Bulletin Board
Most Americans have never heard of the winner of the 2008 Nobel Prize for Literature but The Literary Saloon rounds up quotes from some of his reviews and plenty of reaction. Interestingly, two of his books have been published in English by the University of Nebraska Press.
Evidently trying to be a bit more warm and fuzzy — at least for US citizens — the Customs and Border Protection agency has released a “traveler-centric” desktop widget. The widget provides a trip countdown timer and weather at the traveler’s destination and reminds them to obtain appropriate travel documents.
The 20 finalists for the 2008 National Book Awards will be announced October 15. Winners in the four categories — fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and young people’s literature — will be announced November 19.
Bookish Linkage
Six SF classics to help you pick the next president.
Sam Houston catches a book review thief, who changes his review when called out.
A famous SF author talks of his two diseases — Alzheimer’s and knowing he has Alzheimer’s. (HT)
Booktrust, a British charity devoted to encouraging reading, has launched a translated fiction website, that includes a blog by a prizewinning translator on process involved in his work on the book he is currently translating. Now if either would add an RSS feed….
Words Without Borders has its October newsletter up, focusing on “Turkish Delights.”
Non-bookish Linkage
Have a look at the women behind some of the great cartoon voices.
Exciting and more local “space porn.”
Another week, more stunning and relevant pics on The Big Picture.
The List Universe creates its list of the Top 10 Most Controversial Websites. I’m only familiar with one, rotten.com, and, frankly, while it is undoubtedly graphic and at times disgusting, I don’t know that I’d consider it among the “most controversial” sites.
Writing, writers, do not come out of houses without books.
Doris Lessing, 2007 Nobel Prize lecture>
The fact that a French-man won the Nobel Prize for Literature will certainly annoy the anglophiles. After all, everyone now accepts that English is the international language.
I apologise for the satire, but speak as a native English speaker. Then, if English is unacceptable, on grounds of linguistic imperialism, what about Esperanto?
Yes Esperanto was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for Literature, in the name of Icelandic poet Baldur Ragnarrson.
This is true. Esperanto does have its own original literature. Please check https://www.esperanto.net to confirm.