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 ]
Titles for many tastes: a posthumous memoir by Michael K. Williams, a new recording of an 18th-century romance and a sweeping African novel Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2022-09-10 11:00:03 UTC ]
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Angela Merkel’s memoir goes to St Martin’s, Berkley buys a debut novel by a former American Ballet Theatre ballerina, and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-09-09 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Examining disability activist and writer Alice Wong’s work, it becomes clear that almost all of her life and career is oriented toward community—a community that has thrown itself wholeheartedly behind her new memoir, 'Year of the Tiger: An Activist’s Life.' Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-09-09 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The judge in two obscenity cases in Virginia that targeted two books—Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe and A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas—has dismissed the cases, saying that the books are not obscene under the law and the law that pertains to the litigation is itself flawed.... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2022-08-31 13:48:46 UTC ]
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“If it weren’t for Beyoncé, another girl like us with an untraceable name, we wouldn’t have had much in common.” Remica Bingham-Risher on stepmotherhood, lineage, and the weight of names. | Lit Hub Memoir Ben Mathis-Lilley on the inevitability of college football (and why it’s all Thomas... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2022-08-31 10:30:26 UTC ]
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“What better than a little donkey upon which to project my wonderings?” Martha Cooley reflects on emigrating to Venice in her mid-sixties… and befriending a little asinella. | Lit Hub Memoir Olivia Rutigliano ranks the 50 best fictional dragons, to mark the return of House Targaryen. | Lit Hub... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2022-08-26 10:30:00 UTC ]
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Promising an inside view of the White House, the book actually exposes Kushner's mind-set and values. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2022-08-26 10:00:57 UTC ]
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Based on Anne Deveson’s 1991 memoir about her son’s experience with schizophrenia, this play can be achingly sad. But it also offers hope. Continue reading at The Conversation
[ The Conversation | 2022-08-26 01:01:35 UTC ]
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"Knocking Myself Up," Michelle Tea’s "memoir of (in)fertility," will resonate across generations. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2022-08-25 12:00:17 UTC ]
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“It was an ‘I‘ of early days long gone who lived in these places, and that ‘I’ has already succumbed, for our days die before us.” Continue reading at The Paris Review
[ The Paris Review | 2022-08-22 15:42:39 UTC ]
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A memoir by Jared Kushner chronicles U.S. frustrations in negotiating a trade deal with Canada. It offers a peek into historic talks and insists there was method to the madness of his father-in-law, Donald Trump. But it sidesteps more disturbing... Continue reading at CBC
[ CBC | 2022-08-20 08:00:00 UTC ]
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The actor Jennette McCurdy’s memoir is a confessional feat that asks what, if anything, adult children owe an abusive parent. Continue reading at The Atlantic
[ The Atlantic | 2022-08-19 11:00:00 UTC ]
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Former child star Jennette McCurdy has the #5 book in the country with the memoir 'I'm Glad My Mom Died.' Plus director Michael Mann writes a sequel to 1995's 'Heat,' and the Netflix adaptation of Neil Gaiman's 'The Sandman" drops. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-08-19 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Former Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu sells an autobiography to Simon & Schuster, Gallery Books takes a memoir by ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith, and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-08-19 04:00:00 UTC ]
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I’m Glad My Mom Died details the abuse the iCarly actor suffered as a child star. Continue reading at Slate
[ Slate | 2022-08-18 20:31:47 UTC ]
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TEGAN AND SARA TRAILER DROP, TEGAN AND SARA TRAILER DROP—this is not a drill! If you clicked on this, you’re probably well aware that the beloved sister indie pop duo published a memoir in 2019 called High School. Amazon Freevee (boo) is adapting it into a TV show (yay) starring Railey and... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2022-08-18 16:25:50 UTC ]
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Elizabeth Crane's new memoir is an excavation of a 15-year union that proves just how hard it is to talk about marriage, even when it's your own. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2022-08-18 13:00:19 UTC ]
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The first major review for Breaking History—odious lickspittle Jared Kushner’s memoir about his tenure at the Trump White House—has dropped, and it is a doozy. Published by Broadside Books (a lamentable neocon imprint of Harper Collins which boasts a stable full of prize grievance ponies like... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2022-08-17 15:19:36 UTC ]
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Alice Sedgwick Wohl's 'As It Turns Out,' on power duo Andy Warhol and Edie Sedgwick, is not a memoir but an investigation of a cultural obsession. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2022-08-17 13:00:01 UTC ]
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Jennette McCurdy's memoir I'm Glad My Mom Died has garnered attention for both its shocking title and her relationship with her abusive mother Debra. Continue reading at CBC
[ CBC | 2022-08-16 14:00:59 UTC ]
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