The board of the World Fantasy awards has said that it is “in discussion” about its winners’ statuette, modelled on the late HP Lovecraft, after calls for the trophy to be changed due to Lovecraft’s “fundamental racism”.
Over the past … Read the rest
Nobel laureate and writer Nadine Gordimer has died at the age of 90, reports said on Monday.
She died peacefully in her sleep at her Johannesburg home on Sunday, law firm Edward Nathan Sonnenbergs said in a statement on behalf … Read the rest
PRAAG, the Pro-Afrikaans Action Group, has come out in favour of the EFF plan to scrap the bits of Die Stem still sung as part of the South African national anthem.
“Although, like all Afrikaners, we love Die Stem,” said … Read the rest
MEXICO CITY — Gabriel Garcia Marquez, the Colombian author whose beguiling stories of love and longing brought Latin America to life for millions of readers and put magical realism on the literary map, died on Thursday. He was 87.
A … Read the rest
The deepening crisis in Ukraine involves not only issues of political sovereignty, European integration and Russian hegemony, but also language and its relationship to nationalism and ethnic identity. Immediately after the removal of President Viktor Yanukovych from power on Feb. … Read the rest
An African-American student at Sacramento State University is under fire for her recent work of art – which consisted of “lynching” two white men from a tree on the northern California campus.
The men were reportedly actors and were in … Read the rest
by Peter Debruge
Tucked among the 76 submissions competing for this year’s Oscar foreign-language prize is a film quite unlike any that has previously represented Brazil, whose cinematic output has been more directly associated with flashy, slum-set pics like “City … Read the rest
More than 500 renowned authors – including five Nobel laureates – from across the globe have signed a petition demanding to end ‘mass surveillance’. It follows the revelations over the last few months of US’ and other countries’ spying.
Their … Read the rest
People attending the London premiere of a new film about Nelson Mandela were told of his death as the closing credits rolled, reported Associated Press.
Stopping the screening of “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom” was discussed, but Mandela’s … Read the rest
Veteran BBC TV and radio presenter Paul Gambaccini was arrested on suspicion of sexual offenses, the broadcaster said Friday.
Gambaccini, 64, has worked at the BBC for four decades and is one of Britain’s best-known music presenters. The BBC said … Read the rest
The Czech artist David Cerny’s sculpture floats in the Vltava River and is aimed at the presidential residence, Prague Castle, in the background.
Mr. Cerny is not known for understatement or diplomacy after displaying a caricature of a former Czech … Read the rest
Some 3 million Muslim pilgrims ascended Mount Arafat near Mecca in Saudi Arabia at the climax of the annual haj.
Authorities deployed around 100,000 security personnel to secure the pilgrims, the state-run Saudi Press Agency reported.
The granite hill is … Read the rest
Canadian writer Alice Munro has won this year’s Nobel Prize in literature.
More than a hundred reporters from around the world thronged and bustled in the Stock Exchange Building in Stockholm’s Old Town for about an hour before the doors … Read the rest
by Mesfin Fekadu
While Miley Cyrus has a batch of critics, there is a group rallying behind her and praising her as a vital talent: rappers.
Pharrell produced several songs on Cyrus’ new album. She has been featured on the … Read the rest
