Author Topic: Read Around The World (Read 51632 times)

ClassicsAdmin · « **on:** January 12, 2009, 10:26:48 AM »

A site where we find books and films
in all the corners of the world,
created by those who have lived there.

IMPAC International Literary Awards

Words Without Borders

Best Translated Books 2008

Academy Award Winning International Films

100 Greatest Foreign Films

Discussion Leader: Pedln

pedln · « **Reply #1 on:** January 12, 2009, 07:18:24 PM »

Welcome to our new site for Read Around the World.

Although the world is getting smaller we probably won’t get around it in 80 days. But getting smaller it is and we needn’t look far to find proof of that. SeniorLearn’s own Book Club Online lists at least three books that are either translations or are by authors from somewhere else – depending on where you are – The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery, The Bookseller of Kabul by Norwegian journalist Åsne Seierstad and Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, with the latter also a big box office hit in the theatres.

The Golden Globe winner announced this week, Slumdog Millionaire, is based on a novel by a Indian novelist Vikas Swarup. And another box office hit, The Reader, starring Kate Winslet is taken from a novel of the same name written by a German law professor. And I don’t doubt that you could easily come up with a few other such books or films that have appeared on someone’s “Best List” for the past year.

Let’s not worry about former guidelines here, such as where or for how long someone has lived. Today’s crop of writers move around too quickly to pin down. And if they’re Americans or British, so be it. There’s lots to learn and enjoy in the works by people like Donna Leon, Greg Mortensen, Edwidge Danticat, or Robert Wilson.

There are links in the heading for both books and films and no doubt you have others that are your favorites. Please do bring them here.. If you haven’t had a chance to explore it, do try Words Without Borders, a fascinating online publication.

So, wherever you are, come join our circle and tell us where your books and films have taken you.

Frybabe · « **Reply #2 on:** January 12, 2009, 11:38:06 PM »

Hi Pedln,

How about if the BOOK moves around?

I recently bought People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks. The story line is that a rare books expert is invited to analyze and conserve a 15th century Hebrew manuscript. As she examines the book, the conservator discovers tiny artifacts in the book's binding. These artifacts, for instance a strand of hair, lead her on a journey to discover the stories behind the creation of the book and those who risked their lives to protect it through the centuries.

Geraldine Brooks was born and raised in Australia, but now lives in the US. She worked at one time for the Wall Street Journal as a correspondent in the Middle East, Somalia, and Bosnia. She has written several books, including March which won her a Pulitzer Prize.

BarbStAubrey · « **Reply #3 on:** January 13, 2009, 01:24:37 PM »

Oh Pedlin I LOVE the heading - charming, colorful and a delight to the eye. Thanks...

Forgot already the author of The Reader but I sent for his Homecoming and The Reader just before Christmas - they arrived but I have not had time - I have been reading Toni Morrison's a mercy - not international but run, do not walk, run and get a copy - it is fabulous - her writting is superb so that you are turning pages more to read and hear in your head these wondrous turn of phrases as much as for the story and the history - a delicious read like an elegant supper - not full dinner since it is not a monster saga.

MarjV · « **Reply #4 on:** January 13, 2009, 03:06:27 PM »

Oh GREAT!!!! I've been reading round and round the world . Films around the world is a good addition !!!

Glad to have this topic back.

Just finished Peter May's (Scottish author) "Extraordinary People" ; his first
Enzo Macleod Mystery, set in modern France. Great fun to read.

"What has happened to Jacques Gaillard? The brilliant teacher who trained some of France's best and brightest at the Ecole Nationale d'Administration as future Prime Ministers and Presidents vanished ten years ago, presumably from Paris. Talk about your cold case."

Book link: http://www.mysteriousreviews.com/mystery-book-reviews/may-extraordinary-people.html

MarjV · « **Reply #5 on:** January 13, 2009, 03:19:47 PM »

Pedlin - thanks for the link to Words Without Borders - never had seen that -
has really exciting read!

~Marj

hats · « **Reply #6 on:** January 13, 2009, 05:48:38 PM »

Hi Pedln,

It's wonderful to see this site again.

pedln · « **Reply #7 on:** January 13, 2009, 06:23:37 PM »

Frybabe, People of the Book does sound fascinating. I ran into it today while shopping – set in Australia? – or is that just the beginning. And the fact that it’s the story of a book AND a book person makes it sound even better.

Barbara, thank you for your kind words. Headings are fun. The picture in this one is from France, 1783, and is in a Library of Congress exhibition on the history of transportation. It just seemed to fit. I do hope you’ll find time for both The Reader and The Homecoming. The author is Bernhard Schlink. From what I understand these are his only novels, written about ten years apart.

Marj, Peter May’s Enzo Macleod mysteries sound like fun and interesting reads. Thanks for the link to Mysterious Reviews. That looks like a great site, not only for us, but also for the Mystery Books site.

Hi Hats, glad you're here.

JoanK · « **Reply #8 on:** January 13, 2009, 06:56:00 PM »

Great to be back in RATW again!

So many people have told me how good "People of the Book" is -- I'm eager to read it! And do read "The Reader". It will really make you think -- about all sorts of things.

This isn't a book, but is anyone else following "The Story of India" on PBS? Don't think I'll remember all those empires, but worth it for the photography.

Frybabe · « **Reply #9 on:** January 13, 2009, 07:15:42 PM »

No Pedln, the author was born in Australia. The story, I believe, begins in Bosnia.

Yes, I love books about book/library people. I have another yet to read called The Shadow of the Wind by Carolos Ruiz Zafon. It is set in Spain. And, of course, the latest addition is Dewey: The Library Cat. There is a slim volume about library history on my shelf somewhere which I have read and I've seen all three ofThe Librarian TV movies. This is becoming a collection of sorts.

Frybabe · « **Reply #10 on:** January 13, 2009, 07:18:19 PM »

Re The Story of India: I ran across it last week, part way through, and was hoping that it is a series and not just the one program I saw. Very interesting. Worth watching.

Gumtree · « **Reply #11 on:** January 14, 2009, 12:23:49 AM »

Great to have RATW back again - I mostly only lurk here but should try to do better.

Frybabe You stole my thunder as I had in mind to mention the Geraldine Brooks' People of the Book and not only because Brooks is an Aussie but because it is such a good read. The protagonist is an Australian and there are a few scenes set in Sydney and the Northern Territory but otherwise it is set in a range of locations around the world
Brooks was in Australia to publicise the book and of course there were numerous TV interviews. She comes across as a delightful personality - strong. She's had a long career in journalism as a war correspondent before trying her hand at fiction after marriage - She was raised as a Roman Catholic but after a long period of uncertainty has embraced the Jewish faith.

I enjoyed Shadow of the Wind too. The 'cemetery of books' passage at the beginning is simply wonderful and Zafon depicts the world of books and booksellers alongside the reality of Franco's Spain. All this with a bit of a mystery...

Pedln Bernhard Schlink has written other novels apart from The Reader and Homecoming. though not all are available in English translation. He wrote some detective novels and I have Flights of Love which is a collection of short stories. He's such a good writer.

Now I must find this Dewey, The Library Cat you are talking about...

Babi · « **Reply #12 on:** January 14, 2009, 09:37:25 AM »

Just wanted to be sure to sign in, so I can get back readily. Already so many good suggestions here, and some names are completely new to me. I wonder how many I'll find in my library.

hats · « **Reply #13 on:** January 14, 2009, 10:17:56 AM »

Hi Babi and all,

I've read "The Bookseller of Kabul by Norwegian journalist Åsne Seierstad." I felt as though I were living in Kabul struggling to keep family and book shop going each day. I think the book is so "real" because of Asne Seierstad's involvement with the family.

hats · « **Reply #14 on:** January 14, 2009, 10:32:34 AM »

Barbara,

I definitely want to read "A Mercy." The title alone gives me goose bumps.

pedln · « **Reply #15 on:** January 14, 2009, 06:46:36 PM »

Gumtree, JoanK, Hats, Babi, good to see you all here.

Your speaking about the PBS series on India reminds me that we had at least 4 books from around the world on the Book Club Online ballot – I’d forgotten about White Tiger, but a lot of people are excited about it. Have any of you read it? The author is a business journalist, living in Mumbai, and White Tiger, about rags-to-riches and class conflict in India, is his first novel. Is it unusual for a first novel to win the Booker Prize? Comments from reviews are mixed; from “the narrator’s sharp and satirical eye” and “a thrilling ride through a rising global power” to “an outsider’s view and a superficial one.”

Hats, did I see somewhere that you’re going to be a grandmother soon? Keep us posted.

BarbStAubrey · « **Reply #16 on:** January 15, 2009, 01:20:34 PM »

Hats, I finished a mercy last night - oh, oh, oh...the turn of phrases, the language - poetry in verse - the storyline was anticlimactic - I am not even sure I know the details of what happened - I am basking today after having touched wonder - the cruelty handled by another author could be salacious or horrifying but Morrison weaves it into a pattern that allows us to get near rather than recoil, past our judgement into feeling the underbelly of powerlessness and how folks manage to go forward in a life with few choices. A couple of strong messages did come through about self and personal power regardless of circumstances life subscribes for us.

I have a difficult time separating authors into categories - international authors versus American authors and so I did not think of these two as additions for this site till Babi mentioned it when I shared in the Library.

Carols Fuentes from Mexico - The Years with Laura Díaz is a story of the twentieth century seen through the eyes of a woman who becomes as much a part of our history as of the Mexican History she observes and helps to create. I first read Carols Fuentes' The Buried Mirror. He does a masterful job of tracing aspects of the Spanish culture in Mexico - the book made it easier to understand reading Gabriel Garcia Marquez

For me the work of Haruki Murakami is fulfilling and compelling - reality and fantasy have no separation. His work is read and admired by men as well as women usually with some connection to WWII - Kafka on the Shore was my intro - while waiting in line at Borders to buy The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles several, independent of each other and just out of the blue stopped me saying they thought he was the best author in the twentieth century. I am not sure if he is the best but he sure is up there.

hats · « **Reply #17 on:** January 15, 2009, 01:36:27 PM »

I am already a grandmother many times over. All of my grandchildren are boys. We are having the first girl grandbaby. Thanks for asking.

hats · « **Reply #18 on:** January 15, 2009, 01:37:38 PM »

Hi Frybabe and Barbara,

Barbara, you write a great review.

ANNIE · « **Reply #19 on:** January 15, 2009, 01:42:47 PM »

Pedl'n,
The header is wonderful and I am glad this site is back with us.

OH, there are so many new to me titles and authors here. Am I wrong or is the Bookseller of Kabul a non-fiction title???

hats · « **Reply #20 on:** January 15, 2009, 01:47:59 PM »

It's nonfiction.

hats · « **Reply #21 on:** January 15, 2009, 01:49:04 PM »

Hi Adoannie,

I'm glad to be here with you too.

MarjV · « **Reply #22 on:** January 15, 2009, 04:28:14 PM »

Hello Everyone -

I have "The Stone Angel" dvd at home from, Netflix. It is a film based on a novel of the same name by Margaret Lawrence, deceased Canadian author.
Having read the novel several times I am interested to see how Hagar, the 90 year old is portrayed in the movie. One of the few novels I have reread several times. You can't help but understand Hagar's personhood since Lawrence was such a fantastic writer.

"In ninety-year-old Hagar Shipley, the restless, crotchety, and proud protagonist, Laurence creates a memorable character who reveals what it is like to be very old, physically frail, dependent on others, and tormented by memories of the past. Laurence also movingly depicts the sudden dawning of realization in Hagar's mind of where she has gone wrong in life, and what has been the cause of her unhappiness. "

"The novel suggests there is hope that even those most set in their ways can find the inspiration to change for the better, and that change, even at the last stage of life, is never wasted."

"The Stone Angel is also a realistic portrayal of life in the prairie towns of western Canada from the late nineteenth century to the Depression of the 1930s and beyond"

hats · « **Reply #23 on:** January 15, 2009, 04:50:56 PM »

I should have placed "The Bookseller of Kabul" in the nonfiction section. Sorry.

hats · « **Reply #24 on:** January 15, 2009, 04:52:12 PM »

MarjV,

That's a great book review.

ANNIE · « **Reply #25 on:** January 16, 2009, 09:33:36 AM »

Hats,
I don't think is makes any difference where the book is mentioned. I was just checking because I am looking for a good non-fiction to read and maybe discuss. Don't worry about it!
Marjv,
Let us know what you think of the Stone Angel movie. Is it an Amercan movie??

pedln · « **Reply #26 on:** January 16, 2009, 09:56:40 AM »

And Marj, could you note whether or not The Stone Angel has captions or subtitles. It's a 2000+ release, but Netflix isn't always good about noting captions.

Hats, Annie is absolutely correct -- it doesn't matter where a book is mentioned, and of course here, we talk about both fiction and non-fiction. If you note, up in the heading (if you can read it) is a non-fiction that has caught my attention -- Factory Girls by Leslie Chang. It's about the huge workforce of women supporting China's growing manufacturing infastructure, told through the stories of two young assembly-line workers.

hats · « **Reply #27 on:** January 16, 2009, 12:36:18 PM »

Pedln,

I will make a note of "Factory Girls." I have finished "Dreams from My Father" by Barack Obama. It's a powerful book. A great deal of the book takes place in Africa. So, I settled on telling about my finishing it here at RATW. It's a wonderful, wonderful book about our identity, family and haunting questions which are never answered. It also covers the Indonesia and Hawaii.

BarbStAubrey · « **Reply #28 on:** January 16, 2009, 01:19:48 PM »

Hats I had not read this one about his father but did read The Audacity of Hope over a year ago because I gave it to my son-in-law when I visited the Christmas of 2007 - I didn't know the title was from a sermon by Rev. Wright - I found his sermon in a book I purchased with a collection of his sermons - I was trying to learn the difference between Black Liberation theology and Catholic Liberation Theology that was active in South America and Central America. From what you are saying it sounds like I ought to add Dreams From My Father to my reading list.

After finishing a mercy I want to read more of Toni Morrison's language and so I have ordered Tar Baby - I want to build up to Beloved which I understand is NOT an easy read.

hats · « **Reply #29 on:** January 16, 2009, 01:34:42 PM »

Hi Barbara,

I was surprised about "Audacity of Hope" being the title of Rev. Wright's sermon too. B. Obama mentions the sermon in "Dreams From my Father." The sermon really stirred me. Did you read about the art painting, the woman with a harp?"

I haven't read "Audacity of Hope." I might read it at a later time.

I love the way Toni Morrison writes, the flow of her words. I've read "Beloved." It's not hard to understand. I didn't think so. Well, it's just like Morrison's other books. You seem able to follow her words. I wouldn't put off reading "Beloved" if I wanted to read it. I had trouble with "Paradise."
As a matter of fact, I didn't finish it. I'll try it again one day. People think Toni Morrison rambles on and on. Her rambles aren't rambles just wise, wise words written with beauty.

BarbStAubrey · « **Reply #30 on:** January 16, 2009, 01:41:48 PM »

No - I did not yet finish the book - like a sermon I cannot listen to one after the other and so I read one at a time - then Advent came along and I started my daily readings with Joan Chittister, a Benedictine Nun - then I was at my daughter's for Christmas - and so I need to pull back out what I was reading last October and November.

To me Morrison does not ramble - to me she writes as a poet - thanks for the encouragement on Beloved after this next one that I have already ordered I will go for it...

Mippy · « **Reply #31 on:** January 16, 2009, 02:55:23 PM »

Hi, everyone! Glad to see this group again!

MarjV · « **Reply #32 on:** January 16, 2009, 04:25:46 PM »

About the Stone Angel film. It was made in Canada so there would not be subtitles.

The director Kari Skogland sounds Danish or Swedish; however it is a Canadian film. She has quite a filography!

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0804556/

Still have it on my pile to watch.

hats · « **Reply #33 on:** January 17, 2009, 08:01:21 AM »

Barbara,

It's the same sermon, "Audacity of Hope." The woman with the harp is just another part of the sermon. I brought it up because I wondered if he included the same sections of the sermon in both books. I know what you mean. I can't read sermon after sermon either.

Babi · « **Reply #34 on:** January 17, 2009, 09:35:09 AM »

BARBARA, I can add my plug to Hats' about "Dreams of My Father". It was so well-written; I feel sure you would appreciate it.

BarbStAubrey · « **Reply #35 on:** January 17, 2009, 11:22:16 AM »

well now I have to go back and read it - it was long - I am shocked at how soon I forget - hmmm lesson learned - now for sure I do not feel guilty hanging on to so many books - I will become like Carl Sandburg whose house is filled with books all having slips of paper poking out where he has certain spots bookmarked.

hats · « **Reply #36 on:** January 17, 2009, 11:28:14 AM »

I like Carl Sandburg's idea.

ANNIE · « **Reply #37 on:** January 17, 2009, 01:36:11 PM »

Once, back in the dark ages of SN, I put up the portrait of the Audacity of Hope. I will go search for it again.
Here she is:

ANNIE · « **Reply #38 on:** January 17, 2009, 01:47:51 PM »

And here's the story of the painting that has inspired several people to excell in their world.

"The faded greens and gloomy grays, visually are not overly appealing. Nevertheless, the dull and dreary art speaks to the heart and inspires any revolutionary to arise and take action for the suffering.

This is President Barrack Obama's favorite painting. This great portrait by visionary Victorian artist GF Watts inspired Obama on his long path to the White House. In 1990, Obama was captivated by a sermon delivered by the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, his controversial former pastor. The focus of the sermon was hope, birthed by GF Watts melancholy painting of a hunched and blindfolded girl who sits atop a globe and cautiously plucks at a single string on her crude wooden lyre.

The painting's message of faith in the face of difficulty fascinated Wright. "The harpist is sitting there in rags," he preached. "Her clothes are tattered as though she had been a victim of Hiroshima... [yet] the woman had the audacity to hope."

This phrase stuck forever in Obama's mind. He adapted it as the title of his inspiring address to the Democratic Convention in 2004. In 2006, he used it again, as the title of his second book.

Watts actually painted two versions of Hope: one hangs in Tate Britain; the other, from a private collection, went on show at London's Guildhall Art Gallery this week, as part of a substantial exhibition of Watts's work. Watts gifted his allegorical painting Love and Life to the American people. It was eventually installed in the White House on the orders of President Roosevelt.

Obama is not the only black leader to have been inspired by GF Watts painting Hope: Nelson Mandela kept a reproduction on his wall while he was imprisoned on Robben Island. Nor is Hope the only painting by Watts to have caught the eye of an American president.

The art that inspired a revolutionary orator and politician to become President of the United States can equally electrify us and burn the hope of freedom and justice for the oppressed within our own hearts.

ANNIE · « **Reply #39 on:** January 17, 2009, 01:55:42 PM »

Actually this is the painting that Watt first painted and one can see that it was definitely morose in color.
http://www.victorianweb.org/painting/watts/paintings/12.html

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Author Topic: Read Around The World (Read 51632 times)