Finally someone who spoke out about it!

http://www.dn.se/kultur-noje/debatt-essa/dags-att-prata-om-det-1.1229359

Assange/Wikileaks/Rape

So can you be convicted, in the USA or in Europe, for spreading top secret information around the world-at the moment -no. Surely if there is no law against it when the crime is commited then you can't simply all of a sudden make up a law and afterwards convict people of it? That's simply not how it works. Assange has at the moment not commited a crime regarding spreading classified information over the site Wikileaks. However the soldier who most probably sold this information for a large sum to Assange is guilty of spreading classified information. Which is why he is now also in prison.

However Assange is being accused for sexual harassment in Sweden which is a different case altogether.

This accusal that Sweden is part some kind of conspirator with the US against Assange. Sweden has the strongest and oldest freedom of speech in the world as well as the most open of societies. The idea that Assange would come here and then be sent to the US is ridiculous or even the fact that Sweden would have agreed to something like this before hand makes me so angry! Assange was wanted in Sweden already in August regarding these sexual harassments and rape cases before any of this broke out.

Why is it that once again a man is being protected and defended by society for committing one of mankind’s worst crimes and the most terrifying crimes that can be committed against a woman. Why are always the women to blame?! Sweden also has the most reported cases of rape within the EU. Why?! Because the term rape includes so many more examples than simply brutal force. Yes by refusing to use a condom even though asked to is considered sexual molestation and in Sweden that is a crime! Which is not the law in the UK.

Where is the support of our female politicians?

Where are the women’s rights activists?

I have not heard anything.

This angle is not even discussed in the Swedish press-because it’s so simple, so straight forward. When you go to another country you follow the laws of that country and you get convicted accordingly. Proof is not needed to be extradited to the country where you are being accused of something-that’s the same all over the world. By refusing to come to Sweden Assange is admitting to these crimes. If he is innocent than come and prove it himself. He has been accused of committing a crime and if it is not true than he has every right to come here without the fear of being sent to the US. But surely if the US asked for him to be sent there than the British government would be forced to act the same way no?

Nobel Prize in Literature 2010

I am far off from having read all of the books which have probably been nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature, but i'm trying.

Some authors which I have read, and some which i have heard good things of and would like to read, and would like to see win:

Alice Munro

Ian McEwan

Chinua Achebe

Amos Oz

Haruki Murakami

Salman Rushdie

Tomas Tranströmer

Margaret Atwood

There are so many authors which deserve this prize, but when you look over past winners and think of all those who haven't won-one really does wonder how the Swedish Academy have decided on their nominations and winners. James Joyce, James Baldwin, Janet Frame, D.H. Lawrence, Virginia Woolf, Katherine Mansfield and E.M. Forster....just to mention some of my favourites which have never won.

Although i admit they are all English language writers-my speciality. There are loads more, but all i can think of just now.

The debates circling the Nobel Literature Prize nominations do make fascinating discussions. And it opens our minds to new authors and new writing habits and cultures there within. Most of the time they tend to be authors which i have only vaguely heard of-and very rarely actually read- Doris Lessing being an exception as i was actually reading her 'Golden Notebook' when she was nominated-ha, what a coincidence!

As always i'm looking forward to the winner being announced on thursday at 1pm-swedish time.

'The Cleft'-Doris Lessing

A mystical intelligent fable.

A time of life which i love to read about-however would have liked more of the way of life-but that wasn't the story.

I appreciated the fact that the historian was a man-or a monster even. I like the fact that it went in between the two historical stories.

Sometimes i wonder if Doris Lessing simply writes as thoughts come to her mind and then never goes back and edits it. I found that throughout this story she was constantly repeating herself-which i found slightly annoying. I don't think that that was an accurate voice of the historian-as he as an academic and probably a very proud one and wouldn't allow that simple kind of repetition. I found that Lessing's own voice came through quite clearly in these situations.

I understand that the whole point of the story was to describe the difference in male and females and why we have become the way we have because of things way back then-and fare enough. But why did both genders have to be so annoying? I would have liked more descriptions of the ones that broke away from the similarities-it is a fable after all not historical-so i would have liked it to be more fictitious.

The bit with the boys running away and starting up their own group i found questioning and disconcerting-was it supposed to make us think of rebellious teenagers and gangs? And in that case where were the girls? Or was there supposed to be a certain boyishness over it? For me it simply reminded me of William Golding's 'Lord of the Flies'-creepy.

I would have like a girl who said no to sex so that she could take part in the men's activities more and not be tied down to a child-that would have made me like the book more.

I like identifying myself with the books i read. The females nagging and laziness i did not. Not being of the mothering kind-i didn't get the obsession with the children. Possibly this can be expanded on. I preferred the men-maybe there is a meaning to that as well-however ignorant, selfish and stupid they came across to be. As true to real life. All this fable showed me is how women have developed while men have remained the same. Or maybe we're all still the same...still living in the stone age.

This Is All-Aidan Chambers

The best coming of age book i've read for a very long time. Second best to Libby Hawthorn's 'Thunderwith'. (i love)

It has it all-love, innocence, hate, fear, annoying and loving parents, teachers, writing, books, and sex-and lots of it! At times a bit too much sex-and coming from me that's saying something. At times it did make you slightly uncomfortable knowing that the narrator was a teenage girl and the author was a middle aged man. What is he doing getting into the head of a teenage girl? Writing so much about sex, masturbating, periods, rape and everything else which women think about but have no idea that men know about-well the shouldn't should they? One only hopes that only girls read this book other wise some of our secrets will have come out.

She's a very special girl this Cordelia Kenn and you get a strong feeling of knowing her well as the book and her life goes on. Time passes without one noticing it. Interesting enough even her voice develops through time and you can hear that she is growing up.

Does she have an exceptionally eventful life or is it the way it's told. We learn so much about her personal life that it feels like it is oneself which is experiencing what she is experiencing. Lives are brought together because of her.

I always know when i've read a book i like when i want to suggest it to everyone around me to read-but only one person i know would get this book.

Although i think all teenage girls would like it-at least the ones which enjoy reading and writing since they will then at least be able to identify with Cordelia.

It does get slightly confusing to read-but in a good way. It keeps you going. And it keeps you interested in the continuation of the book-how do you read it?

I love the spiritual level of her thinking-and i like the fact that Chambers has so clearly kept her voice throughout the book. Her thoughts develop clearly as they would do with a thoughtful inquisitive teenage girl-and he doesn't, i think, go too far. Her thoughts and questions are still immature and naive but intelligent.

The last chapter however, although it's well written and i cried floods through the whole thing, i didn't like as much as the rest of the book. This time written from a boy's perspective i got the feeling that his writing voice wasn't as strong and as thought through as Cordelia's and it wasn't as i had imagined it. I actually felt that he sounded a lot older than he was. I suspect that this might be because it was Aidan Chambers voice which was coming through instead of the 20 something boy's voice. A shame.

Overall i think Chambers has probably spent an eternity on creating this novel and the voice of Cordelia Kenn and the result is astounding and inspirational.

The Lacuna-Barbara Kingsolver

Why is it that you can count the pages to where the turning point in a book will be? As a writer that has studied 'writing' we were told that you have to have a clear turning point and that this should take place around the middle of the book. The last few books i have read the turning point has taken place pretty much on the page in the middle of the book. Doesn't that seem simply forced? Is that the author or the editor/ publishers, one might wonder.

The Lacuna was no exception. And being a reader that usually gives a book to about half way through to decide if i should continue reading it or not-i tend to therefore to continue reading most books which i didn't necessarily like from the beginning.

However i did like the Lacuna from the beginning although i did not like the constant metaphors which she seemed forced to use. Another thing mentioned to us in the several writing courses i've been on. 'Make sure you use lots of metaphors.' Did she choose these metaphors? Sometimes there were two metaphors in one sentence. They were good metaphors most of the time. But since there were so many it felt forced-and became unnecessary. The good ones did not stand out any more-they simply blended into the rest. A shame i think. Towards the second half of the book the metaphors seemed to be less or at least to have stood out less.

I loved how she was able to portray both the Mexican culture and style of life as well as the American in the 50s. I personally don't know much about the Mexican Revolution and feel i would have enjoyed the book more if i knew more-but i can always read it again when i have brushed up on my Mexican Revolution. However the Cold War and Mc Carthy era as well as the Russain Revoluton i feel a bit more confident in and could therefore understand these history sections in the book a bit more. Also being a big fan of Frida Kahlo i enjoyed hearing her voice come through quite clearly in the novel. Obviously it could be discussed regarding the accuracy of the history and of what actually happened.

But it does inspire me to write a half fiction- half history book myself.

When books are written by a member of the opposite sex to the main protagonist questions are always asked to whether the author can pull it off or not. What is interesting with the Lacuna is that although the main character is a man and everything which happens is told from his point of view all the people he speaks about and who are most close to him are women-we actually find out little about himself.

I understand the concept of identity and the difficulty of trying to find out where you belong which is an important theme in the book, but i would almost have wanted some more of it. It seemed mostly to be a sort of innocence, comedy and naivety portrayed through the main character regarding his not knowing where he belongs and not necessarily a struggle.

One does feel a certain motherly pull towards him as do the female characters as they all seem to be looking after him and wanting to help him. Is this the right idea? And in that case why? Are we supposed to feel sorry for him? Obviously towards the end we do.

The connection with today's celebrities is also very good-and putting it in a past time-where there was no internet and therefore a lot easier to stay incognito.

Overall, although i liked the bits to do with Frida Kahlo and could have done with a whole book just about their relationship, i think the second section of the book is better. I believe possibly because you don't actually know what is going to happen while in the first part you know that Lev Trotsky will get murdered. And you're simply waiting for it to happen.

I want to read it again-but need to learn more about the Mexican Revolution.

I do love the way the book was set up. A lot of detail-and sticking to the voice of the narrator and keeping it very clear. The history wasn't forced but came quite lightly. She didn't treat the reader like an idiot if you don't know something-look it up! She didn't explain every little metaphor, every innuendo every double meaning and every historical event. I like that-and i'm the first to admit i probably missed a lot of the meaning in the book which is why i want to read it again.

Oscar K- Danish children's book author

T'S NOT THE FACT THAT IT IS SAID
Yes, it is. Because it’s said. Journalists wallow incoherently through terror, war and destruction, sex scandals, raw violence and bestial murder. There is not much gentle grace there – at most, quickly pronounced judgments and titillating warnings about clips with bloody scenes.

But a book can be something else. A nuanced, artistic presentation of characters and worlds – without condemnation – can provide a completely different and complex experience from that of the disjointed assaults of the news. It is not about what you say but how and why you say it. It is not about provoking or offending someone but telling a story that means something. Books should not necessarily be understood but elicit a desire to understand.

http://www.oscar-k.dk/textdetail.php?id=6

The Struggle

isn't it the struggle that makes it just that more appealing?

if you get something too easily, like winning the lottery, do you really enjoy it rather than having earned it by yourself?

I don't want to win the lottery, but i would like a job, or to be published, or just doing something which I enjoy- it's not about the money it's about living, it's about feeling like you're alive, like you make an impact on the world, on the people around you and the new ones you meet.

I have the education I have the experience i have the interests, but maybe I simply don't have the -umpf! I've lost the umpf! on the way. I have a feeling it might not come back.

What would get it back? Encouragement? A break? Someone to point me in the right direction-someone to tell me that all of my hard work and anxiety will eventually pay off. Or are my ambitions too high? Am i trying to reach the top before even reaching the bottom? Maybe I've already decided what to do, but the is still so much more that I want to do that I can't seem to settle.

Or should i run away? Go sit on an island far far away, stop reading the news, stop contacting friends, skip weddings, birthdays, holidays and simply live in my cocoon. I can do it. But would it solve anything? Would it make me feel better? Would it make the people around me feel better? Should I forget about my dreams, my ambitions, what i've been striving for for years and simply be? Should I simply push all my negative thoughts and my struggles into a closet and think if they're meant to happen they will happen. Or should I continue on and just hope that my day will eventually come if I work hard enough. Not by winning the lottery or by a contact offering me a job but because it is something which i really want to do and because it is something in which I have fought for.

World Water Day 22 March 2010

The World Water Day 2010 and its campaign is envisaged to:

• Raise awareness about sustaining healthy ecosystems and human well-being through addressing the increasing water quality challenges in water management and
  
  
• Raise the profile of water quality by encouraging governments, organizations, communities, and individuals around the world to actively engage in proactively addressing water quality e.g. in pollution prevention, clean up and restoration.

There is 1 385 984 100 km3 of water on the planet. Out of this less then 1% is available fresh water.

Why is this not more discussed?

http://www.unwater.org/worldwaterday/flashindex.html

one of my favourite authors... Kendare Blake

very funny and incredibly bright!

enjoy the read

hope it never ends...

check it out: www.kendareblake.com

JD Salinger

Been struggling to decide on which book to read next when I read about JD Salinger's passing in the paper and therefore decided to read 'Franny and Zooey'. I don't know anything about the book. I was given it by a friend, who had recommended it. I'm looking forward in starting it.
Tonight I am defiantly going to bed earlier so that I will! We'll see how those plans go.

Also read in the paper (Dagens Nyheter) that there are rumours going around about JD Salinger having had a whole collection of unpublished novels at home to be published after his death. Lets hope those rumours are true.
I can absolutely understand that authors and writers in general are too influenced and affected by the views of their audience, readers, publishers and critics. Which has an impact on their writing. One becomes paranoid and self critical only thinking about what people might say about ones work and not concentrating about the message you want to send out and the reason you set out to write in the first place.
Is being a writer overrated? Can anyone be a writer? Does writing a fashion blog make you a writer? Does being a paid writer make you an official writer? Or is it when you personally achieve your writing aim? When you yourself are satisfied with what you have written?
They say writers are never happy with what they write, because once they are they stop writing. You've achieved your goal.

So far I've never been entirely happy with anything I've ever written, and I hope I never will be.

Snow in winter? No, really?

There have been no real problems here in Sweden, but it's ridiculous when you compare it to Britain and especially Scotland. I mean it is on the same latitude as Stockholm, so it shouldn't be that different.
Differences: Swedes don't put water into their screen wash-yes if the temperature goes under 0 degrees Celsius it will freeze. They put 100% anti-freeze in it instead-quite basic stuff. And they have studs on their tires so that when it gets icy on the roads the cars don't skid everywhere! There are ploughed side-walks and there are laws that say that people are in charge of their own driveways as well as the side-walks outside of their homes, which is important in case you need to turn your car around. It is well stocked up on salt and grit so the roads are always well ploughed, salted and gritted. The schools don't close if it snows, the transport system still runs and although there might be delays people aren't advised to stay indoors.
People wear the right shoes and coats for this kind of weather and less people leave their homes in just t-shirts. But nobody is perfect and Sweden also has oldies falling and breaking hips and homeless needing extra help during the cold snaps, but that's the same as every year.Why is Britain so far behind? Can it really simply be because everyone wants a snow day?

the struggle vs. the dream

On to a new book now: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.
I had heard about the author for a long time, and I had one of his books, but I hadn't read anything by him. A friend got really into him and has recently been reading a lot of his books so when I was trawling a second hand book store in Inverness over the holidays to replace Desai's book, I came over this book. I read the back of the book and I was sold, and so was the book...It captured my feelings exactly at the time and is still making me think.

The story line is quite basic and in some ways simple, but i think that is what makes it special. It's not trying to be something it's not, like for example Desai's book which feels like it's trying too hard.
Desai has been taught from an early age what sells and how she should write, being influenced by her mother, that she's lost the feeling for it. It has no personality of its own.

In Coelho's book it's the simplicity that captures you, the plain language, the basic storyline. The survival of the believer, of the fighter, the lover and the dreamer. You can achieve anything as long as you believe it yourself, but that doesn't mean you won't have to fight for it. Nothing arrives on a silver plate and even if you face drawbacks you can't let them win.
It's an easy story to read if these thoughts and beliefs are already in you when you set out to read the book, but it's interesting to see how others believe the same thing you aspire towards.

There is one thing I don't like though and that is the magical angle. If you believe in the struggle and you believe in omens and working hard to get where you are today then the magical part ruins it. I don't believe that there is a selected few that are lucky and will get it right while others struggle. I believe everyone has the same chance without luck. I don't believe in luck. I believe that you have to work hard at things and you yourself will get to where you are today with that belief not because you've been the chosen one, but because you achieved your destiny by not giving up. And I hope that this book will lead to this aspect.
I don't want magic in my life. It will make me think that when something bad happens it's because some higher power is working against me. If I miss the bus in the morning it's not because I'm unlucky, or that someone wants me to be late, it's because I couldn't be bothered to leave the house on time.
Saying that though I do believe in omens and signs. But I also believe you can influence the signs and turn them into what you want t believe. I think these signs come from a higher force than religion or magic. I believe they come from the soil, the earth our atmosphere and our surroundings. I believe our human and natural instincts are stronger than any force of magic or religion and that these are the signs which will guide us to our destiny.

literature prize?

I finished Kiran Desai's book The Inheritance over the Christmas period and no, it didn't do it for me. I don't know, like her mother (Anita Desai) I just don't feel the connection. Maybe I've simply been too distracted to be able to concentrate on it.
Which makes me think.
Why are the books which are often nominated for literature prizes often quite difficult? It's almost as if they are meant for people who don't have anything on their minds but reading. I admit I get very easily distracted and if a book doesn't capture me, my mind will wander.
Are their prizes out there for good books which are still written well and don't take up all of your time just to try to understand what that first sentence on the first page actually means and not just the basic meaning? Or do they all have to follow certain rules?
Of course there are always exceptions, The White Tiger for example by Aravind Adiga was one of those books, exciting, well written, funny and a good story line which made you think.

Who has time to sit and read a book with loads of underlying meanings, heavy language, and confusing and depressing plots. Who, outside of the literature scene, had even heard of Herta Muller before she won the Nobel Literature prize? Fair enough if it's your job then it's understandable, but what about the rest of us who are trying to catch up.
We have a long way to go. There are a lot of books which need to be read as well as understood. Sure I can read them, but I have no idea what they're about...

These literature prizes influence us way too much.