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Russian literature is on the move. Despite the uncertain political and intellectual climate of the Putin era, it has not stagnated, but offers instead a colourful array of artistic diversity. The results of the book prizes 'Natsional'ny bestseller', 'Bol'shaia Kniga', 'Russkii Buker', and 'NOS' from 2009 to mid-2013 make it possible to follow the discourse of literary criticism. Familiar names, such as Dmitry Bykov, Aleksandr Terekhov, Daniil Granin, Lev Rubinshtein, and Maksim Kantor, define the picture set the tone, while new names, such as Igor Vishnevetsky, Arkhimandrit Tikhon, Marina Stepnova, Natan Dubovitsky, Figl-Migl, Plato Besedin, and Anton Ponizovsky enliven the literary scene. Among those authors who are innovative in terms of artistic skill and social criticism, the 'new realists' in particular represent an important trend. The advance of religiously influenced works stands out. Adapted from the source document.

Gagne reviews BLOOD NARRATIVE: Indigenous Identity in American Indian and Maori Literary and Activist Texts by Chadwick Allen.

ACTION MEANS ACTION WITH RESPECT TO TEXTS. ON OCCASIONS WHEN ONE CAN SENSE OTHER INTERESTS AT WORK, THE EFFECT IS VERY CURIOUS. IN A POLEMICAL EXCHANGE, FOR INSTANCE, BETWEEN A MARXIST CRITIC AND A POSTSTRUCTURALIST, ONE MAY KNOW WHAT SORT OF EVENT IS BEING STAGED; BUT, AS ONE LISTENS TO THE PRESENTATIONS, AND COMPARES THE ELOQUENCE ON BOTH SIDES WITH ITS APPARENT SUBJECT, ONE SEES THAT CRITICISM IS NOT THE POINT AT ALL. THEY ARE REALLY ARGUING ABOUT SOMETHING ELSE-A SOCIAL QUESTION OF SOME KIND-THOUGH NEITHER KNOWS IT YET. SKEPTICS LIKE TO REPLY THAT THE UNDERGROUND QUALITY OF SUCH ENCOUNTERS IS A SIGN OF A HOPELESS CULTURAL MOMENT.

Reflects on Cao Zueqin's novel, Honglou Meng, which is considered a "literary monument" & national treasure by Chinese readers. It is noted that the lengthy book, known in Western translation as both Dream of the Red Chamber & Story of the Stone, follows the lives of the extended Jia clan as it experiences a gradual loss of its fortunes. Although there is basically no plot & very little conflict, the story's significance has been related to the internal aesthetics of the text as well as its picture of the historical & cultural context of China at the peak of its power & glory. The richness of the vivid descriptions of old China during the 18th-century reign of the Manchu emperor is pointed out, along with Zueqin's brilliant presentation of everyday life; extraordinary degree of textual density; & superb manipulation of narrative rhetoric. Attention is also given to the architectonic symmetries of the novel's design & the multi-layered quality of the text. The allegorical nature of the seemingly mundane story is discussed. J. Lindroth

A review essay on books by (1) Abdul Rasheed Na'Allah (Ed), Ogoni's Agonies: Ken Saro-Wiwa and the Crisis in Nigeria (Trenton, NJ: Africa World Press, 1998); (2) Onookome Okome (Ed), Before I Am Hanged: Ken Saro-Wiwa, Literature, Politics and Dissent (Trenton, NJ: Africa World Press, 2000); (3) Craig W. McLuckie & Aubrey McPhail (Eds), Ken Saro-Wiwa: Writer and Political Activist (Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner, 2000); & (4) Femi Ojo-Ade, Ken Saro-Wiwa: A Bio-Critical Study (New York: Africana Legacy Press, 1999). These four texts examine the legacy of Nigerian author & political activist Ken Saro-Wiwa. Even though the four texts tend to compartmentalize the multiple aspects of Saro-Wiwa's life, they are praised for demonstrating the connections between these disparate components of Saro-Wiwa's life, especially the relationship between his literature, political activism, & business prowess. Saro-Wiwa's philosophy that literature addressing the injustices experienced by marginalized groups should be taken "to the streets" is discussed. It is contended that the four books demonstrate that Saro-Wiwa's sarcasm was primarily directed at Nigerian society rather than the nation's elites. The respective texts are praised for critiquing Saro-Wiwa's works from a critical perspective; specific attention is directed toward his memoir On a Darkling Plain: An Account of the Nigerian Civil War & his vision for humankind. It is concluded that an anthology of Saro-Wiwa's works is needed & that additional developments in the Niger River delta since his execution in 1995 require critical attention. J. W. Parker

Interprets the text of Orwell's last book Nineteen Eighty-Four. Shows what Orwell had in mind when he outlined it, sketches his political and theoretical positions and tries to account for why the political and analytic lessons of the novel undermined those he was offering in his essay and journalism. Orwell complained his political views were distorted by the book's reviewers. (JLN)

Der Autor untersucht die Verbreitung moderner Texte in Palästina vor der Aufhebung der Zensur 1908, nach der zahlreiche Zeitungen und Zeitschriften gegründet wurden und das kulturelle Leben generell aufblühte. Im Einzelnen informiert er über die damals in der Region vorhandenen Bibliotheken, privater und religiöser Art, die Abonnenten von Zeitschriften und Zeitungen aus dem Libanon und aus Ägypten und die Verfasser von Leserbriefen, die in diesen publiziert wurden. Dabei wird deutlich, dass eine lesende Elite in ganz Palästina existierte, diese sich zahlenmäßig nicht sonderlich von den Eliten in Syrien und Irak unterschied, im Vergleich zum Libanon und zu Ägypten aber gering ausfiel. (DÜI-Mjr)

In Informe contra mí mismo Eliseo Alberto appropriates and configures as literary genre the political informe that Cuba's socialist government has solicited from thousands of its citizens over the years. In Alberto's informe (originally "commissioned" by the Cuban government, but elaborated and marketed for the international literary community some twenty years later) the state ideological apparatus becomes, literally, the pre-text for a narrative of disillusionment. Alberto's text is more, however, than an instance of revisionist history, since the ambitious experimentation with narrative form and historiographical convention represents a serious inquiry into the nature of these discourses. Indeed, while the binaries of literature and history, poetry and politics, storytelling and argumentation structure the narrative, they are not resolved, ultimately, in favor of one term over the other, but rather performed and deconstructed. Informe contra mí mismo is published in a historical juncture in which Cuba appears to face just two choices, represented by the metanarratives of socialist revolution, on one hand, and of the inexorable globalization of capital, on the other. These choices, however, offer Cuba a national narrative either of protracted resistance to global capitalism under a totalitarian regime or of wholesale capitulation. Informe contra mí mismo begins to lay the discursive groundwork from which alternative narratives might emerge. (Cuban Stud/DÜI)

Carl Schmitt's Hamlet or Hecuba (1956) is a peculiar text. For one, it stands out as the only detailed interpretation of a literary work that Schmitt ever produced. This is not to deny Schmitt's overall erudition and familiarity with Western literature nor his particular interest in the intricate relationship between aesthetics and politics, all of which can be traced throughout his writings from the 1910s to the 1950s. But the fact remains that apart from Hamlet or Hecuba, Schmitt did not employ close readings of literary texts as a means to elaborate on his politico-philosophical ideas. Hamlet or Hecuba is... [Excerpt provided by TELOS]. Adapted from the source document.

Examines the "interpretive turn" in legal philosophy based on the premise that statutes & constitutions are texts, & that literary interpretation may enhance legal interpretation. Theoretical positions on legal interpretation include intentionalist, textualist, value-maximizing, historical, neopragmatist, & critical. Intentionalism is first examined, since it is used in most interpretive theories of law. Next, its two main rivals in analytic jurisprudence, textualism & value-maximization are studied. The three approaches from the continental tradition, historical, pragmatist, & critical theories of interpretation, are then examined. The many eligible interpretations of a literary text do not result in a single authoritative or correct interpretation; & therefore, the adequacy of theory interpretation should be based on its satisfactory answer to the question of indeterminacy & authority. 102 References. L. A. Hoffman