MetaFilter posts tagged with Conrad

Nigerian author Chinua Achebe has died at age 82.

jquinby — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 08:08:01 -0800

"Nigerian author Chinua Achebe, acclaimed in part for his groundbreaking 1958 novel "Things Fall Apart," has died, his British publisher, Penguin Books, said Friday." Set in precolonial Nigeria, Things Fall Apart portrays the story of a farmer, Okonkwo, who struggles to preserve his customs despite pressure from British colonizers. The story resonated in post-independent Africa, and the character became a household name in the continent. "Achebe's stories included proverbs and tackled complex issues of African identity, nationalism and decolonization, adding to his books' popularity. He once wrote an essay criticizing Joseph Conrad, author of "Heart of Darkness," as a racist for his depiction of Africans as savages. Conrad's popularity took a hit after the accusation -- a testament to Achebe's credibility."

Twelve Missives from the Roi des Belges

Kattullus — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 10:25:30 -0800

Perched high up above the Thames in downtown London every month this past year a different writer has spent four days living in a replica of the Roi des Belges, the boat Marlow travels up the Congo in Joseph Conrad's The Heart of Darkness. Each author would write a short text during their stay "which explores London, rivers, the work of Joseph Conrad, or even all three." They would be visited on the last day by a journalist from The Guardian who recorded them reading their essay, poem or short story. Among the poets, historians and novelists were Adonis, Jeanette Winterson, Teju Cole, Michael Ondaatje and Kamila Shamsie. These recordings, each prefaced by a short interview, are all available on the Guardian website, to stream or download. Below the cut there is a link to each recording, with a short description. January: Juan Gabriel Vásquez, Colombian novelist, delivers an essay about his relationship with Joseph Conrad's fiction and the man himself, but both have inspired his own writing. February: Jeanette Winterson, who writes fiction and memoir, recounts her experience of watching the city and the river below her. March: Sven Lindqvist, Swedish historian and reporter, writes about how he learned at a young age through books of the people on the wrong end of economic exploitation and genocide. April: Caryl Phillips, novelist and screenwriter, describes the attraction of London to West Indian immigrants and their integration into English society. May: Maya Jasanoff, American historian and Harvard professor, writes about rivers from a personal and historical perspective, and Conrad's personal and authorial journey up the Congo. June: Michael Ondaatje, Sri Lankan born Canadian novelist and poet, recounts his own journey to London from Sri Lanka and explores the role of seafaring and river journeys in history and literature. July: Alain Mabanckou, Congolese novelist, recites his essay about Conrad and the history of the Congo river. August: Teju Cole, Nigerian-American novelist and essayist, relates the story of meeting V. S. Naipaul and writes about how Africans have been described by outsiders in writing. September: Ahdaf Soueif, Egyptian novelist and political activist, writes about the history of resistance by oppressed populations. October: Kamila Shamsie, Pakistani novelist, writes about female travelers and their invisibility in history. November: Adonis, Syrian poet, recites a poem, translated into English by Khaled Mattawa, about the war that has enveloped his home country. December: Colm Tóibín, Irish novelist, reads a short story inspired by the character of Marlow. The short little descriptions reflect the content of the various texts poorly, as they are generally wide-ranging and mix contemplation with personal history. Listening to all twelve in order also gives a portrait of London changing through the seasons in a year that included both the Olympics and the Jubilee.

Newsnight meets Conrad Black

Dasein — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 20:34:41 -0800

Do you feel that it's been too long since you watched an interview in which the guest, told by the host that he is a criminal, replies, "You're a priggish, gullible, British fool"? Then, behold, Conrad Black's interview with BBC Newsnight. Conrad Black, on his book tour, gets the BBC treatment. (Up next: Have I Got News For You.) Since his release from prison (on charges that Black has consistently denounced), he has given few interviews, and those he has given have been considerably more civil. In the past, Black's denunciation of his trial has resulted in rare public disagreements with his former lawyer. Black now regularly criticizes the U.S. justice system, going so far as to call it totalitarian.

A Bend in the River

rageagainsttherobots — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 10:07:31 -0800

Explore the subtext of the London Skyline through a journey down the Thames with Caryl Phillips and an exquisite photographer.

We Were Wanderers On A Prehistoric Earth

stbalbach — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 18:02:17 -0800

We Were Wanderers On A Prehistoric Earth (3m14s, fullscreen)

"Getting up mad and staying mad all day certainly describes Paul Conrad"

blucevalo — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 13:45:36 -0800

The acclaimed Los Angeles Times political cartoonist Paul Conrad is dead. Paul Conrad was 86. He's perhaps best known for his cartoons mercilessly attacking Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan, both as governor and president (for which the LA Times' publisher received repeated complaining phone calls from both Ronald and Nancy). Conrad was also sued for libel by LA Mayor Sam Yorty in 1968. Conrad's iconoclasm was part of an all-out effort by Otis Chandler to push the stature of the Los Angeles Times forward, helping to move it from what the paper in its own obit article describes as "a laughingstock in most of the country, because of its mediocre journalism and blatant Republican boosterism" to a nationally known, award-winning presence. Conrad himself won the Pulitzer three times. A gallery of some of Conrad's work (from an exhibit at the College of the Canyons) is here (has a skippable Flash intro). Although he retired from the Times in 1993, he was working till near the end of his life; some of his recent cartoons are here. Doug Marlette, another great political cartoonist, put it best: "He lifts the skirts of the powerful over their heads and shows their asses to the world." Pat Oliphant said that Conrad was "the grandest example of consistently A-grade, blue ribbon, USDA-prime righteous anger that I can ever remember seeing in a cartoonist's work in the 50-plus years that I have been doing this sort of thing." (It should be noted that although the obit articles are saying that Conrad wound up on one of Nixon's many political enemies lists, he actually appeared on a list of George McGovern staffers and campaign contributors drawn up in 1972 by White House Counsel John Dean and submitted for investigation to the IRS Commissioner. Dean's claim to the IRS Commissioner was that Nixon had nothing to do with this separate list being drawn up, which claim may or may not have stood up to subsequent scrutiny.)

Black back

anothermug — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 18:41:04 -0800

Conrad Black has been granted bail. Some are saying that he might be free as early as this week, and that he might not end up back in jail again -- instead, being sentenced to time served. He gave up his Canadian citizenship in 2001 so that he could serve in the British House of Lords: where, oh where, will the poor guy live? Here he is either packing, or removing boxes that helped get him into trouble in the first place.

Unintentional or Hyper-Aware Marketing?

The Esteemed Doctor Bunsen Honeydew — Fri, 21 May 2010 15:52:16 -0800

Why The Hills’ [new] Opening Credits Are Both Creepy and Cruel
For more can-this-really-be-an-accident marketing: This promo for the final season as compared to this earlier use of the same song.

Conrad, you sexy devil you

Brandon Blatcher — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 07:05:14 -0800

There is no finer measure of a man than the way he smokes a pipe.

Black, in white stripes

bicyclefish — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 14:08:25 -0800

"Newman's prediction that I am gone for life, to be buggered by American criminals, will not come to pass," said Lord Black.

NewsFilter: American criminals pleasantly surprised.

Joseph Conrad reviewed

peacay — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 06:59:27 -0800

On the occasion of the 150th anniversary since the birth of Joseph Conrad [Heart of Darkness, Lord Jim etc], The Guardian's Giles Foden makes a fair attempt at assessing the great novelist's legacy. [via]

It will never replace a hardcover book - it makes a very poor doorstop.

Wolfdog — Sun, 04 Mar 2007 07:15:29 -0800

Huck Finn, Heart of Darkness, A Tale of Two Cities, and others - free audio books. Text and audio on the web, or downloadable mp3s with embedded text.