special thanks to Bryte Jewell ;)
Book Discussion27 April 2009 6:00 PM SL
The Gazebo at Mystery Manor
This month's discussion of international crime fiction goes to Cubawith a discussion of Havana Black by Leonardo Padura (full nameLeonardo Padura Fuentes), one of Cuba's best known writers. He is bestknown in the English-speaking world for his quartet of detectivenovels featuring lieutenant Mario Conde, Las cuatro estaciones (Thefour seasons). Mario Conde is a cop who would rather be a writer, andadmits to feelings of “solidarity with writers, crazy people, anddrunkards." The novels are:
* Pasado perfecto ("Havana Blue", 2007), 1991 * Vientos de cuaresma ("Havana Yellow", 2008)), 1994 * Mascaras ("Havana Red", 2005), 1997 * Paisaje de otoño ("Havana Black", 2006), 1998.(source: Wikipedia)
Havana Red is often thought of as the first book in the quartet sinceit was the first translated. Havana Black was the second booktranslated but the last in the quartet.
Reviewers of the Mario Conde novels describe them as literary fictionrather than action oriented hard-boiled detective stories.
Havana Black is set 30 years after the revolution and detective Condewould like to retire. Conde is persuaded to investigate when a formerminister, responsible for confiscating pre-revolutionary art-works, isfound dead, washed ashore, bludgeoned to death, and mutilated. Theminister, Miguel Forcade, had been living in Miami and a majorquestion is what brought him back to Cuba.
The Independent described Havana Black:The unraveling of this story, which reaches far back into Cubanhistory, is overlaid with a rich smoky patina, an atmosphere thatreeks of slums and riches, cigar-smoke and exotic perfumes. Fuellingit all, one senses Padura's rage at a succession of betrayals: by thecapitalist exploiters who jumped ship when the Communists came; by thecorrupt comrades, among whom survived the luxury and corruption of thebourgeoisie; by the naked greed of the exiles in Miami.
Padura is one of a lost Cuban generation: brought up with the optimismof the revolution, imbued with egalitarian ideas, yet enraged by thewretched poverty of fellow islanders to whose misery the revolutionhas made little difference. This is a strong-tasting book, a richfeast of wit and feeling.
Links to reviews and articles about Leonardo Padura and Havana Black
This month's discussion of international crime fiction goes to Cubawith a discussion of Havana Black by Leonardo Padura (full nameLeonardo Padura Fuentes), one of Cuba's best known writers. He is bestknown in the English-speaking world for his quartet of detectivenovels featuring lieutenant Mario Conde, Las cuatro estaciones (Thefour seasons). Mario Conde is a cop who would rather be a writer, andadmits to feelings of “solidarity with writers, crazy people, anddrunkards." The novels are:
* Pasado perfecto ("Havana Blue", 2007), 1991 * Vientos de cuaresma ("Havana Yellow", 2008)), 1994 * Mascaras ("Havana Red", 2005), 1997 * Paisaje de otoño ("Havana Black", 2006), 1998.(source: Wikipedia)
Havana Red is often thought of as the first book in the quartet sinceit was the first translated. Havana Black was the second booktranslated but the last in the quartet.
Reviewers of the Mario Conde novels describe them as literary fictionrather than action oriented hard-boiled detective stories.
Havana Black is set 30 years after the revolution and detective Condewould like to retire. Conde is persuaded to investigate when a formerminister, responsible for confiscating pre-revolutionary art-works, isfound dead, washed ashore, bludgeoned to death, and mutilated. Theminister, Miguel Forcade, had been living in Miami and a majorquestion is what brought him back to Cuba.
The Independent described Havana Black:The unraveling of this story, which reaches far back into Cubanhistory, is overlaid with a rich smoky patina, an atmosphere thatreeks of slums and riches, cigar-smoke and exotic perfumes. Fuellingit all, one senses Padura's rage at a succession of betrayals: by thecapitalist exploiters who jumped ship when the Communists came; by thecorrupt comrades, among whom survived the luxury and corruption of thebourgeoisie; by the naked greed of the exiles in Miami.
Padura is one of a lost Cuban generation: brought up with the optimismof the revolution, imbued with egalitarian ideas, yet enraged by thewretched poverty of fellow islanders to whose misery the revolutionhas made little difference. This is a strong-tasting book, a richfeast of wit and feeling.
Links to reviews and articles about Leonardo Padura and Havana Black
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/havana-...http://www.shotsmag.co.uk/features2005/padura/padura.htmlhttp://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/leonar...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2006/sep/12/cuba.crimebookshttp://www.amazon.com/Havana-Black-Lieutenant-Mario-Mystery/dp/190473...
May 1 - Mystery Manor Grand reopening and Gothic Costume Ball 7:00 SLT. We a giving Mystery Manor a face lift and launching our new exhibit "200 Years of Mystery: Edgar Allan Poe" We will also begin our Poe Scavenger Hunt, which will go through May 15.
Wednesdays in May at 6:00 SLT "Poe's Works of Mystery" - Each week a different Poe story Mystery read in voice with discussion to follow. See the events calendar at Mystery Manor for the list of titles. You are invited to attend the May 2009 Mellon Seminar in Digital Humanities: http://tinyurl.com/472nahThese Seminars are hosted by Todd Presner (Germanic Languages and Comparative Literature, UCLA) and Jeffrey Schnapp (Stanford University, Stanford Humanities Laboratory, and Mellon Visiting Professor of Digital Humanities, UCLA). Topic: Animating the Archive and Digital World Presenters: Lynn Hershman, Henrik Bennetsen and Jeffrey SchnappDate: Monday, May 4, 2009Time: 2 pm – 5 pm SLT/PDTLocation: Real Life (RL): UCLA Visualization Portal (5628 Math and Sciences Bldg.) Second Life (SL): Entropia, the Digital Library Federation’s SL island—rsvp neededSecond Life basic accounts are free: http://secondlife.comNOTE to SL attendees: Please rsvp to Esther Grassian estherg@library.ucla.edu to reserve a space and receive the SLURL (SL url), as well as instructions for viewing the live video feed and adjusting the audio in SL.The May 4th presentation will be devoted to the medium of virtual worlds, with particular emphasis placed upon mixed reality approaches to scholarship, collaboration, creation, cultural programming, and archiving. The presentation will be divided into two parts, the first devoted to the Lynn Hershman / Stanford Humanities Lab Life Squared project; the second devoted to a broader conversation concerning virtual worlds, with special emphasis on Sirikata, a new open source virtual world platform being developed at Stanford the inaugural application of which is SHL's Speed Limits project. For more information, and for seminar readings, please visit http://tinyurl.com/d9zjdb
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Alexandrian Free Library: Caledon, Winterfell, Steelhead, New Toulouse, New Babbage, Amatsu Shima, West of Ireland, Steeltopia, Deadwood, Al Andalus and Constantinople Library Events for April 29 - May 5 2009Continuing Exhibits:19th Century Literary Influences on Steampunk, an exhibit at the Steelhead Public LibraryMarch 15 - June 13, 2009Steelhead Public Library http://slurl.com/secondlife/Steelhead/123/184/25
May 1 - Mystery Manor Grand reopening and Gothic Costume Ball 7:00 SLT. We a giving Mystery Manor a face lift and launching our new exhibit "200 Years of Mystery: Edgar Allan Poe" We will also begin our Poe Scavenger Hunt, which will go through May 15.
Wednesdays in May at 6:00 SLT "Poe's Works of Mystery" - Each week a different Poe story Mystery read in voice with discussion to follow. See the events calendar at Mystery Manor for the list of titles. You are invited to attend the May 2009 Mellon Seminar in Digital Humanities: http://tinyurl.com/472nahThese Seminars are hosted by Todd Presner (Germanic Languages and Comparative Literature, UCLA) and Jeffrey Schnapp (Stanford University, Stanford Humanities Laboratory, and Mellon Visiting Professor of Digital Humanities, UCLA). Topic: Animating the Archive and Digital World Presenters: Lynn Hershman, Henrik Bennetsen and Jeffrey SchnappDate: Monday, May 4, 2009Time: 2 pm – 5 pm SLT/PDTLocation: Real Life (RL): UCLA Visualization Portal (5628 Math and Sciences Bldg.) Second Life (SL): Entropia, the Digital Library Federation’s SL island—rsvp neededSecond Life basic accounts are free: http://secondlife.comNOTE to SL attendees: Please rsvp to Esther Grassian estherg@library.ucla.edu to reserve a space and receive the SLURL (SL url), as well as instructions for viewing the live video feed and adjusting the audio in SL.The May 4th presentation will be devoted to the medium of virtual worlds, with particular emphasis placed upon mixed reality approaches to scholarship, collaboration, creation, cultural programming, and archiving. The presentation will be divided into two parts, the first devoted to the Lynn Hershman / Stanford Humanities Lab Life Squared project; the second devoted to a broader conversation concerning virtual worlds, with special emphasis on Sirikata, a new open source virtual world platform being developed at Stanford the inaugural application of which is SHL's Speed Limits project. For more information, and for seminar readings, please visit http://tinyurl.com/d9zjdb
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Alexandrian Free Library: Caledon, Winterfell, Steelhead, New Toulouse, New Babbage, Amatsu Shima, West of Ireland, Steeltopia, Deadwood, Al Andalus and Constantinople Library Events for April 29 - May 5 2009Continuing Exhibits:19th Century Literary Influences on Steampunk, an exhibit at the Steelhead Public LibraryMarch 15 - June 13, 2009Steelhead Public Library http://slurl.com/secondlife/Steelhead/123/184/25
New Exhibits:Caledon Library 19th Century Spiritualism Exhibit, curated by Mica BraunMay 1st to July 17th, 2009The Jack and Elaine Whitehorn Memorial Library, Caledon Victoria Cityhttp://slurl.com/secondlife/Caledon%20Victoria%20City/59/196/23
Join us, whether from the earthly realm or The Beyond, to explore the subject of Spiritualism…Spiritualism is looked on variously as a science, a philosophy and a religion: a science that attempts to investigate, analyze and classify facts and manifestations of spirits; a philosophy that studies what it defines as Laws of Nature, both of the seen and the unseen sides of life and bases its conclusions upon observation; and a religion for its striving to understand and comply with physical, mental and spiritual laws that govern the human condition. Covering such topics as mediumship, spirit photography and séances, this exhibit considers Spiritualism as a complex subject, from its distinctly Victorian flourishing in the lives of such eminent 19th c figures as Arthur Conan Doyle and WB Yeats, to its continuing popularity today.This exhibit is offered to the spiritually minded citizens of Caledon by Miss Mica Braun of the Caledon Library, for their enjoyment and edification.Events of the week:WOI -The Awful Truth Behind Mother Goose with Gracee AndelWednesday 29 April, 20097pm - 8pmWest of Ireland Library & Cultural Center, West of Irelandhttp://slurl.com/secondlife/West%20of%20Ireland/44/157/29
Learn more about the politics and people behind those innocentchildren's rhymes.-----------------------------------------WOI –
Ghosts and Haunts with Shandon LoringThursday 30 April, 20097pm - 8pmWest of Ireland Library & Cultural Center, West of Ireland http://slurl.com/secondlife/West%20of%20Ireland/44/157/29
Great ghouly, ghosty, hauntingly chilling tales.-----------------------------------------Winterfell Library Book Discussion: A Storm of SwrodsSaturday 2 May, 20091pm - 3pmWinterfell Palace Library, Winterdell Taur en Lore http://slurl.com/secondlife/winterfell/130/190/25
WINTER IS COMING
Join us to talk about the third book in the critically acclaimed series "A Song of Fire and Ice"; A Storm of Swords.A Storm of Swords won the 2001 Locus Award and 2002 Geffen Award for Best Novel and was nominated for the 2002 Nebula Award for Best Novel. Significantly, it was the first novel in the series to be nominated for the Hugo Award, one of the two most prestigious awards in science fiction and fantasy publishing. A Storm of Swords picks up the story slightly before A Clash of Kings ended. The Seven Kingdoms are still in the grip of the War of the Five Kings, with Robb Stark, Balon Greyjoy, Joffrey Baratheon, Stannis Baratheon and Renly Baratheon fighting to secure their crowns. Stannis Baratheon's attempt to take King's Landing has been defeated by the new alliance between House Lannister (backing Joffrey) and House Tyrell, and House Martell has also pledged its support to the Lannisters though the forces of Dorne have yet to take the field. Meanwhile, a large host of wildlings is marching on the Wall under Mance Rayder, with only the tiny force of the Night's Watch in its path; and in the distant east, Daenerys Targaryen is on her way back to Pentos in the hope of raising forces to retake the Iron Throne.-----------------------------------------“Speak to Us!: Victorian Spiritualism" An Exhibit at the Whitehorn Library, Caledon Victoria City Curated by Mica Braun Exhibit Opening and Conversation with the Curator Saturday May 2nd 2-4 PM SLT Jack & Elaine Whitehorn Memorial Library, Caledon Victoria City http://slurl.com/secondlife/Caledon%20Victoria%20City/52/203/23
Join us, whether from the earthly realm or The Beyond, to explore the subject of Spiritualism… Spiritualism is looked on variously as a science, a philosophy and a religion: a science that attempts to investigate, analyze and classify facts and manifestations of spirits; a philosophy that studies what it defines as Laws of Nature, both of the seen and the unseen sides of life and bases its conclusions upon observation; and a religion for its striving to understand and comply with physical, mental and spiritual laws that govern the human condition. Covering such topics as mediumship, spirit photography and séances, this exhibit considers Spiritualism as a complex subject, from its distinctly Victorian flourishing in the lives of such eminent 19thc figures as Arthur Conan Doyle and WB Yeats, to its continuing popularity today. This exhibit is offered to the spiritually minded citizens of Caledon by Miss Mica Braun of the Caledon Library, for their enjoyment and edification.---------------------------------------
Caledon Library Book of the Month Discussion - first book of Little DorritSunday 3 May, 20091pm - 2:20pmCaledon Library at Caledon Oxbridge
Caledon Library Book of the Month Discussion - first book of Little DorritSunday 3 May, 20091pm - 2:20pmCaledon Library at Caledon Oxbridge
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Caledon%20Oxbridge/196/96/23http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/schedule/ March 29-April 26, 2009Little Dorrit Five episodes (episode one 120 minutes, all others 90 minutes) One of Dickens' greatest love stories, Little Dorrit has the timely theme of chronic debt and financial collapse. Matthew Macfadyen (Pride and Prejudice) stars as hero Arthur Clennam, with Claire Foy as Amy "Little" Dorrit and Tom Courtenay as her father.http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/d/dickens/charles/d54ld/index.html-----------------------------------------WOI – Charlotte’s Web with Caledonia SkytowerMonday 4 May, 20097pm - 8pmWest of Ireland Library & Cultural Center, West of Irelandhttp://slurl.com/secondlife/West%20of%20Ireland/44/157/29
The miracle in Charlotte’s Web is revealed, but will that be enough to save Wilbur? Off they go to the Fair with “Zuckerman’s Famous Pig” in this next installment of the E.B. White classic.-----------------------------------------
By Whitman, Bi-Weekly!Tuesday 5 May, 20094pm - 5pmCaledon Library, Caledon Victoria Cityhttp://slurl.com/secondlife/Caledon%20Victoria%20City/160/117/23
By Whitman, Bi-Weekly!Tuesday 5 May, 20094pm - 5pmCaledon Library, Caledon Victoria Cityhttp://slurl.com/secondlife/Caledon%20Victoria%20City/160/117/23
Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass is one of the works at the foundations of American poetry. Its expansive attempt to capture the spirit and landscape of the 19th century United States has influenced a culture, and its rich language continues to inspire readers today as it has for the century and a half of its existence."By Whitman, BI-Weekly" will provide an opportunity to look closely at this beloved work. Each time we'll spend an hour discussing its context and examining the poetry of the 1855 first edition.The series will also give those who love Leaves of Grass, and those who would like to learn more, an opportunity to explore Whitman's vigorous and heartfelt poetry together.-----------------------------------------WOI – The Anything Box with Gyro MugginsTuesday 5 May, 20095:30pm - 6:30pmWest of Ireland Library & Cultural Center, West of Irelandhttp://slurl.com/secondlife/West%20of%20Ireland/44/157/29
A schoolteacher discovers the magical toy one withdrawn child has created from imagination in order to retreat from a harsh home environment.-----------------------------------------WOI – Travels in Ireland with Aoife LorefieldTuesday 5 May, 20097pm - 8pmWest of Ireland Library & Cultural Center, West of Irelandhttp://slurl.com/secondlife/West%20of%20Ireland/44/157/29
Tuesdays in May we'll be visiting Ireland as Aoife Lorefield reads from the collection, Travelers' Tales Ireland. If you're familiar with the Travelers' Tales series, you'll know how wonderful these true life essays are: well written, sharply drawn, and evocative. On each of May's four Tuesdays, Aoife will read several tales, choosing from among writers like Frank McCourt, Thomas Cahill, Nuala O'Faolain, and Maeve Binchy. So whether you're longing to get back or have yet to go, join her as she travels through Ireland, reading in voice, with chat in voice or text. All are welcome!
