Stories about Literature from October, 2011
Haiti, St. Lucia: Trouillot In Running for French Literary Prize
Caribbean Book Blog notes that the Haitian writer Lyonel Trouillot’s new book has been shortlisted for “the prestigious French literary prize, the Prix Goncourt.”
Mauritius: Tikoulou, Children’s Literature Success Story
Christophe Cassiau-Haurie writes about the sucess story of Tikoulou, a collection of books for children published in Mauritius, which has captivated 4 to 9-year old Mauritian children since 1998. Tikoulou has now become a best seller of Francophone children’s literature.
Pakistan: Twitter Stories
Pakistani blogger Awais Aftab has started contributing to 140-character stories on Twitter according to a prompt which is circulated every day.
Poetry Slam Activism in Francophone Africa
Poetry slam is a well-known channel of expression for many activists in North America but the rest of the world has now embraced this unique blend of poetry and rhythmic oral story telling. Here are some examples from Francophone Africa and the context in which they arose.
Jamaica: Cricket & Writing
The game of cricket taught diaspora litblogger Geoffrey Philp how to stay his wicket – in writing and in life.
Azerbaijan: Land of extreme politeness
Having read about the culture of politeness in Iran, Aaron in Azerbaijan says he has a deeper insight into the culture in Azerbaijan, a country where traditions and hospitality permeate every sphere of life, although not necessarily always genuinely.
Jamaica: Hiding “Behind Blackness”
Under the Saltire Flag shares an interesting perspective on the recent riots in London: “I have no problem accepting that in many areas Britain is blindly racist and must be called out on it. It can be frustraiting to realize that in many instances Jamaica is just as blindly racist...
Russia: Links to Vasily Grossman's Works and Other Resources
The Faculty Of Useless Knowledge writes about Vasily Grossman's novel Life and Fate, which has recently been dramatized for BBC Radio 4. Sarah J. Young posts a selection of links to resources on Grossman and his works.
Ukraine: Interview With Author Vasyl Shklyar
Brian Spadora‘s RFE/RL interview with the Ukrainian novelist Vasyl Shklyar – who “has attracted a lot of attention in Ukraine this year both for his bestselling novel, Black Raven, as well for the statements he’s made against the erosion of freedoms that has taken place under President Viktor Yanukovych” –...
Jamaica: A Proud Black History
It's Black History Month in the UK and Kei Miller turns on its head “those tired statements of black pride – how, for instance, we are the sons and daughters of kings and queens”, saying: “It seems so banal…it betrays such a lack of imagination. Me… I’d rather imagine other...
India: Story Writing On Twitter
Asmita and a bunch of friends have started writing a story on Twitter. You can read it here.
