Shosha is a hauntingly lyrical love story set in Jewish Warsaw on the eve of its annihilation. Aaron Greidinger, an aspiring Yiddish writer and the son of a distinguished Hasidic rabbi, struggles to be true to his art when faced with the chance at riches and a passport to America. But as he and the rest of the Writers' Club wait in horror for Nazi Germany to invade Poland, Aaron rediscovers Shosha, his childhood love-still living on Krochmalna Street, still mysteriously childlike herself-who has been waiting for him all these years.
"Kadare is inevitably linked to Orwell and Kundera, but he is a far deeper ironist than the first, and a better storyteller than the second. He is a compellingly ironic storyteller because he so brilliantly summons details that explode with symbolic reality." —The New Yorker At the heart of the Ottoman Empire, in the main square of Constantinople, a niche is carved into ancient stone. Here, the sultan displays the severed heads of his adversaries. People flock to see the latest head and gossip about the state of the empire: the province of Albania is demanding independence again, and the niche awaits a new trophy . . . Tundj Hata, the imperial courier, is charged with transporting heads to the capital—a task he relishes and performs with fervor. As he travels through obscure and impoverished territories, he makes money from illicit side–shows, offering villagers the spectacle of death. The head of the rebellious Albanian governor would fetch a very high price indeed. The Traitor's Niche is a surreal tale of tyranny and rebellion, in a land where armies carry scarecrows, state officials ban entire languages, and the act of forgetting is more complicated than remembering. Long-listed for the 2017 Man Booker International Prize "The name of the Albanian novelist Ismail Kadare regularly comes up at Nobel Prize time, and he is still a good bet to win it one of these days . . . He is seemingly incapable of writing a book that fails to be interesting." —The New York Times
"Hazel Frankel's multi-layered new book takes you into the search for meaning that lies at the heart of an apparently comfortable life in suburban Johannesburg. It's simultaneously an evocation of the Highveld, of hadedahs and sprinklers and night-time meals under the Milky Way, of traditional Jewish food like teygl and cheese cake ... and an exploration of the heritage of violence."--Back cover.
These papers address aspects of the contentious intellectual and policy debate about the revival and revitalisation of Africa's political, economic and cultural situation - the so-called African Renaissance. The work considers the ideological antecedents of the concept of the African Renaissance; the African Renaissance as an imperative for survival; and how President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa and the ANC use the notion. The contributors discuss the ethical ramifications of globalisation; whether neo-liberalism can be considered a stable base for the African Renaissance; and the likelihood of genuine progress when there are many indicators that neo-liberalism is unleashing a kind of global apartheid. On this judgement, they draw parallels with the apartheid era in South Africa, and envisage a similar struggle for change. The contributors are five scholars including the Russian, Vladimir Shubin, and the book's editor Eddie Maloka.
So Social is a collection of Chicago Tribune articles written by social media experts Amy Guth and Scott Kleinberg. It explores the benefits and dangers of social media from both professional and personal standpoints. For anyone interested in growing their social media following, understanding web marketing, or keeping accounts secure, So Social is a must read. In So Social, Guth and Kleinberg give insider tips on how to use social media safely and easily for business and at home. Entrepreneurs and media mavens alike will appreciate their useful insights on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Vine, LinkedIn, Google+, Pinterest, and more. Each platform has a dedicated chapter, which is beneficial to both social novices and media experts. The Internet is awash with advice and lists of varying quality on improving social media habits. So Social has set itself apart by being a carefully curated collection from two tech gurus with experience across media platforms, from traditional "old-world" publishing to disruptive new media technologies. A quick yet highly informative read, So Social will be a crucial tool for any reader looking to improve their social media approach.
A colossal, panoramic, much-needed appraisal of the visual cultures of Afro-Atlantic territories across six centuries Afro-Atlantic Histories brings together a selection of more than 400 works and documents by more than 200 artists from the 16th to the 21st centuries that express and analyze the ebbs and flows between Africa, the Americas, the Caribbean and Europe. The book is motivated by the desire and need to draw parallels, frictions and dialogues around the visual cultures of Afro-Atlantic territories--their experiences, creations, worshiping and philosophy. The so-called Black Atlantic, to use the term coined by Paul Gilroy, is geography lacking precise borders, a fluid field where African experiences invade and occupy other nations, territories and cultures. The plural and polyphonic quality of "histórias" is also of note; unlike the English "histories," the word in Portuguese carries a double meaning that encompasses both fiction and nonfiction, personal, political, economic and cultural, as well as mythological narratives. The book features more than 400 works from Africa, the Americas and the Caribbean, as well as Europe, from the 16th to the 21st century. These are organized in eight thematic groupings: Maps and Margins; Emancipations; Everyday Lives; Rites and Rhythms; Routes and Trances; Portraits; Afro Atlantic Modernisms; Resistances and Activism. Artists include: Nina Chanel Abney, Emma Amos, Benny Andrews, Emanoel Araujo, Maria Auxiliadora, Romare Bearden, John Biggers, Paul Cézanne, Victoria Santa Cruz, Beauford Delaney, Aaron Douglas, Melvin Edwards, Ibrahim El-Salahi, Ben Enwonwu, Ellen Gallagher, Theodore Géricault, Barkley Hendricks, William Henry Jones, Loïs Mailou Jones, Titus Kaphar, Wifredo Lam, Norman Lewis, Ibrahim Mahama, Edna Manley, Archibald Motley, Abdias Nascimento, Gilberto de la Nuez, Toyin Ojih Odutola, Dalton Paula, Rosana Paulino, Howardena Pindell, Heitor dos Prazeres, Joshua Reynolds, Faith Ringgold, Gerard Sekoto, Alma Thomas, Hank Willis Thomas, Rubem Valentim, Kara Walker and Lynette Yiadom-Boakye.
This remarkable volume introduces what is probably the most coherent segment of twentieth-century American literature not written in English. Includes a bilingual facing-page format, notes and biographies of poets, and selections from Yiddish theory and criticism.
