Tag: America

Andrea Camilleri, Creator of Inspector Montalbano, Dies at 93

Sad news for fans of detective literature. Andrea Camilleri, one of Italy’s most popular authors, has passed away at ninety-three. Camilleri was the creator of Inspector Montalbano, a detective of Sicilian descent who solves cases in his native country of Italy. The series has been noted for its immense popularity, running over two dozen novels for many years, translated in over thirty countries. The series has proven a bestseller, with over 30 million copies sold worldwide. The series won Camilleri the International Dagger award, an award for the best Crime Novel of the Year.

 

Image Via BBC 4 

 

According to The Guardian  Andrea Camilleri went into cardiac arrest in June and was in poor health in the hospital. He passed away under the care of doctors in Rome, pronounced with heart failure after his passing. Camilleri’s books were known for their extensive political commentary, Camilleri not shying away from addressing current, often controversial topics in his detective stories. His targets have varied far and wide, from the mafia and the Vatican to political figures such as Silvio Berlusconi and George W. Bush. On the mafia specifically, he was quote as saying:

 

“I believe that writing about mafiosi often makes heroes out of them. I’m thinking of The Godfather, where Marlon Brando’s superb performance distracts us from the realisation that he also commissioned murders. And this is a gift that I have no intention offering to the mafia.”

 

The Montalbano novels were adapted into a highly successful television series of the same name. The series has been running since 1999 and has also generated controversy for its controversial political commentary, such as recently with its pro-migrant messages.

The legacy of the detective novels will live on, with the series incredibly popular and inspiring dozens of Italian authors to follow in Andrea Camilleri’s footsteps.

 

 

Featured Image Via BBC 

Meet Joy Harjo, One of the First Native American Poet Laureates!

According to The Guardian there is exciting news for the poetry world. Poet, musician, and author Joy Harjo has been appointed as the Poet Laureate, the first Native American to take the position in years. Harjo has been in the running for a role for a long time, having acted as an advocate and voice for Native Americans in the literary world. Harjo term will last one year, and she will succeed Tracy K. Smith, who served two terms in the position.

 

 

 

 

Harjo is known for poetry collections like The Woman Who Fell From the Sky and In Mad Love and War. Critics have praised her forceful, intimate writing style that draws upon the natural and spiritual world, always emphasizing and exploring man’s relationship to nature.

 

A Native American Woman stands on a lakeshore

Image via Public radio tusla

 

Harjo has expressed her political views through song and metaphor, using her poetry to draw attention to social issues. One of her poems, “Rabbit Is Up to Tricks,” epitomizes her style:

 

And Rabbit had no place to play.
Rabbit’s trick had backfired.
Rabbit tried to call the clay man back,
but when the clay man wouldn’t listen
Rabbit realized he’d made a clay man with no ears.

 

Harjo began writing in 1970, according to The New York Times. As a young woman, she attended Native American gatherings in the Southwest, where she heard poetry spoken aloud. Realizing poetry was a vehicle for social change, her art became a way for her to speak about the Native American rights movement. Since then, Harjo has written eight books in total, including poetry, memoir, and YA novels. As for her nomination, Harjo said she was in a “state of shock” and considers her a position a great honor, as well as a position of honor for all Native peoples.

In a statement to the Library of Congress, Carla Hayden, the Librarian of Congress said of Joy Harjo’s work “powerfully connects us to the earth and the spiritual world with direct, inventive lyricism that helps us reimagine who we are.”

In addition to being an author, Harjo is also a musician, composing four albums that speak to not only naturalistic themes but also the current political and social divides across America. She feels that poetry is a way to bridge cultures and hopes to embrace her new position.

 

 

 

 

Featured Image Via The Guardian. 

Here’s Why China Is Delaying ‘Game of Thrones’ Finale

It seems Game of Thrones might be the latest to suffer as a result of the ongoing trade war. According to CNN, China’s video internet service which owns the rights to the show, shocked viewers when they delayed the release of the final episode due to “video transmission problems”. This was a huge blow to Chinese fans of the show, who vented their frustration and dismay over the episode’s sudden and unexpected delay online. Many fans suggested a possible connection between the ongoing trade war and the episode’s delay, and touting the possibility that streaming services were being targeted along with other products.

Several viewers responded to the delay by posting the infamous ‘shame’ GIF.

 

A nun-like figure walking through the streets ringing her bell and yelling 'Shame!'

Image Via Game of Thrones wiki

 

The timing is possibly parallel to the escalation of the trade war, with Donald Trump raising tariffs on Chinese goods, with China also raising its own tariffs on U.S. goods in turn. In addition, anti-US propaganda has escalated in China, leading to a lingering thread of hostility between the two countries. Chinese productions with US links, meanwhile, have been vanishing from various networks, getting cancellations without warning. Historical channels have also been airing propaganda films showcasing their countryman fending off American invaders. It’s possible Game of Thrones has become the latest victim of this due to intensifying relations.

What do you think of this situation? It’s a pity of all those Game of Thrones fans overseas who were deprived of the finale but it seems to be a symptom of a much larger problem.

 

 

Featured Image Via Deadline

Comic Explores Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Life Story

US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is a modern icon, a judge who has had untold positive impact on the United States’ justice system. Towards the end of last year, a biopic On the Basis of Sex was released, starring Felicity Jones and Armie Hammer, and now Bader Ginsberg’s life story is becoming a graphic novel!

 

Image result for ruth bader ginsburg

Image via TMZ.

 

The novel is written by Debbie Levy, the New York Times bestselling author of the RBG picture book I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark, and illustrated by Whitney Gardner.

 

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Debbie Levy (writer) | Image via Debie Levy Books

 

Image result for whitney gardner

Whitney Gardner. | Image via Pop! Goes the Reader.

 

Becoming RBG follows Bader Ginsburg’s life from her childhood in Brooklyn to her days as a student, and later, a Columbia Law School professor, as a lawyer and on to her tenure on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. The book then details Bader Ginsberg’s appointment to highest court in the land and work as a Supreme Court Justice.

 

Image via Amazon.

 

Check out this Bustle article for a first look at the graphic novel!

 

The writing is rather simple (it is a children’s book after all), and the art is super endearing! Great for kids, or anyone interested in history who doesn’t have the time for a full-length feature film or reading a lengthy book.

 

 

Featured Image via Red Pill Pundit.

Here’s Why Nearly 25% of Americans Didn’t Read a Book Last Year

Not everyone can find the time to sit down and read a good book. Studies show that the number of non-readers is pretty big. According to the Pew Research Center, 24% or Americans admitted that they haven’t read a book either in whole or in part in 2018.

 

These numbers are attributed to:

 

Education – Americans with a high-school degree or less are five times as likely to report not having read a book. Adults with lower levels of education are also less likely to own smartphones or tablets, which are essential for e-reading.

 

Money – Lower income households, such as those who make $30,000 or less, are three times more likely to be non-book readers.

 

Age – Americans over fifty are more likely to say they haven’t read a book than adults under fifty.

 

Ethnicity – Hispanic adults are twice as likely as whites to report not having read a book, with the number being even greater among foreign-born Hispanic people. This is often due to Hispanic people having little access to books written in Spanish, as well as racial inequality within the education system. 

 

 

You can read the full results of the research here.

 

 

Featured Image Via Kwik Learning Online