Discussions give readers the opportunity to grapple with themes suggested by readme moderators. These discussions are about books, authors and new media.

[ 10.02.09 ] Three weeks ago we reported here in the news about the Google Book project. In the interim, Google has set out to put an end to its fundamental infringement of copyrights. Just imagine: you receive a letter from a provider of household appliances in which you are given the right to reject the enclosed contract by the end of April – if you don’t, a new vacuum cleaner will be ... read on

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[ 29.01.09 ] 2008 was an extraordinary year for Arabic literature in Britain. After a great deal of criticism leveled at the small number of Arabic texts and Arabic writers that are translated into English, numerous British authors and critics will attend Dubai’s inaugural International Literary Festival which takes place from February 26 to March 1, 2009. The Festival is designed to bridge linguistic ... read on

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[ 24.01.09 ] On January 31 and February 1, 2009, in a small town in Lombardy, the NebbiaGialla Suzzara Noir Festival will take place for the third time. It is a small gathering for lovers of one of the liveliest genres of Italian literature: thriller novels or gialli , as they are called after their originally cheap, yellow covers. Launched by Paolo Reversi, an emerging talent of Italian literature ... read on

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[ 16.01.09 ] Digitise as fast as you can. That’s the motto as we move towards the much-invoked, grand era of e-books. And what a future it promises to be! A gigantic literary treasure trove is becoming accessible in digital format: old and hard- or impossible-to-find books that are merely accumulating dust on library shelves will soon be available to the general public. What’s more, in a flash, users ... read on

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[ 07.01.09 ] It’s hard to write a news report from Israel without referring to the current war in Gaza. Without taking a political stand, and with prayers for the recovery of the wounded on both sides, let’s consider the old question of how linked an artist’s personal safety and his or her ability to be inspired really are. Some say that when the guns roar, the muses are silent; however many ... read on

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[ 31.12.08 ] The Hungarian reading public, the cultural media and many cultural institutions celebrated the centenary of the journal ‘ Nyugat ’ (‘West’) in 2008. The importance of the journal in shaping Hungarian literature cannot be overestimated; it introduced readers to a wealth of daring philosophy, writing and art, and became a ground-breaking symbol of a modern way of aesthetic thinking and ... read on

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[ 22.12.08 ] The scolding from the ‘pope of German letters’ is still resounding in our ears. Nowadays, on television, there’s nothing but cooks – all dreadful, dismal rubbish! Yet what the ‘pope’ forgot in his sermon, delivered at the German Television Awards, is that there’s no longer a need to turn on the telly at all. For ever more programmes, even those with quite sophisticated content, ... read on

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[ 11.12.08 ] Forget all about the Booker, Costa or British Book Award: literary reputations are forged and ruined by the annual Literary Review Bad Sex in Fiction Award . This year’s award ceremony took place on the 25 November at the Naval and Military Club in London, affectionately known as the In & Out Club . The prize was inaugurated in 1993 by the late editor-in-chief of the magazine, ... read on

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[ 09.12.08 ] Amazing the dynamics the Christmas industry is able to evolve each year – especially when our annual orgy of consumption has been made into a celebration for reassuring ourselves in the face of impending recession or ultimate financial collapse! However, these dynamics have given rise to a string of glad tidings for bookworms, or at least for all those not suffering from e-phobia. So ... read on

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[ 01.12.08 ] There’s always something reassuring about seeing old clichés reconfirmed, for instance, the one about Japan being a nation at the cutting edge of culture and technology. In the subways of Tokyo and Osaka, passengers’ affection for their mobile phones and for reading has led to an independent form of mobile literature: serialized novels in SMS-sized chunks. Many providers and authors have ... read on

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[ 25.11.08 ] In Hungary, the ‘ Year of the Renaissance – 2008 ’ is underway. Marking the 550th anniversary of Matthias Corvinus ’ ascension to the throne, its objective has been to discover what this unparalleled epoch in art and cultural history has in common with the world today. Alongside several hundred events, including exhibitions, open-air festivals and culinary programmes, the ‘Year of ... read on

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[ 20.11.08 ] Samuel takes great care of his appearance. Only his fingers look gnawed. This is probably where the order in his life is disintegrating most conspicuously: the chaos at the ends of his fingers. The chewed nails, the bloody bitten skin, tattered shreds around open and frayed nerve endings. There’s hardly any skin left around the edges of his nails. His robber’s hands are what betray him. ... read on

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[ 13.11.08 ] The marathon is, of course, no longer merely a discipline held on the streets of metropolises around the globe, but also one carried out in small towns, possibly even in closed rooms, or in front of computer screens. For example, in Krems on the Danube: here, from November 8 to 9, a very special reading marathon took place. The Austrian writer Ferdinand Schmatz read his entire novel “ ... read on

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[ 10.11.08 ] Over the past few weeks, the top literary topic - besides the Frankfurt Book Fair - has been Milan Kundera. The world-famous Czech writer, who has been living in France since the 1970s, allegedly denounced a Czech agent from the West in 1950 and by doing so contributed directly to his being convicted to 14 years in prison and harsh labour in a uranium mine. Right after this information was ... read on

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[ 30.10.08 ] A continual string of cooks, nothing but cooks. It was terrible. Above all, it was so incredibly boring. Wretched, tedious, disgusting. Well, I’m just not accepting the award! The “pope of German letters”, Marcel Reich-Ranicki, spoke such words in his most recent verdict. The 88-year-old critic was annoyed because he had had to sit for over three hours on a hard chair in the front ... read on

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