countries.
Russia: Book Written Using Collective Efforts Online
Russian writer Evgeny Popov decided to create his new book using online input from readers of his blog. The author publishes every chapter of the book [RUS] online with several questions at the end. The readers’ answers and feedback shape the next chapter. Popov plans to publish the book along...
MENA: Breaking the veils
AltMuslimah reviews the exhibition Breaking the veils: Women artists from the Islamic World, which contains art and literature from women in over 20 countries, including Palestine, Yemen and Morocco. The exhibition, which stated in Jordan, is now touring the US. The review can be read here.
Korea: Translating The Tweets Of Novelist Lee Oisoo
Lee Oisoo is a Korean novelist and artist who has been described as "an eccentric, a genius and a lunatic". When he set up a Twitter account last year he quickly amassed thousands of followers. Now his tweets are being translated into English in order to reach a wider audience. But how did a Bahraini blogger get involved?
Jamaica, Haiti: Making sense of it all
Jamaican litblogger Geoffrey Philp posts a poem for Haiti.
Afghanistan: Ex-Taliban official releases book
Peter Marton reviews the book “My life with the Taliban” by Abdul Salam Zaeef, former Taliban’s ambassador to Pakistan and the Afghan Emirate’s face to the world in 2000-2001.
Trinidad & Tobago, Haiti: Aid
Trinidad and Tobago's Pleasure blog posts a poem in honour of the Haitian earthquake victims.
Haiti: Awarded Haitian born writer expresses grief and hope
Four days after the tragedy started, world-famous Haitian-born Dany Laferrière, in Port-au-Prince at the time of the terrible earthquake, tells about his experience, respect for his people and hope for the future. Read the whole article, republished by blogger Haititempo, here [Fr].
Bahamas: Investing in Culture
“The call for some thought to be given to an investment in Bahamian art and culture, is not about tourism at all. It is about finding, and reminding us of, ourselves”: Nicolette Bethel clarifies the purpose of The Day of Absence.
Netherlands: Miep Gies, Woman Who Helped Anne Frank, Dies at 100
Miep Gies, one of the people who helped Anne Frank and her family hide during WWII and saved her diary after they were deported, has died. People around the world react to the news.
Algeria: First day for a book on Amazon
Maamar Ameur writes [Ar] his experience with his colouring book for children “A.B.Coloring” ‘s first day on Amazon, and his blogger friends enthusiasm to help him promote the book through different social media websites.
Saudi Arabia: First “sighted” blogger
Saudi blogger, Maged, writes a blog post [Ar] about his friend Ali Al Omary, the first blind Saudi Blogger whom -Maged thinks- is not just a blogger but a real philosopher. Ali is also working on a new book about music in Arabic poetry.
St. Lucia, Dominica: Writers from the Nature Isle
St. Lucia-based Caribbean Book Blog commends Papillote Press, “a small indie publishing house”, which has published a range of fiction and non-fiction by Dominican writers.
Cambodia: Bloggers promote Khmer Literature
The Khmer Youth Writers group in Cambodia was initiated by award-winning young authors who want to promote and improve Khmer literature. Members use their blogs to highlight Khmer writing.
South Africa: A glowing tribute to Dennis Brutus
The News of the death of Dennis Brutus came as a rude shock to many, not just in South Africa but to the world at large who knew him for his poetry and activism against the Apartheid system in South Africa in the 1960s and his fight for social justice throughout his life.
Bolivia: International Poetry Festival in La Paz and Oruro
The International Poetry Festival is scheduled for February 8-13, 2010 in the Bolivian cities of La Paz and Oruro, writes Claudia Michel of Estante Boliviano [es].
India: The 3 Idiots Copyright Controversy
Law and Other Things, a blog about Indian law, discusses the copyright controversy regarding the screenplay of the Bollywood blockbuster ‘3 idiots’.
Bahamas: Day of Absence
Nicolette Bethel posts a series of musings about her Day of Absence – “a day to remember and recognize Bahamian artists and cultural workers, who go largely unsung, unnoticed and unremembered, and who are generally assumed not to exist in this nation”; Bahama Pundit offers a critique.
