Where Eighty-Four Languages Were Once Spoken

Where Eighty-Four Languages Were Once Spoken

Author: Devinder Raj

Publisher: Devinder Raj

Published: 2022-12-07

Total Pages: 117

ISBN-13: 9671510744

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“Cycling to Malacca High School for my secondary education, I had to pass by the last remnant of the A Famosa fortress and St Paul’s Hill. Quite often in the afternoons, my classmate and I would go up St Paul’s Hill, to sit under the shade of the trees that were around the ruined church and do some quiet reading and studying … Some weekends, we would go to Pulau Besar, an island off Melaka, steeped in myth and legend, visited by preachers and pilgrims for centuries.” In this short account of the history of Melaka, Devinder Raj weaves in letters, myths and oft-forgotten historical facts to craft an image of his home state during the Melakan sultanate and under the rule of the Portuguese, the Dutch and the British. Filling in the gaps in history textbooks, and piecing together accounts such as letters from Melaka’s Tamil merchants to the King of Portugal and the proposed British effort to demolish Melaka entirely, Where Eighty-four Languages Were Once Spoken revisits the storied history of a historic city.


Strange and Paranormal Tales from Malacca

Strange and Paranormal Tales from Malacca

Author: Dennis De Witt

Publisher: NUTMEG PUBLISHING

Published: 2022-01-01

Total Pages: 232

ISBN-13: 9671668615

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The ancient port town of Malacca is an old town rich in history. Since the beginning of Malacca, its community was made up of a colourful potpourri of cultures and beliefs. The different communities have their own understanding of the powers of the supernatural. As far back as the year 1421, there was a written account from Chinese records of the strange and paranormal witnessed in Malacca. These stories continued in Portuguese, Dutch and British eras, up to modern times. There were accounts about hauntings, poltergeists, cryptozoology, giants, spirits, sorcery, witchcraft, shapeshifting creatures, simulacra, magical cures, strange phenomena, unusual human powers and other bizarre tales. Many of these stories have now become obscured and forgotten to us. This book contains a collection of 60 strange and paranormal stories reported from past reports, news, accounts, statements and descriptions that were officially recorded in books, journals, articles and newspapers.


Even As We Speak

Even As We Speak

Author: Clive James

Publisher: Pan Macmillan

Published: 2012-12-13

Total Pages: 404

ISBN-13: 0330526677

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Effervescent, energetic and eclectic, Even As We Speak collects the best of Clive James on art, culture and politics from 1993–2001. This is one of the late twentieth century's finest minds on show. From the Olympics to the British monarchy to Australian culture, and from icons of the century to the role of the ordinary German in the holocaust, this is a wide-ranging and thought-provoking selection of Clive at his best. This collection includes his compelling, much-discussed piece written shortly after the death of someone he knew personally – Diana, Princess of Wales. Whether the reader is discovering him for the first time, or revisiting classic pieces, Even As We Speak is a compelling collection from a much-loved figure in British – and Australian – culture. Clive James (1939–2019) was a broadcaster, critic, poet, memoirist and novelist. His much-loved, influential and hilarious television criticism is available both in individual volumes and collected in Clive James On Television. His encyclopaedic study of culture and politics in the twentieth century, Cultural Amnesia, remains perhaps the definitive embodiment of his wide-ranging talents as a critic. Praise for Clive James: 'The perfect critic' – A.O. Scott, New York Times 'There can't be many writers of my generation who haven't been heavily influenced by Clive James' – Charlie Brooker 'A wonderfully witty and intelligent writer' – Verity Lambert


The Language of Dystopia

The Language of Dystopia

Author: Jessica Norledge

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2022-08-29

Total Pages: 253

ISBN-13: 303093103X

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This book presents an extended account of the language of dystopia, exploring the creativity and style of dystopian narratives and mapping the development of the genre from its early origins through to contemporary practice. Drawing upon stylistic, cognitive-poetic and narratological approaches, the work proposes a stylistic profile of dystopia, arguing for a reader-led discussion of genre that takes into account reader subjectivity and personal conceptualisations of prototypicality. In examining and identifying those aspects of language that characterise dystopian narratives and the experience of reading dystopian fictions, the work discusses in particular the manipulation and construction of dystopian languages, the conceptualisation of dystopian worlds, the reading of dystopian minds, the projection of dystopian ethics, the unreliability of dystopian refraction, and the evolution and hybridity of the dystopian genre.


Reliable Essays

Reliable Essays

Author: Clive James

Publisher: Pan Macmillan

Published: 2009-09-30

Total Pages: 372

ISBN-13: 0330475479

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Hilarious and trenchant, Reliable Essays collects the most memorable works of criticism and travel writing from well-loved author and broadcaster, Clive James. With an introduction by Julian Barnes. '[An] intellectual as well as a joker, a wise man as well as a wit' – Observer Whether discussing arts, politics or culture, Clive James opens up new avenues for thought whilst never being less than wonderfully entertaining. From his 'Postcard from Rome' to his observations on Margaret Thatcher, and his insights into Heaney, Larkin and Orwell, Clive is equally at home discussing the nature of celebrity and considering serious political matters. With brilliantly funny examinations of characters like Barry Humphries, Germaine Greer and Marilyn Monroe, this is a thoughtful, analytical and thoroughly enjoyable selection of Clive at his best. '[I]immensely enjoyable' – Telegraph Clive James (1939–2019) was a broadcaster, critic, poet, memoirist and novelist. His much-loved, influential and hilarious television criticism is collected in Clive James On Television. His encyclopaedic study of culture and politics in the twentieth century, Cultural Amnesia, remains perhaps the definitive embodiment of his wide-ranging talents as a critic. Praise for Clive James: 'The perfect critic' – A.O. Scott, New York Times 'There can't be many writers of my generation who haven't been heavily influenced by Clive James' – Charlie Brooker 'A wonderfully witty and intelligent writer' – Verity Lambert