Shetland literature has a short history. Or, more accurately, the long history of Shetland literature has been truncated — the result of a double disadvantage, as far as official histories are concerned: an oral culture, in which few people could read or write, and a language that died out before literacy became widespread.The Northern Isles of Orkney and Shetland would once have been rich in songs, poems and stories, spoken and sung in Norn (the closest extant relative of which is Faroese). But after Shetland became part of Scotland, in the late fifteenth century, the language was gradually replaced by a distinctive local variant of Scots. And by the time cultural collectors began to take an interest in such things, a few hundred years later, Norn was pretty much gone. Only a single full-length ballad, ‘Hildina’, was ever transcribed.Romanticising the pastWhen writers from Shetland did begin to publish their work, in the early nineteenth century, the islands were already being written about by authors from elsewhere. Most significantly, Walter Scott used the islands as the setting for his 1822 novel The Pirate, in which he imagined a rather glamorous version of Shetland’s history, with a particular emphasis on its Norse heritage. That portrayal, by one of the world’s most famous authors, was influential, but it also highlights a conundrum for writers in the islands: A romanticised, exoticised depiction of Shetland may be more appealing to readers than one that shows the... Continue reading at 'British Council global'
[ British Council global | 2020-02-13 12:54:04 UTC ]
It’s back and here to ruin our savings and increase the gadgets in our homes. Yes, Amazon Prime Day isn’t entirely about headphones, tablets and wearables, but for Engadget staff… well, it feels like it is. Prime Day deals on tech are typically only matched by Black Friday and Cyber Monday... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-07-11 11:15:13 UTC ]
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Sarah Silverman is suing OpenAI. On Friday, the comedian and author, alongside novelists Christopher Golden and Richard Kadrey, filed a pair of complaints against OpenAI and Meta (via Gizmodo). The group alleges the firms trained their large language models on copyrighted materials, including... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-07-10 17:53:22 UTC ]
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In her memoir “Thunderclap,” the British art critic Laura Cumming explores her passion for the virtuosic images of everyday life by painters from Dutch art’s golden age. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2023-07-09 09:00:19 UTC ]
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Beth Nguyen left Vietnam and her biological mother when she was a baby. Her memoir “Owner of a Lonely Heart” examines the ripple effect of those departures. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2023-07-01 09:03:10 UTC ]
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Lamya H’s powerful memoir Hijab Butch Blues is an honest grappling with what it means to be queer, to be a devout hijabi Muslim person who resists gender normativity, to love faith and community. Seeking other queer women in Islam as a young person, H wonders if Maryam, whom no man has touched,... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2023-06-29 11:12:00 UTC ]
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These 8 books that explore the relationships between humans and animals in a variety of ways, including the personal and professional. Start with Birding While Indian: A Mixed-Blood Memoir by Thomas C. Ganno. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-06-29 10:35:00 UTC ]
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As a fiction writer, I’ve always felt compelled, memoir style, to pore over my life’s timeline. But in a novel, I can erase, revise, smash, crash, reconstruct, and transfigure that squiggly narrative. A novel has no obligation to mirror or represent anything familiar, recognizable, or real. And... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-06-28 08:52:54 UTC ]
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Fictional Translations: Pablo Neruda’s “Oda al actor,” by Ilan Stavans Poetry [email protected] Mon, 06/26/2023 - 13:48 Photo by throgers / FlickrIn what follows, I have created three heteronyms to render Pablo Neruda’s “Oda al actor” into English.... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2023-06-26 18:48:50 UTC ]
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Judi Dench sells a book on Shakespeare to St. Martin’s, Gallery’s 13a imprint buys a memoir from Nia Long, and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-06-23 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Greg Marshall’s memoir Leg: The Story of a Limb and the Boy Who Grew from It is a brave and hilarious tour de force, taking us through his journey of self-acceptance as he grapples with cerebral palsy, queerness, and the early death of a parent. By offering us a front seat to the uproarious... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2023-06-22 11:01:00 UTC ]
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Actor Elliot Page has the #8 book in the country with the memoir 'Pageboy.' Plus 'All the Sinners Bleed' author S.A. Cosby takes a leap of faith, and Lisa See invites readers into 'Lady Tan's Circle of Women.' Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-06-16 04:00:00 UTC ]
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When her husband was diagnosed with lung cancer, the author was haunted by a long-ago loss — one she’d already written about. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2023-06-15 09:00:49 UTC ]
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The poet and activist Rose Styron, 95, had to be talked into writing about herself and the many luminaries she has known. “I don’t like looking backward,” she said. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2023-06-13 21:08:45 UTC ]
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Author’s decision to remove The Snow Forest from publication because of Russia-Ukraine war sparks intense debateMixed reactions have met the decision by the US novelist Elizabeth Gilbert to withdraw her forthcoming novel The Snow Forest from publication after receiving criticism for its Russian... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-06-13 13:48:07 UTC ]
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While visiting Italy’s vanishing towns, Dominic Smith muses on abandonment both physical and emotional. | Lit Hub Memoir 26 new books out today for your summer reading glow-up. | The Hub “When we write ‘I’ in the personal essay it is a philosophical act as much as it is a creative one.” Sarah... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-06-13 10:30:10 UTC ]
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The poet and activist Rose Styron, 95, had to be talked into writing about herself and the many luminaries she has known. “I don’t like looking backward,” she said. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2023-06-12 13:39:45 UTC ]
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Jenny Erpenbeck’s Kairos, Deborah Levy’s August Blue, and Frieda Hughes’ George: A Magpie Memoir all feature among the Best Reviewed Books of the Week. Brought to you by Book Marks, Lit Hub’s “Rotten Tomatoes for books.” * Fiction 1. Kairos by Jenny Erpenbeck (New Directions) 10 Rave • 3... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-06-09 08:53:52 UTC ]
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Literary Hub is pleased to reveal the cover for Splinters, the first memoir from Leslie Jamison, the bestselling author of The Recovering and The Empathy Exams, coming from Little, Brown early next year. Here’s a bit about the book from the publisher: Leslie Jamison has become one of our most... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-06-07 14:00:32 UTC ]
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In a cultural milieu that is increasingly recognizing the value of narratives that describe the experience of chronic pain and illness, Emily Wells’ memoir is a unique contribution. In some ways, A Matter of Appearance is not a memoir at all, though that’s where you’ll find it shelved in... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2023-06-06 11:05:00 UTC ]
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In the “brutally honest” memoir “Pageboy,” the actor recounts the fears and obstacles to gender transition, and the hard-won happiness that’s followed. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2023-06-06 09:00:19 UTC ]
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