Mark Twain on film, the Edinburgh Book Fest, poetry readings, and more
This week was filled to the brim with poetry-related materials. Below, you'll find links to video poetry readings, essays on poetry, and previously-published poems that fit into today's context. Enjoy!
News, Reviews, and Interviews
A blogger on Arabic Literature recently asked a translator and publisher what it takes to become a literary translator.
The Poetry Translation Center compiled six essays from the translators of three Persian poets: Azita Ghahreman, Shakila Azizzada, and Reza Mohammadi.
Alexandra Popoff discusses her new book, The Wives: The Women Behind Russia's Literary Giants, at Publisher's Weekly.
Though she has never had any formal training, Pakistani poet Sadaf Raza illuminates the plight of Pakistani women in her new book, Write Me in Red.
Words Without Borders is asking for support in the publication of Geoff Wisner's new anthology of African memoirs and autobiographies.
2010 Neustadt juror Nathalie Handal creates many of the Words Without Borders dispatches. Her newest is an interview with David McDannald.
The only film footage of Mark Twain recently surfaced all over the Internet.
The folks at NPR wonder if book covers are a "dying art" for e-book publishers in their newest podcast.
Best-selling author Larry McMurty hopes to reduce the amount of books in his bookstore, Booked Up, at a book sale starting this weekend.
For Your Calendar
The Institute of Contemporary Arts in London plans to host a film festival entitled "Safar: A Journey Through Popular Arab Cinema" at the end of September.
The Edinburgh International Book Festival begins on August 11 and runs until the end of the month.
The American Literary Translators Association's annual Conference is scheduled for October 3-6 in Rochester, NY. The keynote speaker will be David Bellos.
Fun Finds and Inspiration
When a Chicago-based couple discovered a severe lack of Urdu-language books available in bookstores, they decided to open their own.
Some of Susan Sontag's best quotes on love and relationships have been illustrated at Brain Pickings.
American poet Ron Silliman reads an excerpt from his poem "Northern Soul" on video at the Poetry International website.
The New Yorker's Richard Brody discusses the guidelines for making films based on literature, specifically with the forthcoming The Great Gatsby movie.
The Atlantic discusses what adults can gain by reading children's books.
In honor of the Mars rover landing this week, Guernica posted an exerpt of 1975 Puterbaugh Fellow 's "Prose from the Observatory."
Slamshorts.com is a website where slam poetry and short films collide. You could spend hours watching all the videos.
Publisher's Weekly assembled a short list of "the world's most difficult books." How many have you (tried to) read?
