*I travelled 23,500km overland from Adelaide to London. This is what I learnt ... Via BC
Russian author Oleg Pavlov has passed away - he was only 48 years young; see, for example, Lisa Hayden Espenschade's post at her Lizok's Bookshelf.
Several of his works have been translated into English, most recently Asystole; see the Glagoslav publicity page, or get your copy at Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk.
The Art Balloon That Scandalized Australia’s Ruling Elite Is Back
"With a head like a turtle, a body like a giant cetacean and ten bulbous, hanging breasts, one thing is certain: It is hard to ignore the Skywhale. When the hot-air balloon debuted in May 2013, looming over Canberra for the Australian capital's centenary celebrations, critics said the 'floating sculpture' created by Patricia Piccinini did not represent the city. Some blushed at the scale of its udders and at its six-figure cost. ... Well, get ready, Australia. It's back." …Read More
Murakami Haruki's Killing Commendatore is coming out in English tomorrow, and so the reviews and attendant publicity have started to flood in.
NHK reports Haruki Murakami gives rare talk in New York (using the term 'rare' very, very loosely ...), while in The Japan Times they report on the conversation at greater length, in: Haruki Murakami says good writing is what he can do to help people in times of trouble.
Meanwhile, at nippon.com Eli K.P. William considers at some length: Murakami Haruki: Immortal Artist or Falling Star ?
*Your Definitive Guide to All of Haruki Murakami's Books by Hillary Kelly at Vulture (which may not be definitive, but, hey, it's sort of a guide.)
Deutsche Welle has made up what they call: 'the ultimate list of German-language books [published since 1900] translated into English'; see Reading Matter ? 100 German Must-Reads ! with links to more information about all the titles, or a pdf of the 100 German Must-Reads; see also their explanation, 100 German must-reads: The story behind the project.
The limitations -- post-1900 titles, translated into English, and one book per author -- make for a ... somewhat limited list (though it does get a lot of the big titles); it also skews recent and popular.
Quite a few of the titles are under review at the complete review:
- Agnes, by Peter Stamm
- Anniversaries, by Uwe Johnson
- Atlas of an Anxious Man, by Christoph Ransmayr
- Broken Glass Park, by Alina Bronsky
- The Collector of Worlds, by Iliya Troyanov
- Every Man Dies Alone, by Hans Fallada
- The Giraffe's Neck, by Judith Schalansky
- In Times of Fading Light, by Eugen Ruge
- Kruso, by Lutz Seiler
- Measuring the World, by Daniel Kehlmann
- Memoirs of a Polar Bear, by Yoko Tawada
- The New Sorrows of Young W., by Ulrich Plenzdorf
- Night Train to Lisbon, by Pascal Mercier
- The Shadow-Boxing Woman, by Inka Parei
- The Tower, by Uwe Tellkamp
- Visitation, by Jenny Erpenbeck
