Of Bookshops on Shakespeare in Europe

I have heard of the famous Shakespeare & Company bookshop on Paris' left bank, but have never heard that there were more than one such bookshop in Paris, nay the entire European continent. So It was serendipity to discover this fact at M S Gopal's blog. He has found a Shakespeare bookshop in Prague also, imagine! It's heartening to note that a Communist-oriented East European nation would encourage an imperialistic-leaning author's name to be put up on its marquee. Come to think of it, wasn't Shakespeare's writing on imperialism: King Lear, Henry VIII, and suchlike. I guess, it's because writers of those days used to receive the patronage of royalty.

In the movie Shakespeare in Love there's a scene where Queen Elizabeth I is shown enjoying a Shakespeare play. Those were the Elizabethean days of creativity, of Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe. Read more about it here.

Well, strange things happen in this world. It shows Shakespeare's influence wasn't confined to the English-speaking world. Though I am not a great fan I grudgingly admit his contribution to the English language. And, this isn't half as strange.

I am @johnwriter on Twitter and John.Matthew on Facebook. I blog here.

Indian Corporates Land Grabbing in Africa?

What seems surprising for a country that acts as the godfather of emerging African economies, Indian corporates seem to be grabbing land in Africa, at a supposedly aggressive rate, much unlike the Europeans who only exploited the continent for trade. Here's an article in countercurrents.org:

"Indian companies venturing abroad is always regarded as a healthy trend, an indicator of India's new-found economic status. But little is known about how these companies are flexing their imperialistic muscles in poorer countries, grabbing the land and giving little in return. A report 'India's Role in the New Global Farmland Grab' by researcher Rick Rowden brings forth these atrocities which are shockingly similar to what India used to blame rich western countries for.

"Joining the race with China, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, South Korea and the European Union, Indian and Indian-owned companies are acquiring land in Africa at throwaway prices, indulging in environmental damage and exporting the food while locals continue to starve. The origin of this unhealthy practice can be traced back to the food crisis of 2008 when rich countries were forced to confront the reality of how fragile the global food scenario can be, especially for those without sufficient cultivable land. To ensure more direct control over food, these countries started acquiring land in poorer African countries and shipping the produce back home. A recent World Bank report found that 45 million hectares of large scale farmland deals had been announced between 2008 and 2009."

I am immensely sad at this. For a continent plagued by famines and food shortages, the very thought of being exploited by a country that has a bleeding heart for that continent is unthinkable. Sad indeed.

I am @johnwriter on Twitter and John.Matthew on Facebook. I blog here.

Salil Tripathi on Christopher Hitchens - A, Um, Nice Obit

Here's the inimitable and lucid Salil Tripathi on Christopher Hitchens in Mintlive.

And what of his critics? Some of them disliked American hegemony so much that they failed to see, or chose to ignore, that they were siding with gay-bashing misogynists who thought nothing of sending young people on suicide missions. Others acquiesced with fundamentalists who backed the fatwa on his old friend Salman Rushdie​ and wanted his novel Satanic Verses banned. Hitch stood firm with Rushdie, naming and shaming those who failed to defend Rushdie. I know of several brave people whom he supported in writing or in private, as they defended civil liberties, free speech, women's rights, or trade union rights. He understood how totalitarian states ruled by fear: he admired those who took risks and stood up to such regimes, and he had the courage to confront tyrants with his words.

I think that would serve as an excellent obituary, unless more words of the same tone and venerability has been written in other media. If you come across any, please let me know, here, or on Facebook or Twitter. I am turning into a great fan of the man.

I am @johnwriter on Twitter and John.Matthew on Facebook. I blog here.

Digital Dindora at MET College, I Was There as a Panelist

Had a good panel discussion at MET College's Digital Dindora, Bandra
West. The college offers a journalism and mass media course. Among the
panelists were: Roshan Abbas (TV presenter and actor), Venkatanath
(journalist and blogger), Mahesh Murthy (businessman and venture
capitalist), Ashwin Mushran (Voice over artist and actor), Utsav
(Satan Bhagat [spoofer of Chetan Bhagat] and stand-up comic), Bikas
(film director and writer) and, of course, yours truly. I was there as
a social media expert (*wink*) and writer, poet and blogger. Aniketh
moderated the session.

Here are some of my observations, I warn thou, fuzzy they mightest be
(sorry guys, I wasn't taking notes!):

Mahesh Mentioned that the audience and followers of the above
panelists combined worked out to more than the circulation of the
mainline dailies (compared individually), the television channels, and
of course any other media. Bravo! Social media denizens rejoice! We
can change the world, make a difference if we want to. Mahesh also
said there are 130 million internet users and there were no
gatekeepers. You censor yourself and choose the gates you want to walk
- even drive - through.

To a question from Aniketh whether one can blog only to make money I
mentioned that I had started blogging in 2003 for the love of writing,
not for the money. Now whatever comes as a trickle from various
referrals and links I have tied up with. By no means can I give up the
day job. So there.

Everyone had their own experiences to recount. Utsav said in his
characteristic style that the only intellectual property in India is
plagiarism. Bikas mentioned that he uses his website to promote movies
by lesser known directors. Venkatanath mentioned how he asks his
students to write everyday, at least a few hundred words (which I do
best as a blogger, i.e., post half-baked ideas most times).

Roshan mentioned how Gul Panag had used the social media to good
effect. Attagirl, Gul. All in all a very good session.

The Triumph Motorbike - A Lovable Beast

This is a Triumph motorbike. Only the most seasoned biker can manage this bike. I have seen Parsi Bawajis riding this bike but no others. My friend Kavi once bought a Triumph but gave up. What happened was he sat my other friend Kishore on the pillion and when the bike started Kishore was thrown on the road. Such was the power of this bike.

The bike makes a distinctive 4-stroke-engine sound, somewhat like the Royal Enflield Bullet, but deeper and resounding with some atavistic inner force. It's the ultimate bike, this monster, loved, but also feared.

I am @johnwriter on Twitter and John.Matthew on Facebook. I blog here.

Fifty Writerly Things from Robert McCrum

Here's Robert McCrum's pithy sayings on "Fifty things I've learned about the literary life."

Among the gems:

7. Poets are either the lions or the termites of the literary jungle.

8. Put a body on page one.

9. Literature is theft.

10. Everyone is writing a book. A few will publish it; but most of them will not be satisfied.

11. This is a golden age of reading.

12. Amazon is not "evil" (J Daunt).

13. The "overnight success" is usually anything but.

Relish. It's good advice for starving, struggling, wanting-to-be-noticed writers. Such as yours truly *Grin*

I am @johnwriter on Twitter and John.Matthew on Facebook. I blog here.

Book: The Warren Buffett Stock Portfolio

Here's a book rather boringly titled "The Warren Buffett Stock Portfolio" written by Mary Buffett and David Clark. Knowing as how Buffett is owner of the world's richest holding company - Berkshire Hathaway - one would like to lay one's greedy hands on the book without much ado. However, the hype doesn't clarify who Mary Buffett is. I looked up the net to see whether the author and her subject are related. He doesn't have a love interest of that name, nor does he have a daughter named Mary.

Hm.

I am @johnwriter on Twitter and John.Matthew on Facebook. I blog here.

How to Do a Book Launch

Was idly searching for book launches when I came across this article on how to do a book launch. Chris High certainly has some ideas. For example he says:

"Then there's what to wear. You're a professional now, so look it. If ever there was ever a time to wear your best bib and tucker, surely the "birth" of "your baby" is it? Splash out. Spoil yourself. Go to town. This is the biggest night of your writing life … especially if it's your debut novel … so live a little, look the part and live the part."

How many follow this rule in India? Yes, how many? I have seen Indian authors launching their books wearing the most atrocious clothes. I mean clothes that would have the man/woman wearing it being turned out of a star hotel. Don't we have a clothes sense, something about being appropriate?

Ah, never mind!

I am @johnwriter on Twitter and John.Matthew on Facebook. I blog here.

R.I.P. Christopher Hitchens

Christopher Hitchens, iconoclast, author, journalist, critic, left-leaning intellectual, anti-Zionist, polemicist, etc. is no more. He died of esophageal cancer on December 15, 2011. It is rumoured Tom Wolfe based his character Peter Fallow in Bonfire of the Vanities on him. Having read the novel I remember the character very well. He was a good friend of Salman Rushdie whose Iran-imposed fatwa he opposed.

It's rather sad to see a lot of illustrious men who enriched intellectual thought passing away. Indeed the grief is great and humungous. Shed a tear for the world without them. Here's the Wikipaedia article on him.

I am @johnwriter on Twitter and John.Matthew on Facebook. I blog here.

R.I.P. Christopher Hitchens

Christopher Hitchens, iconoclast, author, journalist, critic, left-leaning intellectual, anti-Zionist, polemicist, etc. is no more. He died of esophageal cancer on December 15, 2011. It is rumoured Tom Wolfe based his character Peter Fallow in Bonfire of the Vanities on him. Having read the novel I remember the character very well. He was a good friend of Salman Rushdie whose Iran-imposed fatwa he opposed.

It's rather sad to see a lot of illustrious men who enriched intellectual thought passing away. Indeed the grief is great and humungous. Shed a tear for the world without them. Here's the Wikipaedia article on him.

I am @johnwriter on Twitter and John.Matthew on Facebook. I blog here.