The Smell of Ink/Lukten av Trykksverte

Earlier this year, I read the novella Away! Away! by Jana Beňová, which allows me to cross off Slovakia on my World Literature Project, and today I'll post my review. Description from Goodreads Sometimes running away is the bravest option. Or, so believes Rosa, who ditches her husband and home and takes off on the road. Along the way, she encounters the owner of a puppet theater who’s on a mission to conquer the world with his performance of The Snow Queen. Which character from this old fairy tale will Rosa identify with? With Gerda, searching fruitlessly for her lost love? With Kai, who flees home and his beloved one day without a word? Or with the Snow Queen, who seems to stand aloof above it all? With magnetic, sparkling prose, Beňová delivers a lively mosaic that ruminates on human relationships, our greatest fears and desires. My Thoughts on the Book This is a book about escaping. Not only relationship(s), but also rules and societal expectations among other things. The prose...

A while back I ended up reading The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz. As the author is from the Dominican Republic, I can finally cross of that book on my list for the World Literature Project. Today I'll post my review. Description from Goodreads Things have never been easy for Oscar, a sweet but disastrously overweight, lovesick Dominican ghetto nerd. From his home in New Jersey, where he lives with his old-world mother and rebellious sister, Oscar dreams of becoming the Dominican J. R. R. Tolkien and, most of all, of finding love. But he may never get what he wants, thanks to the Fukœ—the curse that has haunted the Oscar's family for generations, dooming them to prison, torture, tragic accidents, and, above all, ill-starred love. Oscar, still waiting for his first kiss, is just its most recent victim. Diaz immerses us in the tumultuous life of Oscar and the history of the family at large, rendering with genuine warmth and dazzling energy, humor, and insi...

Jeg har innimellom vært på jakt etter bøker jeg kunne bruke til Land i verden-prosjektet mitt. Da jeg kom over boka En afrikaner på Grønland av Téte-Michel Kpomassie, som er fra Togo, endte jeg opp med å lese den. I dag kommer omtalen av boka. Beskrivelse fra forlaget Forfatteren vokser opp i det vestafrikanske landet Togo og er 16 år da han kommer over en bok om Grønland. Han blir bergtatt av historiene om folket som lever i isødet, og 8 år senere står han på dekket til en båt som legger til på Grønlands sørkyst. Forfatteren skildrer tradisjoner og levesett uten europeernes fordommer og dårlige samvittighet, og gir et bilde av grønlandsk dagligliv på 1960-tallet. Mine tanker om boka Det er kanskje enkelte ting i boka som er litt ubehagelig lesing, men det er allikevel en tankevekkende bok, spesielt med tanke på forholdet mellom danskene og de innfødte. Forfatteren får i tillegg frem kontrastene mellom de to gruppene på en fin måte. En afrikaner på Grønland er uansett ve...

I fjor endte jeg opp med å lese biografien Vitne av Immaculée Ilibagiza og med det, kunne jeg krysse av Rwanda i forbindelse med "Land i verden"-prosjektet mitt. I dag kommer omtalen av boka. Beskrivelse fra forlaget 1994: Rwandas hutupresident dør i en flystyrt, og store grupper hutuer dreper nærmere en million av landets andre folkegruppe, tutsiene. 22-åringen Immaculée Ilibagiza er som tutsi en av dem dødsskvadronene jakter på, men hun klarer seg - etter at hun og syv andre kvinner har gjemt seg tre måneder på et toalett. Boka har vært på New York Times bestselgerliste. En sterk og spennende skildring fra konflikten i Rwanda. Mine tanker om boka Det er en sterk og rørende historie som bare må leses. En kan lese opp og i mente om selve konflikten, men Vitne får frem en personlig historie innunder folkemordet.

A while ago I read Pharcel - Runaway Slave by Alick Lazare. As the author is from Dominica, I could finally cross of that country for my World Literature Project. Today I'll post my review of the novel. Description from Goodreads Pharcel, a runaway slave, is heavily sought by all the political forces on the small island of Dominica-the white English colonists, the revolutionary French, and the rebellious mulattos-for his role in the slave uprisings. Torn between loyalty to his race and a strong personal desire for freedom and acceptance by the colonial powers and the rising mulatto influence, he walks a razor's edge of duplicity and ambivalence until his natural rebelliousness is pitted against the full force of colonial power. In the end, he succumbs to an irresistible and nearly fatal attraction for the wife of a French planter. But in a fit of ruthless rage, Pharcel sets the colony ablaze. Can he rescue her from the hands of his archenemy? My Thoughts on the Book ...

For those of you who's paid a bit attention to this blog, does perhaps know that I have a world literature project going on. A while ago I read the short story collection At the Bottom of the River by Jamaica Kincaid, who happens to come crom Antigua and Barbuda. Today I'll post my review. Description from Goodreads Jamaica Kincaid's inspired, lyrical short stories Reading Jamaica Kincaid is to plunge, gently, into another way of seeing both the physical world and its elusive inhabitants. Her voice is, by turns, naively whimsical and biblical in its assurance, and it speaks of what is partially remembered partly divined. The memories often concern a childhood in the Caribbean—family, manners, and landscape—as distilled and transformed by Kincaid's special style and vision. Kincaid leads her readers to consider, as if for the first time, the powerful ties between mother and child; the beauty and destructiveness of nature; the gulf between the masculine and the f...

A while ago I ended up reading Redemption in Indigo by Karen Lord. As the author is from Barbados, I can now cross off that country for my World Literature Project and today I'll post my review of the book. Description from Goodreads Paama's husband is a fool and a glutton. Bad enough that he followed her to her parents' home in the village of Makendha, now he's disgraced himself by murdering livestock and stealing corn. When Paama leaves him for good, she attracts the attention of the undying ones – the djombi – who present her with a gift: the Chaos Stick, which allows her to manipulate the subtle forces of the world. Unfortunately, not all the djombi are happy about this gift: the Indigo Lord believes this power should be his and his alone, and he sets about trying to persuade Paama to return the Chaos Stick. Chaos is about to reign supreme... My Thoughts on the Book Redemption in Indigo was a fascinating read, partially because of the fact that it'...

As I've got my World Literature Project, I ended up reading Pynter Bender by Jacob Ross, whom is from Grenada. Today I'll post my review. Description from Goodreads Pynter Bender is a child of the cane fields of Grenada, the second smallest independent state in the world. This extraordinary debut novel tells of a boy born blind but whose eyes are healed, allowing him to see great beauty. The story charts the painful awakening of a rural population, essentially organized around serfdom, into a raw and uncertain future that can only be achieved through fighting—a civil war that Pynter is drawn in to. Pynter's father leaves him to be brought up by the Bender women, a close-knit group of aunts and cousins, and Pynter's early life is shaped by these women. He begins to understand a world beyond them when his uncle, Birdie the Beloved, the best baker on the island, occasionally returns to the family on his brief periods out of jail. When Pynter comes to love a woman, and lat...

Earlier this year, I read the historical novel I, Tituba, Black Witch of Salem by Maryse Condé. As Maryse Condé is from Guadeloupe, I could finally cross off that country in my World Literature Project. Today, I'll post my review of the novel. Description from Goodreads At the age of seven, Tituba watched as her mother was hanged for daring to wound a plantation owner who tried to rape her. She was raised from then on by Mama Yaya, a gifted woman who shared with her the secrets of healing and magic. But it was Tituba's love of the slave John Indian that led her from safety into slavery, and the bitter, vengeful religion practiced by the good citizens of Salem, Massachusetts. Though protected by the spirits, Tituba could not escape the lies and accusations of that hysterical time. As history and fantasy merge, Maryse Condé, acclaimed author of TREE OF LIFE and SEGU, creates the richly imagined life of a fascinating woman. CARAF Books: Caribbean and African Literature Translated...

As I have a World Literature Project going on, I ended up reading The Blue Sky by Galsan Schinag from Mongolia and today I'll post my review. Description from Goodreads In the Altai Mountains of northern Mongolia, the nomadic Tuvan people’s ancient way of life is colliding with the pervasive influence of modernity. For the young shepherd boy Dshurukuwaa, the confrontation comes in stages. First his older siblings leave the family yurt to attend a distant boarding school, followed by the death of his beloved grandmother and with it, the connection to the tribe’s traditions and deep relationship to the land. But the greatest tragedy strikes when his dog — “all that was left to me” — dies after ingesting poison set out by the boy’s father to protect the herd from wolves. His despairing questions to the Heavenly Blue Sky are answered only by the silence of the wind. The first and only member of the Tuvans to use written language to tell stories, Galsan Tschinag chronicles their tradi...

A while ago I read the short story collection Mother's Beloved: Stories From Laos by Outhine Bounyavong, which enabled me to cross off yet another country in my World Literature Project. Today I'll post my review. Description from Goodreads This book presents 14 of Outhine Bounyavong's short stories in English translation alongside the Lao originals, marking his formal debut for an American audience. It is also the first collection of Lao short stories to be published in the English language. Peter Koret's Introduction explores the history of modern Lao literature and considers Outhine's writing within this broader context. My Thoughts on the Book Although I found some of the short stories a wee bit basic and simple, Mother's Beloved was still an entertaining read with glimpses from Laos and for that, it was worth the read.

Jeg har som nevnt et "Land i verden"-prosjekt når det gjelder bøker og det er ikke alle land det er like lett å finne noe fra. I forbindelse med Burundi, endte jeg opp med å lese Kryssild - mitt liv som flyktning av John Bosco Ngendakurio og Jostein Holmedahl og i dag kommer omtalen av boka. Beskrivelse fra forlaget Den usminkede og rørende historien til en unggutt som kjempet seg gjennom krig og fornedrelse - til en trygg tilværelse i Norge. John Bosco Ngendakurio (født 1980) overlevde så vidt folkemordet i Burundi i 1993. Året etter klarte han å flykte til Tanzania. I 2003 kom han til Norge som FN-flyktning, og i dag bor han med kone og datter i Mosterhamn på Bømlo. Med støtte fra institusjonen "Fritt Ord" har Bosco Ngendakurio gått opp igjen sine flyktningspor, og i samarbeid med forfatter Jostein Holmedahl presenterer han her sin historie. Utgivelsen er støttet av "Leser søker bok", en allianse som jobber for tilrettelagt litteratur. - Det er vikt...

As I’m having the World Literature Project, I decided to read the memoir The Dark Child by Camara Laye, who is from French Guinea. Today I’ll post my review.  Description from Goodreads The Dark Child is a distinct and graceful memoir of Camara Laye's youth in the village of Koroussa, French Guinea. Long regarded Africa's preeminent Francophone novelist, Laye (1928-80) herein marvels over his mother's supernatural powers, his father's distinction as the village goldsmith, and his own passage into manhood, which is marked by animistic beliefs and bloody rituals of primeval origin. Eventually, he must choose between this unique place and the academic success that lures him to distant cities. More than autobiography of one boy, this is the universal story of sacred traditions struggling against the encroachment of a modern world. A passionate and deeply affecting record, The Dark Child is a classic of African literature.    My Thoughts on the Book The Dark Child was a fa...

As part of my World Literature Project, I ended up reading So Long a Letter by Mariama Bâ, who is from Senegal. Today I'll post my review of this novella. Description from Goodreads It is not only the fact that this is the most deeply felt presentation of the female condition in African fiction that gives distinction to this novel, but also its undoubted literary qualities, which seem to place it among the best novels that have come out of our continent. - West Africa This novel is a perceptive testimony to the plight of articulate women who live in social milieux dominated by attitudes and values that deny them their proper place. It is a sequence of reminiscences, some wistful, some bitter, recounted by a recently widowed Senegalese school teacher. The letter, addressed to an old friend, is a record of her emotional struggle for survival after her husband's abrupt decision to take a second wife. Although his action is sanctioned by Islam, it is a calculated betrayal of his w...

As I’m having the World Literature Project, I decided to read the novel Transit by Abdourahman A. Waberi, who is from Djibouti. Today I’ll post my review. Description from Goodreads Waiting at the Paris airport, two immigrants from Djibouti reveal parallel stories of war, child soldiers, arms trafficking, drugs, and hunger. Bashir is recently discharged from the army and wounded, finding himself inside the French Embassy. Harbi, whose wife, Alice, has been killed by the police, is there too--arrested earlier as a political suspect. An embassy official mistakes Bashir for Harbi's son, and as Harbi does not deny it, both will be exiled to France, Alice's home country. This brilliantly shrewd and cynical universal chronicle of war and exile, translated into English for the first time, amounts to a lyrical and reflective history of Djibouti and its tortuous politics, crippled economy, and devastated moral landscape.   My Thoughts on the Book Although the novel is intriguing, I also...

For en stund siden leste jeg romanen Der fem veier møtes av Mario Vargas Llosa, noe som gjorde at jeg til slutt kunne krysse av Peru i forbindelse med Land i verden-prosjektet mitt. I dag kommer omtalen av boka. Beskrivelse fra forlaget Nobelprisvinner i litteratur, Mario Vargas Llosa, balanserer knivskarp samfunnskritikk med et erotisk tilsnitt slik få andre kan. Der fem veier møtes er en mørk, sensuell politisk roman som utspiller seg i området Sinco Esquinas i Lima på 90-tallet, den gang Peru ble styrt av den kontroversielle presidenten Alberto Fujimori. Sentralt i boken står Ronaldo Garro, ansvarlig redaktør for sladremagasinet Destapes. Sensasjonsjournalistikk og karakterdrap er ikke bare hans levebrød, men også et mektig middel som han bruker for alt det er verdt. Og han har nok av stoff å skrive om. For innbyggerne i Lima bruker erotiske eventyr som en måte å unnslippe den dystre hverdagen på, med fare for uforvarende å havne på forsiden av sladderpressen. Men når Garro t...

Last year, I ended up reading the poetry collection Nocturnal Light: Sufi Poems by Aïda Touré. As the poet is from Gabon, I could finally cross off that country in terms of my World Literature Project and today I'll post my review. Description from Goodreads Devoted lovers scarcely sleep at night. In adoration, they prostrate with immense grace before the majesty of the Beloved. Nocturnal Light is collection of Sufi poems that echo the heart of those lovers who remain awake in vertiginous states of selflessness. Through the sweetness of divine remembrance, they dance to the Word's tender energy and escape themselves to embrace the greater becoming. My Thoughts on the Book There was something that I really liked about this poetry collection. The poems are beautifully written and even if I'm unfamiliar with Sufism, I enjoyed reading the poems.

A while ago I read the book Jamilia by Chingiz Aitmatov, who is from Kyrgyzstan and today I'll post my review. Description from Goodreads "Jamilia" is told from the point of view of a fictional Kyrgyz artist, Seit, who tells the story by looking back on his childhood. The story recounts the love between his new sister-in-law Jamilia and a local crippled young man, Daniyar, while Jamilia's husband, Sadyk, is away at the front during World War II. Based on clues in the story, it takes place in northwestern Kyrgyzstan, presumably Talas Province. The story is backdropped against the collective farming culture which was early in its peak in that period. Chingiz Aïtmatov was born in Kyrgyzstan in 1928. His work appeared in over one hundred languages, and received numerous awards, including the Lenin Prize. He was the Kyrgyz ambassador to the European Union, NATO, UNESCO and the Benelux countries. Translated by James Riordan. My Thoughts on the Book While it's short, it...

Last year, I ended up reading Century of the Death of the Rose: Selected Poems by Jorge Carrera Andrade. As the poet was from Ecuador, I could finally cross off that country for my World Literature Project and today I'll post my review. Description from Goodreads By the close of the twentieth century, the brilliant poets that had emerged from the Americas included Ruben Dario, Pablo Neruda, Cesar Vallejo, Vicente Huidobro, and Octavio Paz. To this list must be added Jorge Carrera Andrade, an Ecuadorian, who spent his entire adult life traveling as a diplomat, politician, and poet. Despite a brief flurry of attention generated in the United States by his book, Secret Country (New York: MacMillan, 1946), published just after he served as Ecuadorian Consul General to the United States in San Francisco, Andrade has since been forgotten by American anthologists and literary critics. But in fact the late Andrade was a leading figure in Latin American letters. This volume of his poetry w...

As I’m having the World Literature Project, I decided to read the short story collection Our Dead World by Liliana Colanzi, who is from Bolivia. Today I’ll post my review.  Description from Goodreads A young woman suffers a mental breakdown because of her repressive and religious mother. A group of children is fascinated by the sudden death of a friend. A drug trafficking couple visits Paris at the same time as a psychopathic cannibal. A mysterious wave travels through a university campus, driving students to suicide. A photographer witnesses a family's surface composure shatter during a portrait session. A worker on Mars sees ghostly animals in the desert and longs for an impossible return to Earth. A plastic surgeon botches an operation and hides on a sugar cane plantation where indigenous slavery is practiced. Horror and the fantastic mark the unstable realism of Our Dead World, in which altered states of consciousness, marginalized peoples, animal bodies, and tensions betw...