The God of Small Things--Arundhati Roy

Arundhati Roy--as author of our novel

Arundhati Roy is unique. She has written one novel--over ten years ago and it received the high honor of a Booker Prize and the readership of many who find it lyrical, moving, evocative of India. She is an activist--this is a page to explore about her work and words-- who has written and spoken about the environment--the cause of simple people to preserve their land; their way of life; their connection to water, earth, and place. She is political and has put her life on the line. She writes, still, and is interviewed often--such as this interview at Salon magazine 12 years ago when she had just recently published her only book of fiction, The God of Small Things.  She said in a recent interview that she is writing/working on another novel. Her most recent non-fiction work is Field Notes on Democracy: Listening to Grasshoppers which she spoke about in Seattle last February.  Here us a YouTube video when she is interviewed last Fall for Fault Lines--WATCH THIS TO LEARN ABOUT OUR AUTHOR.

Minaret by Leila Aboulela

Leila Aboulela

Leila Aboulela is a new, young Sudanese women who lives in Abu Dhabi.  This novel is her second and she was "recognized" first in 2000 as the first recipient of the Caine Prize--a literary prize started for unrecognized writers from the African continent who write in English.
Here is a link from a British Council of writers.  
Here is an interview with her from Oxford Journals.

 A quote from her says:  "When I write I experience relief and satisfaction that what occupies my mind, what fascinates and disturbs me, is made legitimate by the shape and tension  of a story. I want to show the psychology, the state of mind and the emotions of a person who has faith. I am interested in going deep, not just looking at 'Muslim' as a cultural or political identity but something close to the centre, something that transcends but doesn’t deny gender, nationality, class and race. I write fiction that reflects Islamic logic; fictional worlds where cause and effect are governed by Muslim rationale. However my characters do not necessarily behave as ‘good’ Muslims; they are not ideals or role models. They are, as I see them to be, flawed characters trying to practise their faith or make sense of God’s will, in difficult circumstances. "

Hanan al-Shaykh--House of Sand and Myrrh

Our newest author, Hanan al-Shaykh,  was born in 1945 in Lebanon, a country that has seen much suffering and violence and disturbance because of its location in the mid-east.  She moved to Egypt for college and later to London where she still lives and writes.  This novel was banned in several middle-eastern countries because it gives voice to two Arab women, one Lebanese woman, and one from America.
Here is an interview with her, and an overview of her work. 

A video where she talks about her childhood in Lebanon:

Hanan al-Shaykh

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddxVtrqfxjs

Another video of her reading her work:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G32S-AJ-quY

Mid-Term Prompts/Questions--ONLY ONE TO DO--DUE on Nov. 9th

One of my daughter's Mom's in Mali

I apologize for not getting this Mid-term set of prompts to you today in class.  I have changed the work to be JUST ONE QUESTION to answer--with some more depth/length expected--and a choice of 5 questions/prompts where you pick one for the writing.  IT WILL BE DUE ON next TUESDAY, OCT. 9th since we don't have class on November 11th because of Veteran's Day.  Please follow the MLA handout if you don't know how to do citations of the books according to this style guide. Send me an email if you have a question.

Nadine Gordimer--Nobel Prize Author of The Pickup

A Video clip to hear her voice.

Nadine Gordimer has written many novels and received the highest literary prize for a "body" of literature when she received the Nobel Prize in 1991.  This is the speech she gave when she was presented with this award.  Here is an essay written by a literary reviewer about the depth and importance of her work. Questions on The Pickup from the Great Books website to read after you finish the whole book. Post comments after page 22, 108, and at the end of the book.  Good Reading!

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie--Half of a Yellow Sun

NOTE:  Postings for the BLOG should be in 3 sections--to be completed as you finish the sections listed for class discussions and weekend blogging for this book.  Sometimes it is helpful to post as you finish a section, sometimes before class discussion, and sometimes after we have had class--you can decide.  CHANGE IN DUE DATE:  Seminar paper on this book DUE on Tuesday, October 26.

Welcome to Literature by Women in the Global Perspective!

In our first week, we will begin to explore the literature and the background of women emerging as literary voices on the continent of Africa and in South Asia.  We will ask questions about "stories" and see a video about how vital and important stories can be to our understanding of ourselves and others in the world.  We will begin to do some research as we read the first novel on the women and the worlds that they inhabit.

SEMINAR PAPER ASSIGNMENT--DUE Oct. 7th

Our first novel, Changes: A Love Story, was written by Ama Ata Aidoo(link about her life) almost 20 years ago.  She was one of the first women in Africa to challenge any idea that women could not write or that women should not have a different voice, method, or style of expression for storytelling on the continent with its many diverse groups of people.  She wrote in all literary genres and lived in both West and East Africa while she wrote, taught at university, and raised children.  She is currently a long term visiting professor of African studies at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.  To find out more about her go to this general information about Aidoo's work and life. 
Use this link for questions to guide your reading and our seminar discussions on this novel.
Use this link for issues of Feminist Africa.