Already, in just one day, I've learned of three authors I never heard of before -- Makine, Bassani, and Magris. Way to go, group. Hegeso, Amazon appears to have translations of both Microcosms and Danube by Magris.

I may have to watch Garden of the Finzi-Continis. According to Netflix, it was the '72 Best Foreign Film Academy Award. THis talk about Italian books and films and WWII puts me in mind of another, Secret of Santa Vittorio -- both a book and a film. I don't know who wrote it, and I think the film was in ENglish. The village hid the wine from the Nazis. Do you remember it?

Most of you here are already participating in the Eco/Flame discussion lead superbly by Ginny, but if you aren't, do stop by. The posts by the participants are as fascinating and interestng as the book.

There's a spelling movie coming up soon, based on that somewhat depressing book about a rather dysfunctional family -- Bee Season -- by Myra Somebody.

But now we all know how to spell P-Y-L-O-R-O-U-S, right?

Kevin, there have been a few movies that were better than their books -- Schindler's LIst, maybe, but right now I can't think of any others. I tend to like the ones that have come from what I call the lost tales, films based on books that few have ever heard of and even fewer have read.

And Carolyn, the ones I've liked most recently have come from down under -- Whale Rider from NZ and Rabbit-Proof Fence from Australia. Was that from a book?

This group is like the energizer bunny. We're barely into the August RATW discussion and it's just about time to start thinking about what we'll be doing in October.

Any time is a good time to talk about books we want to read. That's our motto -- keep 'em coming. But officially, nominations will be accepted August 24 - August 27 and voting will take place Aug. 28 - Aug. 31. Then you can breathe a sigh of relief and enjoy the Labor Day weekend. And that gives everyone a month to chase down the book and begin reading.

We'll use the same 2/1 system we used last month with 2 points allowed for first choices and one point for each second. That seemed to meet with everyone's satisfaction. As runner-up, Shadow of the Wind will automatically be one of the nominations.

It is much, much better than the blurbs on the cover say, and it is not primarily a mystery, as one reviewer wrote.
Don't you think some reviewers never have finished the book?

Anyway, without waiting until October (glack, it's still hot out)
perhaps others would enjoy this as much as I am, being about 4/5 through the book.

Kleo,
That was a very nice and helpful note you wrote to Ginny about getting pets to take their medication.
Been there, done almost that!
Don't we get to know each other better, sometimes, by discussing our pets!

You're right -- it's not a mystery. It's more about the relationships among family members, and gives a wonderful picture of Ceylon as it goes from colonialization to independence.

I think that's one of the neat things about this site. Even though the books we nominate don't all make the final cut, through the efforts of everyone here we learn about lots of other international titles we might want to read. Keep 'em coming.

The house next door to me rents to University students. Last fall when my daughter and a friend were visiting we went to sit on the porch and enjoy the pleasant weather. "Hmmmm,Mom, what are people smoking around here?" Guess those guys are safe with me. I can't hear them and don't know what else they're doing either.

I'm pretty sure you would be faster on the uptake than me. A few Christmases ago I was visiting my Seattle family and was the one responsible for picking up the Christmas dinner pie by 12N sharp. Shortly before zero hour, my DC area son called to chat and I had to put him off with "I've gotta go pick up the marionberry pie." "And what do they put in marionberry pies," he asked. "Well, marionberries and other good stuff." Sometime later it hit me and my son-in-law said, "yeah, Cliff didn't think his Mom caught that one."

As we start tossing ideas of international authors around, here's an article from today's New York Times about Roberto Bolano, a Latin American writer who is unfamiliar to me.

A Writer Whose Posthumous Novel Crowns an Illustrious Career

"He's not really from any one place, but is a sort of international, post-nationalist writer with strong emotional ties to Chile, Mexico and Spain," said Natasha Wimmer, who is translating "The Savage Detectives" into English. "He's not just steeped in his own national literature and drama, but is more wide-ranging and global, especially in his later books, and language-wise he definitely draws on the colloquialisms and slang of all three countries."

"Thus far, Bolano is little known in the English-speaking world and most of his work is not readily available. But the critics and editors familiar with the two small, early novels that New Directions has published in translation, "Distant Star" and "By Night in Chile," or who have read him in French, German or Italian translations have been unusually enthusiastic about his work. Susan Sontag called him "the most influential and admired novelist of his generation in the Spanish-speaking world."

I think the first paragraph above points out what we are likely to encounter here -- more writers who are wide-ranging and global rather than tied to one country.

The reading of Kite Runner with the author -- it that an ongoing activity or did he read one section from the book?

nolens volens (adv.)

Always fun to learn some new word history, Babi. That's a new one for me. I wonder if the men complied.

So, what kind of browsing have you all been doing? In the library? the bookstore? on the Net? We'll be starting nominations Aug. 24, but that doesn't mean you can't talk about anything you like now. My new Bookmarks Magazine came today, and I really haven't had a chance to look through yet. I started flipping from the back and came across this title ---

Mr. Muo's Travelling Couch by Dai Sijie, author of Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress. Mr Muo's mission in life is to free his lady-love from prison, where she has been sent for sending photographs of torture to the Western Press.

Ginny, the nomination and voting dates are listed in the heading. Persopilis is another new title for me. Is that the graphic book? It may be that this group, whatever they decide about holiday-filled December, may want to do something like that, then.

We have lots of options ahead. What fun to bat the ideas back and forth.

I've been enjoying watching foreign films from Netflix. (If only our local megaplix would bring in something with subtitles - forget captioning - once or twice a year. Ha. But the other night I watched Kitchen Stories, a heart-rendering Scandinavian picture about lonliness and friendship. Also on hand, Kandahar about a woman searching for a missing sister in Afganistan. I don't know if they were books first.

However, I must have read the Amazon stuff too quickly, because the author lived in Paris when she wrote it, and now lives in the U.S., so it's not a nomination, as it does not fit our rules.
However, anyone who would enjoy a rather weird book about a woman who lived in Paris in 1854, then married the would-be dictator of Paraguay might like to romp through this bizarre novelette (245 easy pages), and if you do, drop a note here to say if you liked it!

You post above sounds intriguing, Mippy. There are a lot of people on SeniorNEt, not just history buffs, who would enjoy a tale like News from Paraguay. Thanks for bringing it here.

Ginny, I don't think anything decided by reasonable people is carved in stone forever.

This was previously nominated by another reader (Pedln, was it you?)
and I think it gives us a wonderful chance to jump to a different place on the globe!

The book is not primarily a mystery, as the blurbs would imply, but a haunting story of Ceylon prior to 1948, when it became Sri Lanka.

The well-drawn narrator, Sam Obeysekere, a lawyer educated in the oh-so-British tradition, comes from a disfunctional family. He and his mother, Maud, are well developed characters; you'd like to either slap or hug her, depending on which part of the book you are reading.

The author is a Sri Lankan, although she now lives in Australia, so that I do believe the book meets our criteria.
Moreover, this is a book without any child molestation, which I think was an unpleasant feature of Bone People.
Am I overselling? Perhaps. In order to entice my husband to read this,
I told him he would not like it, as it reads like a novel, not the non-fiction he prefers.
Thereupon, he grabbed the volume and has plunged in.
Will you also do so, gentle readers?

I haven't read any graphic novels except Maus. Persepolis sounds intriguing. And anything about Iran is certainly timely. Today I read a review about another "international" graphic novel in Bookmarks Magazine -- Epileptic, by David B.(pseudonym for Pierre ?? from France) where he writes of his family, particularly his epileptic brother.

Yes, Mippy, I nominated (and later read) The Hamilton Case and you are right when you say it is not primarily a mystery. Some might call it misnamed, but nevertheless, the mother/son relationship and the picture of life in pre-1948 Ceylon are quite well-written.

Three more days for nominating. This is the time to bring in your suggestions folks, and to plead your case -- for or against them.

My library sent me a notice that they are holding Pomegranate Soup for me -- the Irish/Middle Eastern novel recommended so enthusiastically last month by Ann Alden. I'm off in the morning to pick it up.

To post a nomination, just go to the "Type your message here" box at the end of the discussion and type in your title. Just be sure to state that it's a nomination. And then click on "Post my message." Our forever hard-working Jane will put it in the list of nominees in the heading.

The ballot that we use will only let you vote once, but you can vote for two books, designating a first and second choice. First choices rate 2 points, second choices one point.

I debated about even nominating another as there are already so many excellent choices, which makes it difficult to decide. (Maybe someday we'll have to have three choices, ha ha). But I am going to renominate another title, Dai Siije's Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress , part history, part fable, about two young men who find a suitcase full of books during Mao's Cultural Revolution. I haven't read it, but many reviews claim it a moving testament to the power of literature. Who could ask for more? And the French language film will be released on DVD in December.

It's really amazing the toys and other playthings available today. Who would have thought there was such a thing available -- Whale Rescue Kit. I hope you get to be with your grandson on his birthday.

Many many many thanks to Jane for all her efforts in helping us choose our October selection. And thank you, all of you who participated, with your nominations and votes.

As you can see, Shadow was very much a runaway, receiving 23 points (14 votes), with Persepolis coming in second with 10 points (6 votes) and the others grouped around 7 to 9 points.

I don't think anyone is worried about having a quorum -- what! - with 14 votes, but a proposal will be put up ASAP, so please do come and make your intentions known.

Ginny, you can stop doing summersaults and cartwheels now.

If you don't see it when you first go there, check back as it should be up soon. RATW is getting first crack at it.

I haven't read it, but am looking forward to doing so and to comparing it to Mysterious Flame, since both novels focus on books. You can see on the map that Pat has put our fourth choice up by Spain. It will be interesting to see -- will this book have a flavor of Spain?

We're now at the half-way point of our first year of RATW. What do you think? How are we doing? What you expected? Not? Let's hear your thoughts.

Here's a wonderful story that was in yesterday's (Monday, 9/5) Washington Post. It's about a man who so loves literature that he uses a burro to bring books to rural isolated villagers in Columbia, to people who otherwise might never come in contact with the printed word.

A Four-Legged Drive To Help Rural Readers

Inquisitive minds want to know how things began and how they evolved, how to "categorize" a modern novel, for example.

But what counts ultimately, in my humble opinon, is how a book makes us FEEL, how it speaks to us, what it tells us, what we take away from the experience . And that, I believe, applies to fiction and nonfiction alike. Labeling and the searching for literary sources/precedents, though helpful, are secondary, I believe.

Hegeso, glad you like the "Little Seamstress" film. I'm looking forward seeing it when the DVD comes out in February. I hope to have read the book by then.

IN the meantime, our October selection for RATW -- which you are all aware of -- Shadow of the Wind does have a quorum, so it will now join the list of official offerings for that month. Do join us, and we'll decide in October if we can apply any of these literary terms we've been talking about to the novel in question.

In the years since the first book was published in the United States in 1941, "George" has become an industry. The books have sold more than 27 million copies. Next year PBS will begin a Curious George series for preschoolers.

Although both were German born, the Reys met and married in Brazil, became Brazilian citizens, moved to France, then back to South America and eventually to came to the U.S. Their story interests me because it seems to parallel what we here at RATW are finding in so many writers today -- born in one country, emigrating and immigrating to and from others before finally settling in another.

Pamuk faces up to three years in jail for comments he made during a newspaper interview about the genocide of Armenians at Ottoman Turkish hands 90 years ago. "Ankara has long denied that Armenians suffered genocide, or systematic killing, after World War I, saying that they were victims of partisan fighting which also claimed the lives of many Muslim Turks."
"Turkish prosecutors are also investigating comments by the best-selling author that some 30,000 Kurds were killed more recently in Turkey in separatist clashes with security forces." There has been angry reaction from Turkish nationalists and politicians, and the author has received anonymous death threats."
Both the Armenian history/background and the portrayal of the Kurds are highly sensitive issues, especially now that talks are to begin on October 3 for Turkey's admission to membership in the EU.

I'm not even gonna touch that other question.

Thank you for mentioning Franz Werfel. How much do we know about this writer?

Like Kafka (1883-1924), he was Czech born, educated in Prague, and wrote much of his work in German. Werfel wrote "Das Lied von Bernadette" which was made into the celebrated movie "The Song of Bernadette" with Jennifer Jones in the lead.

Werfel was seven years younger than Kafka and died in 1945. I read several books of his, all in German, including "Die Vierzig Jahre des Musa Dagh" (1933) you mentioned.

I'm probably one of the very few who did not like GGM's 100 years of solitude although a few others in my family tell me they don't like magical realism either. So, here's an interesting link I came across searching out kidsal's recommendation on Roberto Bolano Read non "Magic Realist" Great Latin American Literature .

Hegeso and Traude, I have read very few German authors, but am enjoying your dialogue.

"When I click on a link, I right-click it, then left-click on "open in new window". Then I never have to back up to the SN page. Somebody here on SN taught me that trick."

Shadow of the Wind

We also need to be thinking about our December selection or if we want a December selection. December can be a difficult month because of holidays and lots of people travelling. We may want to postpone to January. Let's hear what you think.

Let's hear what the rest of you think.

Since December is such a busy month we will put our next selection in January. Nominations will start soon, dates to be announced soon, so do bring your ideas and let's start talking about them.

Frankfurt Is Still Publishing's Main Event

A limited access article also spoke of Google's presence there and it's Google print program -- an effort to enable users to search books provided by publishers in each country (France, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium and Spain) as well as English-language books in the Google library for which the company has secured local rights. I'm not sure I understand this program. Perhaps others can explain it better.

News about nominating for our January selection will be coming up soon.

Voting -- Sunday, Nov. 13 - Friday, Nov. 18

Bring your thoughts and ideas. Let's see where in the world RATW is going this time.

Leslie, so glad to see you here. Kleo is correct. Although the guidelines (linked in the heading) do not come right out and say it, this discussion came about because readers were interested in finding authors other than those from the U.S. and Great Britain. But there are other areas where books can be recommended Have you visited the Book Nook or the Fiction roundtables, listed on the Books main page? You will find many recommending books there and they would like very much to hear about "Silent Lies."

As for previous nominations, bring 'em on again if that is your choice. I like the old, but would also be disappointed if there were no new choices as well.

Glad to see you all here. Invite your friends to come as well

Actually, that statement (in blue) is not quite correct. "Shadow" did generate a great deal of discussion. The numbers participating may have been smaller, but the discussion itself was quality. We missed you. You should have stopped in while you were visiting.

Does your interest lie with the Germans?
I'm asking because I remember that some months ago you had mentioned Günter Grass.

Both Bõll and Grass (the latter most famous here for The Tin Drum) were deeply marked (and scarred) by - and preoccupied with - the world wars; it is reflected in their writing. And so is the astonishing German Economic Miracle of the Fifties that came about thanks to the Marshall Plan.
But of how much interest are these introspections to American readers?

This brings me back to the question I asked before: WHAT is it we want to learn when we read a foreign author? The history or art of that country, its past or its present?

1. -- those you say yes, how can you recommend a book if you have'nt read it

2. -- those like me, who say (perhaps selfishly), this sounds like a really good book and I'd like to read and discuss it with a group -- because maybe I wouldn't read it otherwise

So, my advice to you is -- if you think a certain book, like the Danticat, would be a good read, go ahead and nominate it.

Good point, Traude, about directing Book Nook posters to RATW. The best thing is simply to tell them about it when you respond to their post, and perhaps providing the link to this site.

Jane, thank you again for all you do to keep this site functioning. We will do anything we can to make your job easier, so when nominating, please be specific and say "I nominate."

The heading looks great. I don't know whose idea it was to list our expectations up there, but it was a good one. We don't have cookie cutter expectations, but there seems to be an underlying request for cultural understandings.

I've been enjoying the discussion about the German writers, and Kidsal, I appreciate your bringing the New Yorker selections to our attention. (My daughters love New Yorker, and one of them brought a stack to our lovely lazy fish cabin weekend a month ago. They fished, I read.) We won't read another Spanish author here for a while, having just finished "Shadow of the Wind," but will you be nominating the African writer?

We're not going to be reading John Irving here or Barbara Kingsolver or Maragaret Drabble or Shakespeare, but what possible difference does it make, for example, if Dai Sijie grew up in France or China. Or if someone spent several years in this country being educated. King Abdullah was educated here too, and his mother is an American, but that hardly makes him one.

Perhaps we do need to reexamine our guidelines, but not today. For now let's go with what guidelines we have and try to go with the spirit of why this particular round table started. I think part of the idea is that one builds a case for the book he/she nominates, but does so without denigrating those of others.

For the record, I think the educated terminology for certain types of literaure is "Graphic NOvel," and we are seeing more and more of then, such as Peresopolis, nominated last month by an English professor at the Naval Academy.

So I must ask, how could Kundera, or any of those mentioned above, become totally detached from his past ? Can wwe reasonably expect that ?

It looks like we have an interesting mix to choose from. I'm glad there are not more as I am already having a difficult time deciding where to place my 1st and 2nd choice votes. Therefore, will be wishy washy and wait to vote until later in the week.

Thank you, Jane, for getting up the ballot.

I can't mention enough all the work that our technical people do for us -- Jane, Pat, Marjorie, and I know there are others. They are magicians, and whatever we ask for they can make it appear. But with these good folks having so many duties, we don't want to abuse their time and abilities.

I've never read much literature about or from CHina, but am looking forward to this discussion. Just the selection alone has increased my interest in learning more about that country.

A proposal will be up soon, and I'm sure that having a quorum of at least three persons plus the discussion leader(s) will not be a problem.

Thanks to all who participated in the nominations and in voting.

We'll be nominating titles for our March selection very soon -- I just need to get some deadline dates from our technical people. See you soon.

"---Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress ~ Dai Sijie ~ RATW ~ Book Club Online ~ January 2"

Nominations -- January 19 through 25

Voting -- January 26 through 30

Winner announced -- January 31

Also, there will be two runnerups on the ballot since these two titles tied for second place in the vote for the October selection.

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi [Iran]
The Farming of the Bones by Edwidge Danticat.[Haiti]

It's the story of three sisters, originally from Iran, who open up a Middle Eastern restaurant in Ireland. The young women, each different from the other, are all major players in the novel. Recipes are included. It's an international bestseller, read and reviewed around the world. As described by a Belgium newspaper, " A tasty book about love, food and the mix of cultures. Bon appetit!"

The novel's web page tells the fascinating tale of how the story came to be.

How the book came to be

Pat or Jane, would it be possible to have the nominations, along with the countries they represent, up in the heading, as they are nominated. I think that's what we have done previously. So right now, that would be three titles -- the two previous runners-up and our new nomination. Thanks.

What I was remembering was the following:
A nomination of a book by Naipaul was "vetoed" because he was not a native of the country about which he was writing, which was a fictional African country.

How about Nadine Gordimer, of South Africa? Have any of you read: July's People (less than 200 pages, paperback), which I have not read. I cannot find any of her other books here, so I must have read library copies -- any suggestions?
Note to Pat: this is not yet a nomination, just a bunch of questions.

We seem to have lost contact with the list of previous nominations. Pat, can you wave your magic wand and fix that?

Mippy, I read Gordimer's July's People many many years ago. I don't remember a whole lot about it other than it dealt with apartheid and revolution. Sometime I would like to read her The Pickup and House Gun, more recent publications dealing with post-apartheid South Africa. (Those aren't nominations, either.)

As for Naipul and not having lived in the country written about, this is what was in the guidelines from when RATW first started:

8. The author does not need to have been born in the country he/she is writing about, but must have lived there for an extended period of time and be an "expatriate of no more than 20 years"?

* Yes...................52%....................13 responses
* No....................24%.....................6 responses
* No opinion............24%.....................6 responses

We can address any of the guidelines any time if we think they may need tweaking.

8. The author does not need to have been born in the country he/she is writing about, but must have lived there for an extended period of time and be an "expatriate of no more than 20 years"?

* Yes...................52%....................13 responses
* No....................24%.....................6 responses
* No opinion............24%.....................6 responses

Kleo

Kleo ~ I do agree. If Danticat is an American author, this is not the correct place to discuss the book

General question to all ~ In the current list, is there too much emphasis on the Middle East?
What about Japan, or South America?
Did anyone here have an old nomination to re-up, for this vote?
Apologies on having nothing, yet, to nominate myself.
The Gordimer I mentioned does sound out of date, so it wouldn't be satisfactory.

Mippy, regarding the Gordimer you mentioned -- this was in the guidelines

3. Should books be limited to any time period?

Yes.............46.2%....12 responses
No..............53.8%....14 responses

Total Respondents........26 responses (skipped tis queestion)...0 responses

Actually, if you go back and read the guidelines I think you will find only TWO strong opinions --
1. The book should not have to come from any list of award winners
2. The book does not have to be limited to fiction

Regarding the Danticat, it appears that some folks thought it met the guidelines, since it tied for second place. As a runner-up in the last election it will remain on the ballot.

"In his third novel, Jacques Stephen Alexis brings his characteristically vivid scenes, political consciousness, and powerful characters to the dramatic age-old question of whether a prostitute can leave "the life" to find her own identity and true love. La Nina Estrellita is pursuing her trade against the colorful backdrop of Holy Week 1948 in Port-au-Prince. Amid the rowdy street festivals and pious celebrations of the liturgical season, she notices a fellow Cuban exile, El Caucho, ship mechanic and union organizer, hanging around the Sensation Bar, and she begins to explore her attraction to him." Alexis offers a highly sympathetic look into the daily lives and tribulations of the Haitian people through the eyes of La Nina and the humane, searching worker El Caucho. The racism of the U.S. military, the selfish and profit-oriented machinations of Haitian politicians, the oppression of workers by the Cuban dictator Batista, the exploitation of women, and the particularly noteworthy links between Haiti and Cuba all form the figurative backdrop for a novel driven by unforgettable characters."

In order not to reduce the chances of any of the fine books nominated/proposed so far, I will not make a nomination this time either.

Thank you Kleo for being specific and saying "I nominate." I agree that Haiti would be an interesting country to read about, whether the book be by Alexis or Danticat or some other.

Traude, thank you for much needed comments. I too would hope that we have not boxed ourselves into a corner. My personal feelings are that we shouldn't nitpick over the country of birth, but be more concerned about the author's experience with country written about.

Many of the young authors today remind me of my own children when they were younger. They may not have had a dime in their pocket, but they sure managed to travel and get around. Regardless of where they were born they have strong ties and have spent considerable time in their parents' homeland.

Re Traude's: "Strictly speaking, the RATW "Guidelines" are survey results . When the survey questions were formulated back then, I pointed out that, if too detailed, they might be construed in an unnecessarily restrictive fashion." What do the rest of you think?

Anyway, I hope this group grows and continues, and speaking of growth:

Is anyone reading this a technie who can put a reminder up on the top page for Books & Lit, whenever appropriate, to have more readers look in here and vote? Does anyone else think that's a good idea?

Voting will begin on Thursday and last through Jan. 30, so you all have between now and then to build a case for your book. And you can continue making nominations through tomorrow (Wednesday). NOw a few ground rules arbitrarily set by me.

Positive comments only -- if there is a book you want to read and discuss, tell us why. Sell it. Not everyone who visits here is familiar with all these titles.

No dissing or negative comments about any of the nominations. If you think you have an issue, email me

The voting will be as before -- your first choice will get 2 points, second choice, 1 point.

Title: Persepolis
Author: Marjane Satrapi
Genre: Comic book
Written: 2001 (Eng. 2003)
Length: 168 pages
Original in: French


Original title: Persépolis I and II

But, in defense of the GRAPHIC NOVEL please allow me to quote from Funky Winkerbean. (Imagine the scene to be a young female lawyer presenting her final remarks to the jury.)

It's the prosecution's contention . . . in fact, their entire case rests on the contention . . that comic art is only for kids. Somehow art can be created for adults and writing can be created for adults . . . but if you put the two together, it's strictly McDonald's funland. This belief shows a lack of appreciation of the rich history of the form. . . and a lack of understanding of the fact that comics are a MEDIUM . . .Not . . a GENRE. To paraphrase an old commercial line . . . it's not your children's comic rack anymore.

I'm glad someone remembers what I've said or not said because I have absolutely no recollection of saying what some have said I've said. (Kudos to anyone who can diagram that sentence.)

This is the last day for nominations. Voting will take place beginning tomorrow, through Monday, Jan.30. The winner will be announced Jan 31. Please feel free to make positive comments about any of the nominations.

At this point I don't know where I'll place my vote, but will mention that if any of these titles were to receive a (1) for timeliness it would have to be Persepolis, about contemporary Iran. On the other hand, having lived in the Caribbean (still can't spell it) for ten years I'm also drawn to the two titles about Haiti. And it's interesting to note that both these titles include relations with other island countries -- the Danticat with the Dominican Republic and the Alexis with Cuba.

Kleo, my understanding is that the Danticat covers both sides of the divided island.

Jonathan and Marvelle both had very encouraging things to say about My Name is Red, in the Book Nook. And while the book is historical, it is timely in the sense that the author has been having political problems in his native country. (I don't mean to imply that historical books are not timely, as anything we learn about a country and its background increases our current understanding.)

But if this were the case, how would the reader of the translation know --- unless he is bilingual ? And if so, why would he read the translation rather than the original text? The reader has every right to expect the translation to be faithful to the original text, to sound natural and be idiomatically flawless.

By the same token, KLEO, I do not believe that "French is one of the languages that may fall completely flat in translation to English" , as you stated in your # 407.
That's where the skill and knowledge and language feeling of the translator come in.
Ina Rilke's translation of "Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress" is excellent and reads very well despite its Anglicisms. But then surely you don't expect a translator to make a separate translation into American English?

Another example: Andrei Makine's debut novel "Dreams of my Russian Summers" was splendidly translated from the French into English by Geoffrey Strachan. Mr. Strachan did the same fine, sensitive job with Andrei Makine's "Confessions of a Fallen Standard Bearer" and "Music of a Life".

BTW, to my knowledge there was at least one other bilingual person in addition to Havelock Ellis who made an English translation of "Germinal".

Regarding "Farming of Bones" by Danticat, I'm not sure about "SET IN". The story BEGINS in the Dominican Republic where Annabelle Desir (interesting name) is a domestic worker with the family of a General. There is a journey home to Haiti, too.
Since you suggested Alexis, you know what he is about and where his story "is set".

This next is a bit of departure from Read Around the World, it more Eat Around the World, and I love that too. We have a retired speech professor in my town whose hobby is cooking and whose wife is a semi-retired travel agent. So they travel and they eat. And every couple of weeks he writes a newspaper column. Have we ever had any Hungarian books nominated? Because this week, Dr. Tom Harte's column topic is . . . . . . .

Not Goulash, but . . . . . paprika

And this article is appropriate considering our current list of nominations because the earliest known reference to paprika peppers in an Hungarian dictionary in 1604 refers to them as "Turkish" peppers.

And did you know that it only releases its flavor when heated? So why does everybody dump it on deviled eggs?

Hats, I'm with you. I didn't know where paprika came from either. And so many different spices I don't know about. This Christmas my oldest daughter did a really cool thing. My youngest daughter told me she was getting into Indian and Mexican cooking and would like cookbooks about such. So I ordered one from each country and shipped them to my oldest daughter in Seattle, where we were all going to gather. She and my granddaughter looked through the cookbooks and went to some sort of store where you could buy small amounts of different spices and fixed up a terrific box of spices used in Indian cooking. My youngest daughter was so thrilled she spent four hours in the kitchen fixing us all an Indian meal.

BTW, Hats, there's an article about pomegranates (by Dr. H) on the Pomegranate Soup site. I keep hoping he'll put all his articles into a book someday. His wife keeps saying "soon."

DON'T FORGET TO VOTE

What with all the extra goodies in Jonathan's used books and the info in the columns by Dr. Harte, perhaps we should start a group for Eat ARound the World. ONe thing for sure, you'll learn much about Iranian and Middle Eastern food at the upcoming February discussion of Pomegranate Soup .

Do join us. The author may also be present.

DONT FORGET TO VOTE! ! Today is the last day.

"PARK CITY, Utah, Jan. 29 — Stories of culture clashes captivated jurors and audiences alike at the Sundance Film Festival, as films featuring Sudanese refugees in the United States, Central American migrants in Mexico, a Chinese girl in Canada, a Korean girl in Japan and Latino-gay friction in Los Angeles all took home major awards Saturday."

Conflicts Between Cultures Win Awards at Sundance

I have not yet read the entire article, but that first paragraph says a lot about what a melting pot the world is becoming, and about the diversity among many of our authors.

Without a doubt we have a winner -- My Name is Red -- by a landslide, 13 out of 21 first place votes, for a total of 26 points. Persepolis is again the runner-up with a total of 12 points.

A proposal -- and NO DOUBT ABOUT IT, a quorum -- will be up soon, This should be a wonderful discussion, with so many eager to read and discuss this book. Check the Books menu for the proposal and let us know that you'll join us.

My Name is Red

"Day-to-Day Climate Variations The Patagonia summer offers warm, sunny days and cool nights - not unlike the climate of British Columbia. Patagonia days are long, the sun rises at about 6:00 a.m. and sets near 10:00 p.m. Typically temperatures are in the 70s and 80s during the day, dropping to about 50 degrees at night. Higher elevations will be experience a slightly cooler climate, and frosts have been know to occur at night, even during the summer. November and December trips take place in the Patagonia Spring and April trips are in the Autumn. During these seasons daytime temperatures are usually in the 70s, and drop to the 40s and 50s at night."

We may want to talk some about new directions for Read Around the World. What are some of the options for a forum like this? Just to toss out a few . . . . .

Do we want to continue our rather ambitious schedule of a new book discussion just about every other month
Do we want to consider being more of a "genre" (that's probably not the right word) discussion round table dedicated to international books
Should this be an area where we inform others about books internationally, what we've read, or read about

Those are just a few suggestions; let's hear from the rest of you.

Have you read or read of any interesting "international" books lately? I subscribe to Bookmarks Magazine and also get their advance review summries by email. A recent one is:

Gate of the SunBy Elias Khoury, translated by Humphrey Davies -- a doctor is trying to keep alive the spirit of a wounded Palestinian resistance fighter by reciting catastrophe stories of Palestinians from 1948 to the present Palestrinian-Israeli conflict -- all told in the spirit of 1001 Arabian nights. First published in Arabic in 1988, then translated into Hebrew and French. It won Le Monde Diplomatique’s Book of the Year in 2002. Sounds more like short stories or vignettes which would be different from our usual reads.

What are the rest of you finding these days?

Do you all like foreign films, too? I read a review yesterday in the NY Times about a new Indian film directed by Deepek Mehta -- Water -- about a group of widows (of all ages) who are forced to spend their lives in an "ashram." One is caregiver to a holy man, another is forced into prostitution. And then a newly-widowed 8-yer-old joins their midst, causing great turmoil.

Mrs. Sherlock, interesting to hear about the other Deepa Mehta films. I have not seen either of those. Have you seen Laagan, also an Indian film. REally good -- about a group of villagers who have risked their livlihood on winning a cricket game, when they didn't even know how to play cricket.

Babi and Jane, just too much going on right now for sure.

My suggestion for right now, is, let's just talk about some of these things (internationally) that interest us. I'd like to hear more about what you're finding, reading, viewing. It's been kind of quiet here lately. What's going on in your world?

"If epic literature is based in the dramatic and forward-moving narrative of a male hero's journey, The Makioka Sisters is a female epic of inaction--trying to figure out what to wear, crying for no reason at the same time every afternoon. With each perilous, pathetic step, the sisters are heroes setting out for the new world. They're like Odysseus, except without the ship and without the sea."

Speaking of Japanese works, has anyone seen the film "Nobody Knows?" It's about four abandoned children in contemporary Japan. Two of them even arrive at their new home in a suitcase. I recommend it, all but the ending, which seemed unreal. I don't know if it's based on a book or not.

Forgive me for talking too much about films, but this was a fascinating article about Deepa Mehta in today's Washington Post. It gave a lot of insight into the problems that artists/performers from other cultures have while bringing forth their creative endeavors. Mehta and her producer were actually in danger during their original attempt of filming "Water."

The Churning Mind Of Deepa Mehta

I'm hoping to have a chance to see this picture while I'm here in DC. It's been a long time since I've been in a movie theatre. We don't get many foreign films (with subtitles) at home.

Kidsal, I did not participate in the Genji discussion and know nothing about the translation that was used. It appears that many dropped out of the discussion due to the expense of the book and eventually it was down to the leader and one other. It must have been a difficult book to read, because the discussion lasted over a period of a few months.

I'm not familiar with the other titles you have mentioned. Could you tell us more about them.

JoanK and Ginny, you will have to explain "Bollywood" to me. What does it mean?

Isn't Netflicks wonderful, and to think my kids had to talk me into joining. Right now I'm watching (it takes me more than one evening) "My House in Umbria" (from the book by William Trevor) starring Maggie Smith, where she invites survivors of a train accident to recouperate at her home. It appears to be a bit of a mystery, and I am enjoying it. I also liked her and Judi Dentch (who doesn't) in Ladies with Lavender.

JoanK, I saw "Water" in DC last weekend -- in Hindu w/Eng. subtitles -- about Indian widows. A widow has three options -- 1) join her husband on the funeral pyre, 2) live a life of self-denial, and 3) marry her husband's younger brother. Imagine an 8-year-old widow destined to live out her life in an "ashram," in poverty and perhaps prostitution, surrounded only by aging women. I don't know how it ties in with Earth and Fire, but it is supposedly part of the trilogy.

Barbara, it's good to see you here. "Overcoming the Legacy of a Nazi Childhood" sounds like it would be a fascinating book to read. What a difficult situation to look back upon -- my parents voted for Hitler?

Welcome Andara, and please tell us more about the Bamboo Hermitage.

Hats, thank you for the information about Jamaica Kincaid. I've heard of her; I think I read one of her books years ago, but title and contents have flown my mind. Other than that I know little about her. As to whether she fits the parameters of RATW we may want to update some of those parameters, but I don't want to get into that in this post.

I would also like to read a good book about Africa, either fiction or non-fiction, by an author with ties to some part of Africa. Babi and Adarra have made good suggestions with Peyton and Coetzee and you have mentioned Achebe and Farah. (ANd now I hope I don't get confused with Maps and Maps for Lost Lovers.) And Ginny has told us of Paul R , An Ordinary Man. I was unaware of the Amazon African Writers Series.

Let's please keep discussing for a while before we get into nominating. What do you all think? There is and has been so much going on, with the Professor's House, Teacher Man coming up, and Poe's Shadow, with maybe a Poe itself before then, and I know there are some others plus the Jane Marple discussion series coming in June.

We did some great reads with a very ambitious schedule, but personally, I would like to slow down a bit. What if we think a bit, talk a bit about the parameters of what we choose, maybe set a month in the not too far distant future, and take our time before the excitement of choosing a new title.

I hate to see us get tied up in knots about where an author was born compared to where he lives now. We're a pretty savvy group and I think we can deal individually with books as to whether they meet our goal -- which is really to pick up on titles on the international scene that we might have missed. But, especially among the younger writers, many of these authors are very mobile and I would be disappointed if we rejected someone just because they are now living in the US, Canada, or someplace else not their native land. Paul R certainly falls into this group; another is Edwige Danticat (spelling) who grew up in Haiti and now lives in the US, Andrea Fuller whose "Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight" describes her childhood in Rhodesia, although she now lives in Wyoming. No doubt we could come up with a very long list of such.

Traude, I agree, Reading Lolita in Tehran would be another good choice. I haven't read it, but it's been on my list for some time.

Kidsal, that's an interesting site about African Literature, with many places to explore.

There's lots more to comment on, but I'm still playing catch up from two weeks out of town.

I'll leave you with a negative . Last year I read Italian Niccolo Ammaniti's I'm Not Scared, and then later saw the movie -- about a boy's involvement in a kidnapping. I was disappointed in both, actually thought the movie better than the book. Have any of you read anything by him?

Aren't we ready to pick an author who doesn't live in his/her homeland?
Who says: yeah?

It may be difficult to find one universal literary voice who can articulate the experience of all of Africa.

Heinrich Böll, 1917-85, is more accessible. He was ten years Grass's senior and was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1972. But I have the same reservations. The work of both Grass and Böll (or, for that matter, of Bernhard Schlink, author of "The Reader") is introspective, philosophical, heavily laden with guilt about the past, and it simply does not speak to readers in this country they way it does to Europeans. That is true also for the late W.G. Sebald, author of "Austerlitz", who was belatedly discovered here by Susan Sontag, much lauded ad posthumously awarded.

Could we perhaps find out what country people want to read about? Would that narrow down the immense 'territory'? And would that make the selection and nomination process easier and perhaps faster?

Looking back at what we've read, I'd say the Ruiz Zafon's Shadow of the Wind was the least book "about" a country, perhaps the Eco, also, to a certain degree, in spite of the Fascist elements. The others you could definitely say, "This is a book about . . . " I think they all offered much to the participants of our discussions, and I think we're capable of choosing equally good examples for future discussions.

The Eastern part of the country was wayyyy behind in everything and, in truth, has never fully caught up - in any respect, particularly not where foreigners are concerned and how they are viewed there (with hostility).

Germany has the most liberal immigration policy in all of Europe, precisely in order to try and correct the shameful image of the Holocaust and its unspeakabale horrors. People from Sri Lanka, from many African countries, and many other parts of the world arrived seeking asylum. They received assistance while waiting to be processed, and thousands were granted asylum. Obviously this started in the Federal Republic, i.e. in the West, much, much sooner; it was a fait accompli when Germany was reunited .

Large segments of the population in Eastern Germany, especially among the younger generation, have had a hard time coming to grips with this new order. Houligans aka skinheads are terrorizing blacks, some of whom were born (!) in Germany.
Observing the new Islamic terrorists living in Europe and, in the wake of 9/11, the terrorist attacks in Britain and Spain, Germany has begun to rethink its liberal policy.

THIS is what must be digested, the historical and political background, if we are able to read a book about Germany, objectively. In Europe the history and the details are known, here they are not, not all of them.
But would we be willing to dig this deeply into the German past? Do we have the interest and the time to do that, calmly? And all in four weeks? How long might it take to correct misconceptions, or eliminate prejudices, and is it even possible?

In Switzerland a few years ago, I met and spoke at length, in German, with women from Israel who told me they would never set foot on German soil again-- and who could blame them? They make regular visits to the Swiss spa where we were being pampered, to remember happy, innocent times there - from afar. There are cases where reconciliation is impossible.

KLEO, as you know, there are younger contemporary German authors with powerful voices - one is Siegfried Lenz - but little of their work has been published in English. I don't know who or what determines which work by any author in any foreign language is considered "important" enough to be translated into English.

As for the World Cup, yes, it is known as such in Europe. And then there is our World Series, about which the Europeans know little. Who defines "world" ? Isn't it really all one world, one we all share ?

Kleo said "I want a book to feel foreign." I would interpret that to mean something out of the realm of my experience. Since I've not read many international books, but have seen several foreign films, let me offer this comparison. The Indian film "Water," about widows in India in the 1930's was certainly about a way of life I had never heard about. The Israeli film "Campfire," on the other hand, about a single mom experiencing conflicts with her adolescent children, was something I could definitely relate to. Both films, however, increased my understanding about their respective countries. (Kleo, if I've misinterpreted you I apologize.)

Hats, it's interesting you mention Guatemala and Ecuador. My youngest daughter lived and worked in a Mayan village in Guatemala for two years and I visited her there in 2000. I don't know how much literature has been translated into English, but this site may offer some titles to you. It lists films first, then scroll down to literature.

Guatemala: The War in Film and Literature

The Mayans have been persecuted for many years; the war referred to in the URL lasted for 30 years. Miguel Asturias (Nobel lit, 1967) and Rigaberta Menchu (Nobel peace) have both been translated into ENglish.

Ginny, I was saddened by the article in Spiegel; Traude, your post about it was much appreciated. One wonders if any country is immune to some form of this behavior or other violence. Yesterday I had lunch with friends who had just returned from a very long cruise, their dream trip. They were to stop at Bali, but could not because of protests and upheaval, likewise the same thing in Thailand, and Jordan, and one other place where it was advised they not leave the ship.

JoanK --"They make me think about why I like to read books by authors from other countries. Partly it is simply because if I DON'T, I'm cutting myself off from much potential good literature." How true. Thanks for that.

JoanK, I don't know why Netflix doesn't have "Campfire," but they are open to suggestions. And if your Hebrew is rusty, there are always subtitles and captioning. But what a great way to keep up with a language. My library had it -- they've been offering a foreign film series and then after the showing the DVD is available for check-out.

Barbara, thanks for the info about "The Buried Mirror." I'm going to try to track both the tapes and the books.

Andara8, I didn't know that Norway had once been a possession of Denmark. I did know about the Swedish background. Of course, being a proud Norweigian, I was taught by my family to recite "10,000 Swedes ran through the weeds, chased by one Norweigian. An excellent book by Marianne Fredrikkson, Hannah and her Daughters focuses on three generations of Norweigian/Swedish women and also on the history between the two countries. We discussed it on SeniorNet a few years ago, led by Barbara, no less.

Re: Lolita -- I didn't like it either, but would like sometime to read about the Iranian women reading it. As for Smila -- I've never read the book, and it's been ages since I saw the movie, but my memory of it was that it was rather confusing.

It's been great to see everyone's ideas about such a variety of books and films. There are so many good reads out there. BTW, has anyone checked on the Dublin-Impac lately.

Andara, I just read the comments about "I am Dina" on Amazon. It sounds quite tragic, and yes, it would be difficult reading, but undoubtedly very worthwhile. Netflix does not list the DVD, but I wonder if that is because European (in this case, Swedish) formatting is different from DVDs produced in this country.

Andara, those Scandinavians do put out some difficult films, don't they.Another was that was hard to watch was "Pelle the Conqueror," For some reason I thought it was going to be a children's film, about a little Swedish boy. Not for the kiddies. Quite oppressive, lots of hard life. It's been a few years back, but when I saw it, it reminded me of a book I had read shortly before that had the same kind of surgery as performed in Pelle. Now that title will bug me.

Does anyone know if the IMPAC final award for the this year has been made? Isn't it usually done in June?

Some of you have been asking when are we going to choose another book. We should probably start talking about titles. Two that stand out in my mind from earlier discussions are An Ordinary Man (Rwanda) and Reading Lolita in Tehran (Iran). Undoubtedly there will be others.

We also need to talk about when. THe calendar appears to be getting full. We may want to consider October or November. What are your thoughts?

Right now I'm trying to think of other works of fiction about the lives of famous writers, artists, ect. What comes to mind is Amadeus, but I know there are many more.

________________________________________________________

I've been rereading some of the posts here and Barbara mentioned"Overcoming the Legacy of a Nazi Childhood" by Irmgard A.Hunt . Then Ginny said there was another one out from the French side, too. Would that be the one I read in my sneak preview from Bookmarks Magazine today -- Suite Française by Irène Némirovsky, translated by Sandra Smith? The author had planned a 5-volume series about the German occupation of France, but died at Auschwitz in 1942, after completing two, Storm in June and Dolce. Bookmarks states "The first novel captures chaos as a diverse group of panicked Parisians, rich and poor, young and old, flee the city for the countryside and enter survival mode. The second, a calmer novel set in the village of Bussy, explores citizens’ daily lives as they collaborate with—and resist—German occupation."

_____________________________________________________

Hats, you mentioned Nuruddin Farah, from Somalia -- now living in exile, earlier. Apparently he has written a trilogy about the effects of the war there. I think Maps is the first of the series.

________________________________________________________

So what's your pleasure folks -- pick a book first, pick a month? Would you like to see a list in the heading of the titles that people are really interested in?

"It is always fine to makes changes along the way in a group. This proves the reading group is growing and alive. Assessing and reassessing what is best for "Read Around the World" keeps our minds open. My thoughts have changed along the way. I would like to be sure and include those who are still in their country and also, those who have left their country. Either in the country or out the country one can not deny a birthright. There is something important that comes from the lips of all these people. To choose one set of countrymen over another denies the voice of a group of people. We have time enough to learn about people from each side of the fence."

Beautifully said, Hats, and it appears that most here agree with you. Thank you.

I've been out most of today and expect the same to be true tomorrow. After a rather quiet week here on RATW, it was a bit of a shock to see 20+ posts here since yesterday.Thank you, all, for your comments. I agree that we need to keep an open mind as we discuss and as we select each book. It's a shame to see anyone upset here when we really all have the same goal -- to select books that we would like to read

Now I really need to get to bed without commenting further or else I'll just ramble. My goal for tomorrow is to get an organized list of titles, at least the start of one, to one of our tech people.

Deems -- that's fascinating about "Reading Lolita . . ." I had not given any thought about its access or availability.

Walk softly, O My Sisters, O My Brothers. Tread lightly,
break not the stillness of the dawn,
for in this stillness one can hear the whispers of the Great Spirit.

Choose your path and walk forward,
turn not back. And, when the stone appears the obstacle,
turn each stone one by one.
Do not try to move the mountain, but turn each stone
that makes the mountain.

And when the desert sands sear your moccasins,
curse not in despair
lest the South Wind hear and construe and bring wrath upon your head.
And when the path bristles with thorns,
turn not from the path, for the strife of life are the thorns.
Tread softly. Speak softly.
For on this path you will need the wisdom of chieftains.
The admonishments of your Chiefs can become your strength.

And when the cold winds buffet you,
bend with the wind. And, soon, you will walk unattended...

Please understand that this is NOT a list of nominations -- just a list of titles we've tossed around, not a complete list at that -- so that we have something in front of us to refresh our memories. We decided to keep it a separate list for now because it will most likely change with additions and subtractions. If a title you mentioned has been overlooked it was not intentional. Just holler again and it will go up.

Back in a bit, but thunderstorms are due to roll in today and I wanted you to be aware of the list.

Thanks, Jane, for taking care of that.

Choose your path and walk forward, turn not back.
And, when the stone appears the obstacle,
turn each stone one by one.
Do not try to move the mountain,
but turn each stone that makes the mountain.

It seems to me we do that, many times, when we read and discuss books here on SeniorNet, especially those whose meanings do not immediately stand out. Bit by bit, stone by stone, we move to a more common understanding. And I hope we can also do it with any aspect of discussion here.

My apologies to anyone who thinks their words have gone unheard. I think the fact that there has been so much dialogue about process here refutes that. My apologies also, to those who want to move on and get to reading. As Scootz said, "My main purpose here is to read and enjoy a book." I don't think anyone will give any argument there.

So let's move on with it, but first, just a couple of things --
1)No one should hestitate to recommend a book here on RATW because of confusion over guidelines or because he/she is afraid it won't pass muster.
2)RATW is not the only place where an "international" book can be read, although at this point, the most logical. Likewise, a book might be suggested in a general discussion and picked up by RATW or Great Books or Mystery or whatever. WHERE is not the big deal. Anyone can suggest a book anywhere. Book Suggestions

So, let's go. We can weed what's on the list, we can add to it, we can vote more than once, we can do what y ou all want to do. If we talk positively enough we'll find something most all of us want to read, as a group and on our own.

As for when, my thoughts roam to October or November. September looks like it's going to be very full. Everyone has their own timetable. What are your preferences?

I can see right now we are going to have trouble paring this list down. My personal choices lean towards Africa or Latin America. I went to the Barnes and Noble link to read more about Nahruddin Farah's Maps and was greeted with links to more books by African writers, including Graceland by Chris Abani. As for Latin America, both Hats and Andara mentioned Rites by Victor Peiria(?) about Guatemala. (By the way, Andara, I just received "Men with Guns" from Netflix -- the one you recommended about Central American unrest.)

Today's NYT had a very favorable review of Suite Francaise , (two books, really) about life in German-occupied France, whose author died one month after arriving at Auschwitz. (I'm not adding it to our list here -- some one else can -- but it will go on my personal to read list.)

Let's hear what you like, and what you don't. Plead your case.

Lily Tuck interview

As we find more and more titles that interest us it is also easier to see the need for guidelines of some sort. Ginny's suggestion of looking at each book individually is an appropriate one, and we may well want to do that when we get ready for a ballot.

Scootz, in answer to your other question, and it's only my personal opinion. I don't think that participating in the general discussion here obligates one to read the book that is ultimately voted on and chosen. (And I know others have different opinions about that). If you vote for the chosen selection, yes, it's a committment to participate. And even an elected title must go through the proposal process, and must garner enought participants -- the amount set by the discussion leader -- although it's assumed that once elected there will be enough participants. As for starting in a discussion and finding that you totally hate the book -- again, my personal opinion -- it happens sometimes. It's not very cricket to pull out if it means there is no longer a quorum or very few participants. It puts a real hardship on the DL. On the other hand, if the discussion is going well, and you won't be missed (no, you will always be missed), just e-mail the DL and say why you're leaving. No need to tell everyone else that it's the most ridiculous book since 1850. Sometimes there are other reasons for not participating -- a real popular book, tons of posts, everythng you were going to say has already been said. Still wouldn't hurt to let the DL know.

I recall that it was posted, earlier, Scootz, that it's ok to vote and it's ok not to participate if you cannot do so for any reason at all. After all, this entire Books&Lit board is a volunteer situation, and no one can tell anyone else it is required to read a book he/she cannot tolerate. That would never work.
When a person votes, she is taking a chance that the winner will be a book she wants to read, or is able to read. There should be no feelings of guilt if it does not work out, should there?
What does everyone else think?
Pedln, I hope I did not step on your toes, as I wrote this before I carefully re-read what you posted, above.

Scootz, yes, Mippy and Marni are right. "Aren't we glad we have them?" --
Who is it who always says that? Cookie Bumstead?
I should add, that while your choice may not be the winner, we would hope you would elect to give the selected book a try.

Barbara, thanks for the link to the book by Dag Solstad. That's another part of the world that we haven't given much attention. We'll be adding to the list above as they come in. I tried to google him, but there is not much available in English.

Nonfiction books generally have a subtitle, which gives an indication of what that particular book is about. Therefore I think it would be helpful to include the subtitle.

That would apply to "An Ordinary Man: An Autobiography" and for "Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books". On the other hand, "A Walk Across Afghanistan", though also nonfiction, does not have a subtitle. The book is the subject of the title story of the NYT Book Review of June 11, 06.

When we nominate our books this time, perhaps we could briefly mention something about a fiction book as well, for example "Dead before Dying", brand new (May 2006), is a thriller about a crime committed in Cape Town, South Africa.

Not all who currently take part in this discussion where with us when we began RATW a year ago. But it will be remembered that Afghanistan was our first venture with "The Kite Runner".

As far as guidelines are concerned, we ought to look carefully at our answers to survey questions # 6, 7 and 8 because, as DEEMS said yesterday: we were not of one mind then; different answers were given at the time, and they deserve a fresh look.

Of course it won't be possible to satisfy all tastes, interests and preferences, but it is incumbent on us to try to find common ground.

But they both sound like fascinating reading. As reviewer Tim Bissell says --

"If, finally, you're determined to do something as recklessly stupid as walk across a war zone, your surest bet to quash all the inevitable criticism is to write a flat-out masterpiece. Stewart did. Stewart has. "The Places in Between" is, in very nearly every sense, too good to be true."

Traude and Barbara, thanks for the suggestions. We will be following up on them.

* Yes................38.5%.............10 responses
* No.................38.5% ............10 responses
* No opinion.........23.1%..............6 responses

8. The author does not need to have been born in the country he/she is writing about, but must have lived there for an extended period of time and be an "expatriate of no more than 20 years"?

* Yes...................52%....................13 responses
* No....................24%.....................6 responses
* No opinion............24%.....................6 responses


____________________________________________________________

Also, I've been back to the early days in the archives, trying to see just when we voted on the guidelines, etc. Can you believe that we chose our first title WITHOUT A BALLOT, there was a tie, and Ginny tossed a coin. It's been a little slow-going because the printer friendly started at 800 and I wanted to start at 1. So, more later, or browse on your own. I haven't even come to the guideline discussion area and subsequent vote. One thing that rang loud and clear -- Choose the book first, as opposed to the country first.

"Maybe we should start out with the voices of those who are natives of that country, and then open ourselves up (after we've read a year's worth of books hahaha) to those like Pearl Buck who won a Nobel Prize for writing about China, and who grew up there and lived there but who were not native to that country. I am not sure!!!! " (Ginny, Feb. 2005)

Barbara's list of "internationals" already read

"I think this discussion sort of grew like topsy and the folks chatting it up decided on the genre that included; an International author, as long as they were not from Britain or, an author who now lives in the US although, originally from another nation. I also think they wanted the newer International authors because they are often overlooked, unless their work receives some International acclaim, and their work will give us a peephole into the culture current within the nation the author represents." (I forgot to list poster)

"And so those wonderful books written by authors we admire from another time would not give us that peephole into the culture of the day. But please, if there are some authors or specific books or even nations that you are interested in discussing then please post those suggestions for us. You may suggest a book that some of us are longing to read and discuss." (Barbara, Feb. 2005)

So, as you can see, we've had some growing pains. We may want to tweak a few things. In ONE sentence, what do YOU want here?

Back later. I must prepare a dish to take to a club meeting fish fry. One dear couple has caught, cleaned, and will cook all the fish, while the rest of us bring the sides.

Scootz -- The current list (which we'll be adding to) is just a list -- not nominations -- and you can change your mind up until the zero hour.

I propose the following -- We set OCTOBER as the month, November if that doesnt' work out. We'll set dates for nominations and voting after checking with the tech people on what's best for them. They're the ones who do all the work in that area.

As nominations appear, we can follow Ginny's suggestion about looking at each one as to whether it fits the bill.

This will at least get us moving. In the meantime keep up your suggestions, and I will get the new titles to Jane (including the ones made recently.)

"The problem I see, and I'm just thinking out loud, is that many novels have universal themes and aren't country-specific. From what I've read about An Altered Light, that's true there.

Also there's Jose Saramago, one of the best foreign writers today, but his novels could take place anywhere. You don't learn anything specially about Portugal.

I think it's hard to find really good novels that fit the criteria--at least when I think of modern novels. "

I think this is a good example of how we all expect different things from this discussion. Some of us are merely interested in exposure to authors originally from countries other than Great Britain and the US, perhaps those especially who might not come to our attention unless we deliberately seek them. The focus may or may not be about life in a particular country.

IMPAC Shortlist

William Woo

I wonder if he ever published that book.

Sorry if there is any confusion, but such is the way of life when everyone is free to offer input. To plaguerize and paraphrase -- you can be clear about some things some of the time, you can be clear about all things some of the time, but you can't be clear about all things all of the time.

I think we're still planning to go "case by case" as the need arises.

October is the month

Nominations will be from this Sunday, June 18 through Wed., June 28.

Our tech people will be away from computers much of the last two weeks of July. So, it was -- now or August. I'm gone most of August and mainly, everyone seems to be in a mood to nominate now. So, I hope that's agreeable with all. That gives us half of JUly to think about voting and to allow for a run-off vote if needed. Then plenty of time to get hold of the book.

It would be a big help to Jane if, for clarification, you preface your nomination with I NOMINATE . . . . .. Then she doesn't have to wonder if it's your nomination or you're just talking about a book.

There will no doubt ( no doubt at all) be some disagreement about authors, countries, etc. and whether a book is appropriate. That's okay. We'll talk about them as we go along and decide then. We're all reasonable.

If what you wish is on the list, you will have to nominate it.

You are not limited to what's on the list.

It's entirely possilbe that between now and October one of the suggested titles might be proposed for discussion elsewhere in another time slot. If so, that would be great. It wouldn't be a RATW READ,but would be another golden opportunity.

Hats ~
At first I thought it would be a good choice, but then scrolling down through the readers' reviews, two readers said it was a novel for a "young adult" reader. Have I misunderstood?
I looked through old nominations, and we had it in the June 2005 list, which I did not recall.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's novel has received positive reviews and has been nominated for the Booker Prize and the Orange Prize. The Orange Prize review says, "An impressively mature debut. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie handles her subject matter including history and politics, love and child abuse with astonishing deftness and an entirely unpreachy honesty."

http://www.reviewsofbooks.com/purple_hibiscus/

Purple Hibiscus is so stunningly good it is hard to believe that its author was just twenty-five years old when she wrote it. Her debut novel proves beyond a doubt that Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is one of the most powerful young voices to recently emerge from Africa.

http://www.curledup.com/hibiscus.htm

Overall, Purple Hibiscus, which has been shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writers Prize, is a compelling tale told well by a confident voice with much potential for the future.

http://www.powells.com/review/2004_05_23.html

Kidsal, thanks for the link. I hope to have time to look at it later today.

RE: Lisa See -- I agree with Traude and her bio shows that she grew up in Los Angeles, born in France. She has received awards as a Chinese-American writer. It would be difficult to consider her an international writer, although "Snow Flower" is a wonderful book about certain aspects of Chinese culture. Her ancestors are Chinese and she has researched them beautifully.

Likewise, Lily Tuck -- appears to be more of an AMerican writer, although has lived in a variety of places. However, she has never lived in Paraguay, so it would be difficult to justify that book as part of RATW.

Those two titles have been removed from the list of suggestions, as has Death of Vishnu because Jonathan, bless him, is going to lead a discussion of that book in August. That one sounds like a winner. Do check out his proposal on the Books main menu.

Nominations start tomorrow. If you nominate a book, please preface your comment with "I nominate . . . ."

It is not necessary to have read what you nominate. It it's the winner and turns out to be a bomb, the nominator has to pay the price -- which is

2. How many books can we nominate?

From a practical standpoint, no more than one or two. Consider the voting. I am arbitrarily setting voting procedures when we know how many nominations there are.

And here comes the thunder. Back later

The following is paraphrased from an Amazon/publisher's review: "Her [excellent] second novel [is] set in the author's native Sri Lanka in the years before its independence in 1948, [and] is as much a haunting character study as it is an elusive murder mystery and a deep exploration of colonialism."
The main characters are Sam Obeysekere, a eccentric, brilliant Ceylonese prosecutor and gentleman, his very odd, interesting mother, and others whom the reader will enjoy meeting.

I read this novel with pleasure after it was nominated last year, and also find it fits our RATW criteria.
The characters are memorable, which for me is often more important than plot.
And we certainly have not had a novel set in Sri Lanka.

To see what Barnes and Noble has to say about these two books, click below -- good place to check also for prices, length, etc.

The Hamilton Case

Map of Love

Isn't it interesting the number of titles we've seen here with the word MAP -- Maps, Maps for Lost Lovers, and now The Map of Love. Maybe we should be like Houseboat and start discussing books with Map in the title. Just kidding.

Mippy, I nominated The Hamilton Case just a year ago and it was nominated again since then. Who knows? It certainly is worth reading, in any case. Wonderful depiction of Ceylon just before it became Sri Lanka.

Tonight or this weekend I'll be watching the Guatemalan film recommended by Andara, Men with Guns. I remember when my daughter first went to Guatemala and was brushing up on her Spanish at a foreign language school in Quezaltenango. She stayed with a local family and her letters home were about the number of widows there, and the children who had seen brothers murdered. Still thinking about nominations -- I'm tempted to reserach Victor Peiria (?) a little more to see what all he has written.

JoanK -- we were talking about Israeli films a while back when I mentioned Campfire. I had forgotten about another one -- Broken Wings -- same focus -- single moms with their children. Netflix has this one.

Do you think it's hard for people to commit to an October read which still celebrating the Midsummer Solstice?

I just looked at my schedule, and may not be able to participate in October, myself, due to travel plans.

I started watching Men With Guns last night. It's difficult to watch because as a doctor and professor in Central AMerica goes in search of his former students, now working in small villages, you see lots of evil and know that more of the same is lurking around the next bend.

Just came from the Weekend WAll Street JOurnal, reading Joe Morgenstern's movie recommendations (for grown-ups; he's kinda p-o ed about the way kids take over the theatres in this country.) One was a French film "Cache," a who-dunnit puzzler, for thoughtful adults, demanding complete attention. DVD due out next week.

I can't say I liked "Men With Guns," but it's a film that will stay with me, and it offers much to think about. It was interesting the way it never spoke of a particular country -- always "the city" or "the coast" or "the government."

Now, technophile that I claim to be (gadget lover, more aptly) I would love to have an interactive CD-ROM with my books so you can easily find passages, check vocabulary, make notes. etc.

And Kathy Hill, nice to see you back here. NOt everyone here knows about the volunteer work you do and the places you go. When you have a chance, perhaps you'll say a little about that here.

Hats, I just checked out Death of Vishnu from the library. Now, to find time to read it. It doesn't help that I'm on an Agatha Christie kick because of the PBS Miss Marple discussion also here on books. And Teacher Man.

And Rule of Four for my mystery Face2face. And, hasn't that one been a surprise. No simple cosy mystery here. It focuses on -- and I'll bet Traude is familiar with this one -- Hypnerotomachia Poliphili by. supposedly by, Francesco Colonna in 1499. Shades of "Name of the Rose" and "Shadow of the Wind." and we won't even mentin DVC. Anyway , it sent me to the Internet looking for some of the 174 woodcuts that it holds.

I will say this -- we've batted around those guidelines so much everyone must be sick to death of them. You know in your heart what is and isn't appropriate. -- Born in US, grew up in US, spent a summer abroad -- not an international writer. -- Born out or US (or GB), grew up or partially so out of US, emigrated -- probably is just fine.

My personal opinion -- follow your heart and your goal and nominate who/what you please.

NOW -- regarding nominations and VOTES. Be PRACTICAL in your thinking. In the past, we have allowed 2 pts for a first choice vote and 1 pt for a second point vote. And as things now stand, we'll follow that -- Pat West will be in charge of the ballot.

IF -- things change and there are many additions to the nominations (which could happen) I might say we'll have a first vote to narrow the nominations and then a second vote.

It's not too late to change your mind -- you can remove YOUR nomination, replace it with another, or you can simply add another.

But in the end, only ONE book will be selected (Do the math)

pedln, "Name That Book Contest #19 ~ 1/05" #27, 8 Jan 2005 6:53 pm"> Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

Kathy and Andara, Peter Hessler's works sound like must reads. According to reviews on Amazon he has a real finger on China's past and its contemporary scene. He speaks fluent Mandarin and has lived in China over ten years.

I'm debating as to whether or not to nominate -- a title as yet unread. The polls don't close until midnight PDT. We shall see.

It should be pointed out, and this is not to negate any nominations, but is just a reminder , that a novel by an Indian author, set in India, The Death of Vishnu is on the docket for August, under the very able leadership of Jonathan.

If you have nominated a book and it's not up here, let us know.

See you later, after swim.

We have a fine list of nominees, any of which will offer a worthwhile discussion. For some reason I was thinking that two of them were set in India, but such is not the case. Respectively, in order of the titles in the heading, they are set in

Sri Lanka
Egypt
Ireland
South Africa
Nigeria
India

Survey Monkey allows ONE ballot each -- but you can vote First and Second choices -- two points for first choice, 1 point for second.

Vote Here!

Scootz, the winner will be announced as soon as we have the final talley -- hoepfully the morning of July 7.

Emboldened by Reggae, Jamaican Writers Bust Out

" The literature of Jamaica, which has a population of about 2.5 million and a relatively small publishing industry, has existed as much off the island as on it until now. Traditionally Jamaican literature has been grounded in folklore and rural byways, or has consisted of chronicles of colonialism and of the island's violent political conflicts. Frequently the subject was migration, as in Andrew Salkey's novel "Escape to an Autumn Pavement" or in "The Last Enchantment," a novel by Neville Dawes, Kwame Dawes's father.

"Caribbean literature, especially in the case of Jamaica, in its first incarnation in the 20th century, was reacting to colonialism," Kwame Dawes said. Along with the independence movement came, "an effort to forge a cultural identity," he added. He cited the works of Roger Mais, John Hearne, Orlando Patterson and his own father, all of whom went abroad for their education. "They were acutely aware they were taken away from their own landscape," Mr. Dawes said. "They were trying to recapture the Jamaican experience."

At the same time "the unstated assumption is that people did not have a voice," he added."

I think this shows another reason why we find many writers writing away from their homeland.

So what is the title that's not worth $300?

The Winner is A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry

Mark your calendars for October, get your books. We'll we putting up a proposal, as usual, but hey, with all those votes,a quorum is all but assumed.

And now it's time for me to hit the road and go East.

Hunter-Gault Interview

I have to share a coincidental/deja vu(?) moment. As most of you probably know from reading the blurbs about A Fine Balance, two of the protagonists are tailors. The other night I finally watched a Netflix DVD that I had for several days -- Butterfly -- a Spanish film about a young boy and his teacher, taking place during the upheavals of the 1930's. The protagonist's father is a tailor, and his work figures in the film. I found this film worth watching, much of it light, enjoyable, but it leaves you with a funny feeling.

Hats, the others are correct -- Butterfly (Lengua de Mariposa -- Butterfly's Tongue) is a different film than Blue Butterfly. As for the book -- Andara, did you read it in ENglish or Spanish? The film is based in part on a collection of short stories by Manuel Rivas, but I could not find anything saying the book has been published in English. I can't remember the title of the book, but all of the stories focus on some kind of love.

A Fine Balance

-- Rohinton Mistry's novel about India --

Please indicate your interest, at the proposal site. There have been so many positive comments about this book, both here at SeniorNet and in reviews, it can't help but be a great discussion.

I take issue with the writer of Washington D.C. -- who states that all fiction about D.C. deals with the use of power. Can anyone come up with titles to dispute that?

Wasn't there a book some time ago called "First Wives," about the wives of Congresspeople. Written by Mrs. McGovern? Or is my memory playing tricks.?

Back to other countries -- The other night my 10-year-old grandson and I watched "Spirited Away," an animated film by Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki. I rarely see animation, but this just blew me away. Great story line, fantastic creativity, well-worth the 2 hour watch. It won Academy Award Best Animated Feature in 2003. Some scary spots, probably not for the pre-school set.

This site has been pretty quiet, probably because there has been so much going on elsewhere, and also, I think many of the international books and films overlaps with other topics. Have you come across anything lately that looks good?

I've got three foreign films on my Netflix list, that are now available on DVD --

Sophie Scholl, the Final DAys German, holocaust
Hands over the City , Italian, political
and Christ Stopped at Eboli, Italian, set in a small peasant village.

I know nothing more about them other than something, probably a review, made them sound interesting or attractive. And I don't know if they have been taken from books. Have any of you seen them, or know anything about them?

To see questions and answers already asked, go here --

Book Review Editor Sam Tanenhaus

and here asktheeditors@nytimes.com to ask your questions.

In response to a question about books in translation, Tannenhaus has this to say --

"Still, there is more to be done, and for some months we've been planning a special issue devoted to global fiction — a term we prefer to fiction in translation because today a great deal of important fiction is written in English by authors we might consider "foreigners." Two books that fall into this category are Uzodinma Iweala's "Beasts of No Nation" and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's "Half of a Yellow Sun," both of which made our 100 Notables."

Let's be on the lookout for that one.

Now, the whole world knows I haven't received my March/April issue of Bookmarks Magazine (and it didn't come today), but in looking at the Jan/Feb issue there is an announcement from "Movies from Books" that Jhumpa Lahiri's The Namesake will be opening in March.

What else have you been reading or viewing around the world?

Did you try to play the game at the Alexandria Link. Since they didn't give out the answers, I'll have to go back and try it again.

Thanks so much for bring those to our attention. Those books may not be by an "international" author, but they certainly bring our attention to other places in the world.

Mrs. Sherlock, I'm with you -- I'd like to see some illustrations, also. But the links above do offer some interesting visuals.