Stories about Literature from August, 2010
Guatemala: Three Indie Publishers Reviewed
Alan Mills, in his blog Revólver, reviews [es] three Guatemalan independent publishers: Editorial Catafixia [es], Vueltegato [es] and Mata-mata, Ediciones Latinoamericanas [es].
Nigeria: Nigerian Spoken Word Crusader
Jibola introduces you to Plumbtifex, the Nigerian spoken word crusader:”As a person, he embodies an activist in all that he is. His dissatisfaction with all that is wrong with the Nigerian situation and general societal ills already mark him different.”
Thailand: Tweet Yourself Thai
Tweet Yourself Thai is a blog of “short, timely, thematic lessons for intermediate learners of Thai.”
Kenya: My Take on Ngugi Wa Thiong'o's Autobiography
Njeri Wangari reviews Ngugi Wa Thiongo's new autobiography: “Dreams in a Time of War… let you get an understanding of Ngugi that you probably have never before. We all to tend to think that Ngugi a radical who is too pragmatic about use of his mothertongue only drawing his characters...
Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago: Redemption
Jamaican litblogger Geoffrey Philp posts a poem by Trinidadian Jennifer Rahim.
Algeria: Bloggers Denounce the Exclusion of Egypt from the Algiers Book Fair
Following the tensions from a football match in Cairo between the Egyptian and Algerian football teams, Algiers Book Fair (SILA) decided to exclude Egyptian books from the event. The decision did not sit well with many Algerian bloggers.
Brazil: Competition Turns Blogs into Books
The idea is to turn the best Brazilian blogs to books, and the competition [pt] is open until September 12th. The participants can vote and apply through fifteen different categories, including Ecology & Environment, Religion and, a special topic for 2010, Sports.
Jamaica, U.S.A.: Remembering Andrew
Eighteen years after Hurricane Andrew wreaked havoc on Florida, diaspora blogger Geoffrey Philp posts a poem he wrote about the experience.
Argentina: Remembering Borges on His Birthday
Juan Carlos Lynch reminds [es] his readers that today, August 24, is Jorge Luis Borges’ birthday. To honor the writer's memory, Juan Carlos shares a short story about Borges written by his friend and award-winning writer Adriana Romano [es]. Borges died in 1986.
Jamaica: Garvey's Birthday
Caribbean bloggers honour the memory of Marcus Garvey today, on the 123rd anniversary of his birth.
Cameroon: A Review of Francis Nyamnjoh's Intimate Strangers
Dibussi Tande reviews Francis B. Nyamnjoh's book Intimate Strangers (2010):”Intimate Strangers is a collection of transcribed accounts about maids and madams, presented from the perspective of Immaculate, a research assistant and transcriber for anthropologist Dr. Winterbottom Nanny.”
Saudi Arabia: In Memory of Dr Ghazi Al Gosaibi
Saudi Arabia and Bahrain are mourning the loss of an intellectual who has contributed greatly to the cultural and development scene of both neighbouring countries. Ghazi Al Gosaibi, a poet, author, Ambassador and minister, died yesterday at the age of 70. Bloggers and tweeps remember him in this round up of reactions from across the Arab world.
St. Lucia: R.I.P. Sesenne
The Caribbean Review of Books acknowledges the passing of “Marie Selipha ‘Sesenne’ Descartes, St Lucian folk singer and ‘queen of folk culture’.”
Bahamas: On the Caribbean
“What is the Caribbean? is not an unanswerable question. But there isn’t — will never be — a single, definitive answer that can encompass the complications of the geographic region named for the Caribs of half a millennium ago, its history and its culture”: So writes Bahamian blogger Nicolette Bethel...
Hungary: The New President
Hungarian Spectrum writes about the inauguration of Hungary's new president, Pal Schmitt; about Albert Wass, a Transylvanian-Hungarian author whose work Schmitt quoted in his inaugural speech; and about Schmitt's first few days in office: “Since his inauguration the not too sympathetic Hungarian public has been watching Schmitt's every move.”
African Thinkers on the Origin and Relevance of Ethnic Identity
In a year loaded with elections in Africa, ethnic identity has always been lurking in most political conversations. Still, many African thinkers argue that ethnicity was never a prominent issue until colonization began. They also argue the current and future relevance of ethnic identity on the continent.
Morocco: “My Summer With a Book”
In a world steeped in digital technology, and where tablets and e-book readers are getting cheaper and more accessible to a larger public every day, will there be a place left for good old printed books? For some Moroccan bloggers the answer is yes and technology is there to prove them right.
Egypt: The Wonderful World of Kamel Kilani
Egyptian Baheyya introduces us to the wonderful world of Kamel Kilani, the modern Egyptian pioneer of children’s literature.
Chile: Isabel Allende and the National Prize for Literature
Isabel Allende is one of the best-known and most-read Latin American writers. This year she is a candidate for the Chilean National Prize for Literature. Her candidacy has sparked debate among literature critics, writers, and average Chilean citizens.
Jamaica: Would Garvey Be Blogging?
Marcus Garvey, blogger? Geoffrey Philp posts a poll.
