Bookbabble Episode 48: Booker, Nobel and Reviews

Oct 17, 2009 by donny

Bookbabble Episode 48: Booker, Nobel and Reviews
Recorded 12 October 2009
Babblers: Bjorn, Renee, Marcel, Lone, Donny with guests Francois Monti and Umapagan Ampikaipakan

 

Synopsis:

Founding member of the Fric Frac Club, Francois Monti, and literary reviewer Umapagan Ampikaipakan joins the group to talk about the literary awards given out recently, namely the Man Booker Prize and the Nobel.  Of course, when discussing the Nobel, this year’s oft-debated Nobel Peace Prize laureate also found his way in our chit-chat.  Also discussed are elements important in a literary review, as seen from both the enthusiast blogger/reviewer and the professional critic perspectives.  Also, Marcel’s adventures in the fantasy convention RingCon (held in Bonn, Germany) and the origin story for the Fric Frac Club.

 

Show Length: 1:28:22 mins

 

About Uma

• Uma on the radio – BFM 89.9 (search for ‘umapagan’)
• Uma on Twitter 
• Uma on Facebook 

 

About Francois

• Fric-Frac Club
• Blog – Tabula Rasa (selected picks here, here and here, and Marcel’s post here)

 

Mentioned

• Revolutionary Road, Richard Yates
• The Yiddish Policemen’s Union, Michael Chabon
• Leviathan, Paul Auster
• Moby Dick, Herman Melville
• Shakespeare, The Complete Works
• Zadie Smith
• Atemschaukel, Herta Muller
• Herztier, Herta Muller
• The Land of Green Plums, Herta Muller
• A Man for All Seasons, Robert Bolt
• Wolf Hall, Hilary Mantel
• The Childrens Book, A.S. Byatt
• Not Untrue and Not Unkind, Ed O’Loughlin (review by Marcel)
• The Little Stranger, Sarah Waters (review by Marcel)
• The Glass Room, Simon Mawer

 

Links

• Shigekuni’s Writeup on RingCon: Conventional (Ring*Con 1)
• Shigekuni’s Writeup on RingCon: Conventional (Ring*Con 2)
• Booker Prize Winner announced
• Herta Muller Nobel Prize in Literature winner
• Barack Obama wins the Nobel Peace Prize 2009
• Science fiction author hits out at Booker judges: Kim Stanley Robinson, one of science fiction’s contemporary greats, accuses the Booker prize judges of ignorance
• Clemens Setz – info here, here and here

 

Shigekuni’s selection of poems:

• http://shigekuni.wordpress.com/2008/09/03/john-berryman-god-among-poets/
• http://shigekuni.wordpress.com/2009/08/29/this-is-not-a-cultural-event-this-is-entertainment/
• http://shigekuni.wordpress.com/2009/09/27/poem-of-the-day-lowell/
• http://shigekuni.wordpress.com/2009/09/23/how-quivering-and-fierce-we-were/
• http://shigekuni.wordpress.com/2009/03/10/poem-of-the-day/
• http://shigekuni.wordpress.com/2009/09/11/poem-of-the-day-6/

 

Note:

The subject matter raised while Marcel discusses RingCon may not be suitable for young listeners.

 

[audio:http://m.podshow.com/media/17719/episodes/192401/bookbabbletheshow-192401-10-17-2009.mp3]

 

Download the show here.

read more

Bookbabble Episode 21: Judging a president by the cover. The 2008 US Presidential Candidates’ Reading Lists.

Dec 28, 2008 by donny

Bookbabble Episode 21: Judging a president by the cover.  The 2008 US Presidential Candidates’ Reading Lists.

Recorded 9 Oct 2008

Babblers: Bjorn, Gem, Donny

Synopsis:
Listen to three non-Americans talk American politics based on their book picks!  It was tough staying on topic for this one, but the babblers talked about the 2008 US Presidential candidates’ supposed reading lists.  Both Obama and McCain plus their VP picks get picked on (although I know you know who got picked on a little more than the others), while vociferously declaring our unbiased evaluations.  Also, Nobel Prize for Literature, and Bjorn’s wildcard pick for this prestigious recognition.

We’re unbiased.  Really.

Links:

read more