FILM These are some of the films you’ve recommended in Week 4:
ARGENTINA El secreto de sus ojos (2009) La historia official (1985)
BRAZIL At Play in the Fields of the Lord (1991)
CHILE La Luna en el Espejo (1990) Machuca (2004)
CHINA Kai Guo Da Dian (1989)
CZECH REPUBLIC Dark Blue World (2001) Loners (2000)
EGYPT Al irhab wal kabab (1992) Shadi Abdel Salam's movie The Night of Counting the Years (1969). “I think it is one of the most important Egyptian films ever made.”
ETHIOPIA Difret (2014) After she kills her abductor, a 14-year-old teenager challenges Ethiopia's tradition of kidnapping girls and forcing them into marriage.
FRANCE La Famille Bélier (2014)
“A very good film that captures something about my country and culture is "The Fabulous Destiny of Amélie Poulain". The story takes place in Paris and shows some very well known areas of the city, it gives also a glimpse on the neighborhood life.”
GERMANY “Goodbye Lenin (2003) is a film about the time before and just after the fall of the wall and describes pretty well the situation for people from the Eastern part of Germany.”
INDIA Queen (2014) English Vinglish (2012)
INDONESIA Tjut Nyak Dien (1988)
ITALY L'Albero degli zoccoli (the Tree of Wooden Clogs) (1978) by Ermanno Olmi La vita è bella (Life is beautiful) (1997) by Roberto Benigni The Best of Youth (La meglio gioventù) (2003) by Marco Tullio Giordana MEXICO Hecho en México (2012)
POLAND Skazany na Bluesa (Destined for Blues) (2005) Ida (2013)
ROMANIA Moromeţii (1987) “The best movie you can see that represents entirely ,life in my country as it was before the World War. The main character is Victor Rebengiuc,an icon among Romanian actors”
“A recent movie that I highly recommend to you is "4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days” (2007). Do not miss it!!”
RUSSIA The Barber of Siberia (1998) Leviathan (2014)
SENEGAL Le Mendat by Sembene Ousmane (1968)
SERBIA Zona Zamfirova (2002)
SPAIN La Voz dormida (2011) Las 13 Rosas (13 Roses) (2007) by Emilio Martínez Lázaro
“I would suggest Luis Garcia Berlanga film's and Luis Buñuel's films. Both do a descrptions accurate of Spain and Spanish's characters.”
TUNISIA A Summer in la Goulette (1996) A Summer In La Goulette is the best film that talks about the best place and period in recent Tunisian history. It shows how Tunisian muslims and Jews, French, Italians, Maltese and Greek used to live together in peace in La Goulette on the coast of Tunis during the first half of the 20th century.
UKRAINE The Earth (Zemlya) (1930) Povodyr (2014)
“"Shadows of forgotten ancestors" is the real masterpiece directed by Paradjanov. It is based on the classic book by Ukrainian writer Mykhailo Kotsiubynsky.” BOOKS These are some of the books you’ve recommended in Week 4:
ALGERIA “Ahlam Moustaghanami;because she is roughly the best Algerian writer who succeeded to describe my country in different essential features that characterize any country;history,tradition,politics,society,arts...I recommend to my dear fellows;MEMORY of the BODY”
Other recommended authors: Moloud Feroun, Memori and Assia, Yasmina Khadra
ARGENTINA “One of the most famous Argentinian books is Martin Fierro. It is a poem about the life of a gaucho who lives in the country in the late 1800s and after suffering from discrimination and social unfairness, becomes a gaucho matrero (that means, one that lives outside the law). It was written by José Hernandez in 1879 “
“Jorge Luis Borges. He is also a controversial figure of our literature, trapped in the endless ideological struggles of our contemporary history. Borges is an exquisite narrator and a remarkable poet, who was inspired in English literature.” Recommended: The Aleph and other stories
Other recommended authors: Maria Elena Wash, Fontanarrosa, Cortazar
ARMENIA I and he by Nar-dos.
BELARUS “Belarus can boast of Nobel Prize nominee (though he hasn't got the Prize yet) - Ryhor Baradulin, a great and very metaphorical poet with extraordinary poetic language.”
BOLIVIA Raza de Bronce by Alcides Arguedas.
BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA “If you haven't, you should immediately read two great books by the only Nobel prize winner from Bosnia and Herzegovina - Ivo Andrić. Books are called The Damned Yard and The Bridge on the Drina. Also I would recommend Meša Selimović.”
BRAZIL Some recommended authors:
João Ubaldo Ribeiro, Rubem Alves, e Ariano Suassuna, Clarice Lispector, José de Alencar, Carlos Drummond de Andrade, Machado de Assis, Graciliano Ramos, Guimarães Rosa, Cecília Meireles, Lima Barreto, Manuel Bandeira, Mario Quintana, Paulo Coelho and many others.
The Violent Land by Jorge Amado Paulo Coelho - very famous Brazilian writer. One of his great works is the trilogy: "Na Margem do Rio Piedra Eu Sentei e Chorei", "O Demônio e a Srta. Prym" and "Veronika Decide Morrer”. BULGARIA Under the yoke by Ivan Vazov
BURKINO FASO Le crepuscule des temps anciens by Nazi Boni
CABO VERDE “I would recommend Germano Almeida. He is an amazing author, with such a great way of telling stories. With him, you have a perspective of Cabo Verde in a more contemporary way. I would suggest "The Last Will and Testament of Senhor da Silva Araújo" or in portuguese " Testamento do Sr. Napumoceno da Silva Araújo””
CHILE Some recommended authors: Francisco Coloane, Los Jaibas, Illapu, Neruda, Mistral, Huidobro , M. Luisa Bombal, and Isabel Allende
“Many people overlook Alberto Blest Gana. I think he was a great writer who described Chilean XIX century society very well. ( "Los transplantados", Martín Rivas" ." CHINA The Story of the Stone/Dream of the Red Chamber. by Cao Xueqin The Analects of Confucius Kunlun Shang by Bi Shumin Big Breasts and Wide Hips by Mo Yan
“Zhimo Xu is one of the most famous poets in China.”
COLOMBIA “In Colombia the most famous and brilliant writer was Gabriel Garcia Marquez, cosidered one of the most important in Latin America in the twentieth century. He received the Nobel prize in literature in 1982. But is best known for his novels, such as One Hundred Years of Solitude, The Autumn of the Patriarch and Love in the Time of Cholera.”
CROATIA “August Senoa wrote great historical novels as well as Josip Eugen Tomic. Silvije Strahimir Kranjcevic was one of the greatest poets from my hometown as well as Vjenceslav Novak, Pavao Ritter Vitezovic, etc. my hometown Senj is very well-known for its writers and poets. From the modern one there's Julijana Matanovic, Sibila Petlevski, vedrana Rudan (she's a bit shocvking for the language she uses), Hrvoje Salkovic, etc.”
“I would recommend books from the first female journalist in Croatia, Marija Jurić Zagorka.”
CZECH REPUBLIC Recommended authors include: Franz Kafka and Jaroslav Hasek R.U.R. by Karel Čapek Kytice by Karel Jaromýr Erben CUBA “I recommend José Martí's works. He is a very well known writer in Cuba and probably in many other countries. He is considered a national hero and the Apostle of cubans independence. He spent most of his life writing and his best works are for children. The most famous one is La Edad de Oro..The Golden Age. His collection of poems, Versos Sensillos, also became really famous when they were put to music as La Guantanamera.”
EGYPT “Nagib Mahfouz is the most famous writer in egypt”
ESTONIA The work of Kristjan Jaak Peterson
FRANCE Les Miserables by Victor Hugo Mrs Bovary by Gustave Flaubert In search of lost time by Marcel Proust Les Trois Mousquetaires by Alexandre Dumas Le Petit Prince by Antoine de Saint-
Also recommended authors: Jules Verne, Molière, Boris Vian, Marcel Pagnol, Chrétien de Troyes, Voltaire
Hunting and Gathering by Anna Gavalda was recommended as a hugely popular and critically acclaimed contemporary French novel.
“I'd rather choose a funnier one:"Froth on the Daydream" (literally, the French title is "The Foam of Days") from Boris Vian. This is a love story written with a lot of fantasy, published in 1946, at the end of the WW II, when the Parisian young people expressed joy and relief to see the peace back by celebrating in Saint-Germain-des-Près's cellars.“
GERMANY “Goethe and Schiller are probably the most famous writers but they do not really describe Germany as such, Dürrematt, Brecht and Boll are also well known and the latter gives quite a good picture about his time. However all of them are quite difficult to read and understand if German is not your mother tongue. Florian Illies, Generation Golf is something I would recommend as he describes Germany in the 80s in a very entertaining way.”
GREECE The Last Temptation of Christ by Nikos Kazantzakis
“Odysseas Elytis (November 2, 1911 – March 18, 1996) is regarded as a major exponent of romantic modernism in Greece (Notable awards----Nobel Prize in Literature 1979).”
‘Z’ by Vasilis Vasilikos-'Ζ' (also made into an Oscar-winning film by Costa-Gavras)
HUNGARY Recommended writers and poets: Sándor Petőfi, Attila József and János Arany and more. INDIA Malgudi Days by R.K.Narayan Two States by Chetan Bhagat Naalukettu by M T Vasudevan Nair
“Rabindranath Tagore, the Bengali poet and writer is to my mind a good example of one who has been successful in writing about India's culture. He is the author of our National Anthem.”
INDONESIA The Buru Quartet (This Earth of Mankind, Child of All Nations, Footsteps, and House of Glass) Pramoedya Ananta Toer.
“One of my favorites writer is Tere Liye, some of his works converted to the films. Many morals message that I gain from his works and changed my life after.”
IRAN The Neighbours by Ahmad Mahmoud
ITALY “I recommend poets like Pascoli, Quasimodo, Montale , Merini just to quote some and writers like Pirandello, Calvino, Pasolini.”
“It is difficult to choose a book that speaks of Italy, each region is unique. Saviano's Gomorrah is a book denouncing the crime, but it is refered to a part of southern Italy Christ Stopped at Eboli by Carlo Levi describes Italy after the Second World War, the central theme is the political and economic differences between north and south. Don Camillo by Guareschi said with irony that Italy is changing, fears and confusion caused by the loss of identity.”
IRAQ “Muhammad Kudhair one of the best known Iraqi writers, his short stories are translated into English ,Russian and French. His best works include "The Black Kingdom “,"At 45 centigrade”, ”Autumn Dream" and the novel Basiata .The short story ,"The Swing".”
JAPAN “Haruki Murakami is one of the best known, I believe.”
“One of famouse writer is Yukio Mishima in Japan. I love his play, Sotoba Komachi which is playing at a theatre sometime.”
KAZAKHSTAN Nomads by I.Esenberlin Abay way by M.Auezov
KENYA Facing mt Kenya by Jomo Kenyatta
LITHUANIA A. Baranauskas (Anykščių Šilelis) REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA “you should read Krpen zivot (Darned life), Golemata voda (The Great water) - there is also a film addaptaion of it, Pirej, Pustina (Desert) … Most of them explain the life in Macedonia in the past.”
MEXICO Moldavita by Norma Muñoz Ledo Aura by Carlos Fuentes Pedro Páramo by Juan Rulfo The Labyrinth of Solitude by Octavio Paz
MYANMAR Freedom from Fear by Aung San Su Kyi
“There are many famous writers in our country Myanmar. Among them, Ma Sandar is one of the most favorite of mine. She can describe our daily lives, attitudes, cultural and also our tradition.”
“My country has some iconic writers such as Ludu U Hla, Saya Zawgyi, Mya Than Tint who was known for his translations of Western classics like War and Peace,Ludu Daw Amar, Aung San Suu Kyi , Khin Khin Htoo , Ju ,etc.”
THE NETHERLANDS The Diary of Anne Frank.
“I think one of the most famous writters is Carry Slee in the Netherlands.”
NIGERIA Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
NORWAY “The most famous Norwegian writer is Henrik Ibsen. He is to Norwegians what Shakespeare is to the English. He is the second most played playwright in the world, next to Shakespeare. Some of his most famous works are A Doll's House, Hedda Gabler, Peer Gynt. His plays still continue to challenge his audiences. He lived from 1828 - 1906.”
PALESTINAN TERRITORIES “…the most famous writers & authors such as Mahmoud Darwish and Ghassan Kanafani and Samih al-Qasim, they wrote several books in literature and poems that are in a very magnificence, beauty and they received many awards in this field.”
THE PHILIPPINES “Noli Me tanghere by Jose P. Rizal. Rizal is our national hero, I like his book because it reminds me of the life of Filipino people before.”
POLAND A Treatise on Shelling Beans Wiesław Myśliwski Chłopi –Władysław Reymont “I recommend Wisława Szymborska, Henryk Sienkiewicz and Adam Mickiewicz. They describe Poland.”
ROMANIA Ion by Liviu Rebreanu
Why we love women by Mircea Cărtărescu “I adore this book , are 20 stories and all have a female protagonist. I will not say more , I won’t spoil the surprise !”
The work of the poet Eminescu The plays of Eugene Ionesco and Marin Sorescu.
“One of the most interesting writer of Romanian literature was Ion Luca Caragiale. He wrote plays (comedy and drama), short novels, poems, he was jornalist and theater manager.”
Bengal Nights by Mircea Eliade
“One of the most famous in the word is our national poet - Mihai Eminescu.“
RUSSIA Many recommendations for some of the very famous Russian authors. The works of Fedor Dostoevsky, Leo Tolstoy, Alexander Pushkin, Anton Chekhov.
Also mentioned were Turgenev’s "Fathers and Sons" , Bulgakov’s "The Master and Margarita” and Gogol’s Dead Souls. Dead Souls Gogol
RWANDA Indyoheshabirayi by Aloys Bigirumwami
SENEGAL Une si longue letter (So long a letter) by Mariama Ba
SERBIA “I would recommend a book by Stevan Sremac called 'Zona Zamfirova' and the film by Zravko Sotra with the same name. It is a love story about two young people from the different social classes. In my opinion, it describes history of my nation,their tradition,customs and attitudes once upon a time.”
SLOVENIA “France Prešeren is our most famous (romantic) poet; his Zdravljica ("Toast") is also the national anthem. Ivan Cankar is perhaps the best known novelist (brutal realism). Personally, I would emphasize Zofka Kveder (one of the first female authors and feminists who tackled some truly difficult issues) and Fran Milčinski (his Butalci are a wonderful satire on our national character). One of the most important poem collections is the intimistic Pesmi štirih ("Poems of the Four") written by Janez Menart, Ciril Zlobec, Kajetan Kovič and Tone Pavček. The new generations seem promising as well; lately, I've enjoyed the fantastic and uneasy novels by Nejc Gazvoda and the brave, brash and concise poetry of Katja Perat.” SPAIN Many recommendations from all parts of Spain. These include: Manuel Rivas (from Galicia), Antonio Machado, Federico García Lorca.
“Carlos Ruiz Zafón’s "The shadow of the wind". It's wonderful and tells about the customs of that time.” “"A Esmorga", translated in English as "On a bender". This book written by Eduardo Blanco Amo is a good description of Galician culture and people.
Javier Marías - The Infatuations Ildefonso Falcones - Cathedral of the Sea
And, of course, many of you recommended Miguel de Cervantes’ fantastic Don Quixote.
SRI LANKA “Nihal De Silve describes our country best in The Road to Elephant Pass”
SUDAN Season of Migration to the North and The Wedding of Zein by Tayeb Salih (1929 – 2009)
THAILAND “Soontronpoo is the name of the most famous writer in my country,Thailand I recommend his poetry especially "Phra Apai Manee".”
TUNISIA “The poet who describes the best my country is ''Abu Al Kacem Achebbi'', he one of an icon for Tunisia's culture, although his young age he has got touching, awesome and fabulous poems expressing the love of our country, the love of life, motivating people to reach their goals...”
TURKEY “Mehmet Akif ERSOY was one of the greatest poet in my country. He wrote our national anthem which describes my counties background and its brave soldiers. I think that is the best.”
UGANDA “I recommend Abyssinian Chronicles by Moses Isewaga. Set in the backdrop of Uganda’s turbulent past, Moses Isewaga’s Abyssinian Chronicles is based on the author’s own life, although it also clearly reflects a more general Ugandan experience under the military dictatorship of Idi Amin.”
UKRAINE “I would recommend to read poetry by Taras Shevchenko. He is well known Ukrainian poet, writer and artist, who influenced our culture in so many ways. His works are translated to different languages. Also, my personal favourite is Mykhailo Kotsiubynsky, but I'm not really sure about the translations.” “Modern Ukrainian literature is quite rich. If you like poetry I can recommend Sergiy Zhadan or Yuriy Andrukhovich who's books are translated in many languages. If you like controversial view on modern Ukrainian life I would recommend Irena Karpa. If you are not ready to post modern literature and want to learn classic literature - look for Andriy Kurkov, modern novelist from Kyiv. Speaking of classic books which are the ground of Ukrainian literature we have to remember Ivan Franko, Ivan Kotsubynskyy, Borys Grinchenko, Mykhaylo Bulgakov etc.“