Sunday, January 24, 2010

The Monstrosity Gazette: A weekly smattering of all things literary...

Bookish Quote of the Day:

“A classic is a book that has never finished saying what it has to say.”
– Italo Calvino



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Today in Literary History...

On this day in 1670 English playwright William Congreve was born. His "comedy of manners" toasted and tilted at the "gala day of wit and pleasure" enjoyed by those who lived in the inner circles of power, or wished they did -- "men and women of quick brains and cynical humours," says the Cambridge History, who talk "with the brilliance and rapidity wherewith the finished swordsman fences."

For more literary history, please visit Today in Literature.


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Literary Pic of the Day:



Beneath the Lion's Gaze
by Maaza Mengiste
W. W. Norton (Jan. 11, 2010)
Fiction
305 pages

Summary in a Sentence:

Hailu, a physician, his wife Selam, and their two grown sons, Dawit and Yonas, face the trauma of the 1974 revolution in Ethiopia in their own ways, with Hailu being ordered to report to jail for aiding a victim of state-sanctioned torture, Yonas struggling to protect his wife and daughter, and Dawit becoming active in the fight.

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7 comments:

Ana S. said...

Loved Aarti and J.S. Peyon's posts too! Off to check out the rest...

Kirthi said...

I never read a book on the 1974 revolution, Beneath The Lion's Gaze sounds like a great book!

Emma Michaels said...

I absolutely love that quote. Great post.

Anonymous said...

That is exactly what a classic is - perfect quote!

dogimo said...

Excellent quote! Great author.

Kristi said...

Love the quote. I'm putting Beneath the Lion's Gaze on my radar too.

Zibilee said...

I have never read a book set in Ethiopia, but it does sound like a fascinating book. On the list it goes, and thanks!

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