Category Archives: Literature

Writing for no good reason

Original German text of Darkness at Noon found

Arthur Koestler’s novel Darkness at Noon, inspired by the Moscow show-trials of 1936-38, is one of the most important novels of the twentieth-century. Koestler originally wrote Darkness in German while he was living in Paris, supposedly between 1938 and 1939. … Continue reading

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Alice Munro wins Nobel Prize for Literature

Here is the story on BBC. This was a surprising award; with the possible exception of Isaac Bashevis Singer, this is the first time someone who writes primarily short stories has won the Nobel Prize for literature. Even Singer is … Continue reading

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Ironic twist

Literary irony in a Chinese context Continue reading

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Han Suyin (1916?-2012)

One notice that I missed earlier this year was the death of Han Suyin (Han Suyin Dies; Wrote Sweeping Fiction. The New York Times 5 Nov. 2012). The Times writer notes some of the criticism directed at Han, but closes … Continue reading

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