Twenty years ago, American writer Jhumpa Lahiri, well-known for her fantastic debut novel The Namesake and winner of the Pulitzer Prize for her collection of short stories Interpreter of Maladies, fell in love with Italian. It happened suddenly, but her obsession never relented. She went to Italy, took classes of Italian with different teachers, dutifully did … Continue reading In Other Words, by Jhumpa Lahiri: on building bridges and living in permanent exile
Girl Meets Boy, by Ali Smith: about imagination and gender fluidity
Ali Smith wrote Girl Meets Boy more than ten years ago, in 2007, and it was my first introduction to her writing, again thanks to Canongate Books. A rewriting of one of Ovid's most joyful metamorphosis, Girl Meets Boy adds to this mythological story a modern perspective which gives yet another depth to the myth of Iphis … Continue reading Girl Meets Boy, by Ali Smith: about imagination and gender fluidity
Erotic Stories For Punjabi Widows, by Balli Kaur Jaswal: empowering women through writing (and erotic tales)
"Nobody eavesdrops an old lady chatter. To them it's all one buzzing noise. They think we're discussing our knee pain and funeral plans." This remark, made by one of the sassy old ladies that people Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows, is both funny and profound, for it speaks, as does the novel, of a social phenomenon … Continue reading Erotic Stories For Punjabi Widows, by Balli Kaur Jaswal: empowering women through writing (and erotic tales)
A Short History of Myth, by Karen Armstrong: a spiritual history of humanity
I am very grateful to Canongate Books for sending me a collection of six books to read and review. Each of these books is a contemporary retelling of a classic myth, by a generally renowned when not rewarded writer. I am very excited to dive into this collection and the first on the list, A … Continue reading A Short History of Myth, by Karen Armstrong: a spiritual history of humanity
“Caribbean Women (Post) Diaspora” conference: learning to be humble and to listen
If you follow me on Instagram (please do, we're having fun there!), you have surely seen me bragging about my attending an international conference in London, the topic of which was "Caribbean Women (Post) Diaspora: African/Caribbean Interconnections". I was honored to have been accepted and I would like to warmly thank the organizers of the … Continue reading “Caribbean Women (Post) Diaspora” conference: learning to be humble and to listen
