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This Week In Literature
The Curious Reader curates their favourite literary long reads, podcasts, comics, and more, to keep you engaged and entertained throughout the week.
Read about Leo Tolstoy's experience with state-sponsored violence, Elif Shafak's thoughts on nationalism, and the most powerful word in the English language.
- Did you know Penguin once smuggled in copies of ‘Portnoy’s Complaint’ in a bid to fight censorship in Australia? Read the thrilling tale here.
- Sadly, state-sponsored violence is not a new thing. This very relevant article reveals how an author like Leo Tolstoy was unable to escape the all-seeing eye of the government following his critique of them. Also read: our article on living in a Kafkaesque world.
- Tune in to this podcast to hear Elif Shafak talk about nationalism, how it’s always been there, lying in wait, and why she is adamantly critical about it.
- Question: What is the most powerful word in the English language? (Hint: you can find it in the given sentence.) Answer.
- Four days of fun await us at the multilingual Belongg Online Literature Festival this weekend, where authors like Paro Anand, Perusal Murugan and others about caste, gender, sexuality, religion, etc.
Books Releasing This Week
- Little Eyes: Samanta Schweblin’s book mirrors the world we live in, one that is lonelier despite being more connected than ever. What happens when you buy a cute plush doll that is controlled by another human and has access to all aspects of your life? We’ve read and loved this book. (July 5, 2020)
- The Henna Artist: In this critically acclaimed novel by Alka Joshi, we journey through the life of a henna artist, learn about her secrets and her sinister past that eventually catches up with her. (July 5, 2020)
- Q: There’s a new rule in town. It forces everyone to take a test to determine their intelligence and pushes teachers to only concentrate on the truly gifted ones. We cannot wait to find out what happens next in this enthralling story by Christina Dalcher. (July 5, 2020)
- Memory Of Light: Ruth Vanita’s story of same-sex love between a poet and a courtesan is bound to be all sorts of dreamy and poetic, and is one of the books we’re most excited about. (July 6, 2020)
- Rising Heat: Read the story of a boy who is forced to watch his family’s fortunes dwindle away in Perumal Murugan’s first novel that is now (finally) available as an English translation. (July 6, 2020)
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