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		<title>the Literary Saloon</title>
		<link>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/index.htm</link>
		<description>opinionated commentary on literary matters</description>
		<language>en-us</language>
		<copyright>Copyright 2012 the Complete Review</copyright>
		<docs>http://backend.userland.com/rss</docs>
		<managingEditor>mao@complete-review.com</managingEditor>
		<webMaster>mao@complete-review.com</webMaster>
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			<title>Q and A: Susan Bernofsky</title>
			<link>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201202a.htm#ae7</link>
<description><![CDATA[
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;At the Daily American PEN weblog, Betsy Ribble has <a href="http://www.pen.org/blog/?p=8364" target="_blank">Journey of the Sentence: A Conversation with Susan Bernofsky</a>.
<br>
<br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Susan Bernofsky's most recent translation is <i>Berlin Stories</i> by Robert Walser; see the New York Review Books Classics <a href="http://www.nybooks.com/books/imprints/classics/berlin-stories/" target="_blank">publicity page</a>, or get your copy from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1590174542/ref=nosim/completereview" target="_blank">Amazon.com</a> or <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1590174542/ref=nosim/completereview07" target="_blank">Amazon.co.uk</a>.
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			<guid>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201202a.htm#ae7</guid>
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			<title>Q and A: Vikram Seth</title>
			<link>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201202a.htm#ae8</link>
<description><![CDATA[
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<i>The Telegraph (Calcutta)</i> has a <a href="http://telegraphindia.com/1120203/jsp/entertainment/story_15084502.jsp" target="_blank">Q &amp; A</a> with Vikram Seth.
<br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Among his responses:

<blockquote>
<font size="-1">
<b>Do you ever get tired of answering questions on <i>A Suitable Boy</i> ?</b>
<br>
<br>
Ha ha ha ha ha ! 
Well, it's been 20 years since I wrote that thing. 
What I do is I change my answers !
</font>
</blockquote>
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			<guid>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201202a.htm#ae8</guid>
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			<title>Le prix Soroptimist</title>
			<link>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201202a.htm#ae9</link>
<description><![CDATA[
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Here's an interesting idea for a literary prize: <a href="http://www.prixromansorop.fr/" target="_blank">Le prix Soroptimist de la Romanci&egrave;re Francophone</a> -- restricted to women authors who write in French but aren't French nationals; see this year's <a href="http://www.prixromansorop.fr/index.php?Action=Selection" target="_blank">finalists</a>.
]]></description>
			<guid>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201202a.htm#ae9</guid>
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			<title>Fermina M&#225;rquez review</title>
			<link>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201202a.htm#af1</link>
<description><![CDATA[
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The most recent addition to the <font color="#a52a2a"><i>complete review</i></font> is my review of Valery Larbaud's 1911 novel, <a href="http://www.complete-review.com/reviews/ancienf/larbaudv.htm" target="_blank">Fermina M&#225;rquez</a>.
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			<guid>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201202a.htm#af1</guid>
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			<title>In conversation with ... Monika Fagerholm</title>
			<link>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201202a.htm#af2</link>
<description><![CDATA[
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;On Tuesday, 7 February, at 18:30 I'll be <a href="http://www.scandinaviahouse.org/events_lectures_literary_upcoming.html#theglitterscene" target="_blank">in conversation</a> with Swedish-writing Finnish author Monika Fagerholm at Scandinavia House in New York.
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			<guid>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201202a.htm#af2</guid>
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			<title>Wis&#322;awa Szymborska (1923-2012)</title>
			<link>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201202a.htm#ae3</link>
<description><![CDATA[
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The 1996 <a href="http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1996/" target="_blank">Nobel laureate</a>, Polish poet Wis&#322;awa Szymborska, has passed away; see, for example, Raymond H. Anderson's <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/02/books/wislawa-szymborska-nobel-winning-polish-poet-dies-at-88.html" target="_blank">obituary</a> in <i>The New York Times</i>.
<br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;For some of her poetry, click on the links on her pages at <a href="http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/340" target="_blank">Poets.org</a> and the <a href="http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/wisaawa-szymborska" target="_blank">Poetry Foundation</a> (and see also her 'advice for blocked writers and aspiring poets', <a href="http://www.poetryfoundation.org/article/178592" target="_blank">How To (and How Not To) Write Poetry</a>).
]]></description>
			<guid>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201202a.htm#ae3</guid>
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			<title>Amazon.com enters the Indian market</title>
			<link>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201202a.htm#ae4</link>
<description><![CDATA[
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The only surprise is that it took this long, but Amazon.com now also has an Indian presence -- <a href="http://www.junglee.com/" target="_blank">Junglee.com</a> -- which they <a href="http://www.junglee.com/f/1000570123/ref=footer_aboutus/" target="_blank">describe as</a>:

<blockquote>
<font size="-1">
an online shopping service by Amazon which enables customers to find and discover products from online and offline retailers in India and from Amazon.com. 
Junglee organizes massive selection and multiple buying options from hundreds of sellers, and leverages Amazon's proven technologies and millions of customer reviews to help customers make smart purchase decisions.
</font>
</blockquote>

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It's unlike the usual Amazon-model, however -- in fact, it's practically the inverse of how Amazon.com works in the US and elsewhere:

<blockquote>
<font size="-1">
You cannot buy directly from Junglee. 
Junglee puts you in touch with sellers by directing you to their websites, displaying their customer service phone numbers and providing their physical store locations to help you buy the products directly from sellers.
</font>
</blockquote>

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;That, presumably, is not the long-term plan .....
<br>
<br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(The Indian market is obviously a promising one; the <font color="#a52a2a"><i>complete review</i></font> links to <a href="http://www.flipkart.com/" target="_blank">Flipkart</a> (which Junglee pointedly does <i>not</i> link to in offering users purchasing options ...) for Indian readers who wish to purchase books locally -- and there are days when there are a similar number of click-throughs as there are to Amazon.co.uk (and far more than to all the other Amazon variations, aside from Amazon.com proper).)
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			<guid>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201202a.htm#ae4</guid>
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			<title>February issues</title>
			<link>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201202a.htm#ae5</link>
<description><![CDATA[
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Among February issues of online periodicals now available is the <a href="http://www.openlettersmonthly.com/2012/02/" target="_blank">February issue</a> of <i>Open Letters Monthly</i>, and the new issue of <a href="http://wordswithoutborders.org/current-issue/" target="_blank">Words without Borders</a> -- 'International Graphic Novels: Volume VI'.
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			<guid>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201202a.htm#ae5</guid>
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			<title>The Fat Years review</title>
			<link>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201202a.htm#ae6</link>
<description><![CDATA[
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The most recent addition to the <font color="#a52a2a"><i>complete review</i></font> is my review of Chan Koonchung's <a href="http://www.complete-review.com/reviews/china/chank.htm" target="_blank">The Fat Years</a>.
<br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;One can see why this was a much-discussed recent Chinese novel -- but unfortunately it falls rather far short as a novel. 
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			<guid>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201202a.htm#ae6</guid>
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			<title>&#201;tonnants Voyageurs</title>
			<link>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201202a.htm#ad9</link>
<description><![CDATA[
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The literary festival <a href="http://www.etonnants-voyageurs.com/" target="_blank">&#201;tonnants Voyageurs</a> runs today through the 4th in Haiti. 
See also the <a href="http://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-4848-haiti-literature-3rd-edition-of-festival-etonnants-voyageurs.html" target="_blank">preview</a> in <i>Haiti Libre</i>.
]]></description>
			<guid>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201202a.htm#ad9</guid>
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			<title>Oxford University Press India at 100</title>
			<link>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201202a.htm#ae1</link>
<description><![CDATA[
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="http://www.oup.co.in/" target="_blank">Oxford University Press India</a> turns 100 this year, and in <i>Caravan</i> Ramachandra Guha offers 'A personal history of the Oxford University Press India at 100', in <a href="http://caravanmagazine.in/Story.aspx?Storyid=1272&StoryStyle=FullStory" target="_blank">Shelf Life</a>.
]]></description>
			<guid>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201202a.htm#ae1</guid>
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			<title>Reading in ... Indonesia</title>
			<link>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201202a.htm#ae2</link>
<description><![CDATA[
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;In the <i>Jakarta Globe</i> Grace Susetyo finds <a href="http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/lifestyle/read-a-good-book-lately-too-many-indonesians-answer-no/494107" target="_blank">Read a Good Book Lately ? Too Many Indonesians Answer 'No'</a>, as:

<blockquote>
<font size="-1">
Reading seems less than fashionable among Indonesians, especially when it comes to fine literature. 
People searching for a good book, often complain that there isn't much choice in a market dominated by romance, cheap humor or life in the fast lane
</font>
</blockquote>

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;But Windy Ariestanty, editor-in-chief of <a href="http://www.gagasmedia.net/" target="_blank">GagasMedia</a> argues:

<blockquote>
<font size="-1">
Saying that young people don't like &quot;good reads&quot; is an excuse, said Windy. 
&quot;Publishers and writers refuse to admit to their inability to produce good work that people will actually read and pay for. 
</font>
</blockquote>
]]></description>
			<guid>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201202a.htm#ae2</guid>
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			<title>Publishing in ... Burma</title>
			<link>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201201c.htm#ad3</link>
<description><![CDATA[
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Are things really moving in the right direction in Burma ? 
Among the many signals that the regime is lightening up: in <i>The Myanmar Times</i> Zon Pann Pwint reports that publishers and writers are <a href="http://www.mmtimes.com/2012/timeout/612/timeout61202.html" target="_blank">Seeking freedom from fear of selling sensitive books</a> -- and meeting with success.
<br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Among the books recently permitted: Thant Myint-U's <a href="http://www.complete-review.com/reviews/burma/myintut.htm" target="_blank">The River of Lost Footsteps</a> (currently just in English, but a Burmese translation is in the works).
<br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And:

<blockquote>
<font size="-1">
&quot;I was surprised to get approval for my novel <i>Tha Ya Aw Than</i> (Shout of Vowels) without having even a single word removed,&quot; said writer Nyi Min Nyo.
<br>
<br>
The book, which was published earlier this month, features a story in which vowels are the main characters. 
It contains a message about the importance of dialogue.
<br>
<br>
&quot;A year ago it would not have been possible to get permission to publish this type of novel,&quot; he said.
</font>
</blockquote>

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(Sunds like it might be interesting .....)
<br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Of course, they do have to still write 'Myanmar' rather than 'Burma' .....
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			<guid>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201201c.htm#ad3</guid>
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			<title>Writing in ... Tunisia</title>
			<link>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201201c.htm#ad4</link>
<description><![CDATA[
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;At ahramonline Mary Mourad reports on three writers who: &quot;discuss their novels portraying Tunisia's modern history and ponder the future of literature in the post-Ben Ali era at the Cairo Book Fair&quot;, in <a href="http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContentP/18/33029/Books/Tunisian-novelists-caught-between-sadness-and-opti.aspx" target="_blank">Tunisian novelists caught between sadness and optimism</a>.
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			<guid>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201201c.htm#ad4</guid>
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			<title>Finalists for Iranian Book of the Year - foreign category</title>
			<link>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201201c.htm#ad5</link>
<description><![CDATA[
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;IBNA reports that <a href="http://www.ibna.ir/vdchx6nzw23nimd.01t2.html" target="_blank">Nominees of Book of the Year Award announced</a> -- not the domestic stuff, but in the 'other languages'-category, among others.
<br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Among the finalists: <i>Humboldt's Gift</i> by Saul Bellow and <i>The Plague</i> by Albert Camus ..... 
(They're competing against crime fiction by Boileau-Narcejac and Simenon.)
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			<guid>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201201c.htm#ad5</guid>
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			<title>The Script Road</title>
			<link>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201201c.htm#ad6</link>
<description><![CDATA[
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="http://www.thescriptroad.org/" target="_blank">The Script Road</a> -- running 29 January through 4 February -- is: &quot;the first ever Literary Festival organized in the Special Administrative Region of Macau&quot;.
<br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And, promisingly, among the panels is one asking; 'Can writing still be political ?'
<br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;See also Kate O'Keeffe's report, <a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/scene/2012/01/30/in-macau-a-literary-fest-blooms-among-the-casinos/" target="_blank">In Macau, a Literary Fest Blooms Among the Casinos</a>, at the <i>Wall Street Journal</i>'s Scene Asia weblog.
]]></description>
			<guid>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201201c.htm#ad6</guid>
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			<title>Self-epublishing bubble ?</title>
			<link>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201201c.htm#ad7</link>
<description><![CDATA[
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;In <i>The Guardian</i> Ewan Morrison argues that we are at the start of an epublishing bubble, in <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/jan/30/self-e-publishing-bubble-ewan-morrison" target="_blank">The self-epublishing bubble</a>.
<br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;I think he places way too much emphasis on writers (in the broadest sense of the word) looking to actually make real money by self-e-publishing -- and while I do see a bubble forming, I think we're still really, really early in the game, and this is going to get a lot bigger before it messily (but also rather harmlessly) bursts.  
]]></description>
			<guid>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201201c.htm#ad7</guid>
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			<title>Death as a Side Effect review</title>
			<link>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201201c.htm#ad8</link>
<description><![CDATA[
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The most recent addition to the <font color="#a52a2a"><i>complete review</i></font> is my review Ana Mar&#237;a Shua's <a href="http://www.complete-review.com/reviews/argentina/shuaam2.htm" target="_blank">Death as a Side Effect</a>.
]]></description>
			<guid>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201201c.htm#ad8</guid>
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			<title>E-books in ... the Philippines</title>
			<link>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201201c.htm#ac9</link>
<description><![CDATA[
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&quot;<a href="http://www.flipreads.com/book_publishers/flipside/" target="_blank">Flipreads</a> is your premiere source of electronic books (e-books) from and about the Philippines and Asia&quot;, they say -- though the number of available titles is still pretty limited. 
But it's a start
<br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;At CNet's Asia Blogs Joseph F. Nacino reports on <a href="http://asia.cnet.com/blogs/bringing-classic-filipino-literature-forward-62213182.htm" target="_blank">Bringing classic Filipino literature forward</a> this way.
]]></description>
			<guid>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201201c.htm#ac9</guid>
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			<title>Jonathan Franzen on e-books</title>
			<link>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201201c.htm#ad1</link>
<description><![CDATA[
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Anita Singh -- <i>The Telegraph</i>'s 'Showbusiness Editor' -- reports from the <a href="http://www.hayfestival.com/cartagena/en-index.aspx?skinid=5&localesetting=en-ES&currencysetting=EUR&resetfilters=true" target="_blank">Hay Festival in Cartagena, Colombia</a> that <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/hay-festival/9047981/Jonathan-Franzen-e-books-are-damaging-society.html" target="_blank">Jonathan Franzen: e-books are damaging society</a>.
<br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;One imagines (or likes to) that his actual statements were a bit more coherent, but regardless, no doubt the man who threw out his TV (and didn't he write blindfolded too, to keep out the distractions ?) is nobody's go-to guy on matters of technological change and the like. 
<br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Still, it's fun to hear him spout stuff like:

<blockquote>
<font size="-1">
&quot;The technicians of finance are making the decisions there. 
It has very little to do with democracy or the will of the people. 
And we are hostage to that because we like our iPhones.&quot;
</font>
</blockquote>
]]></description>
			<guid>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201201c.htm#ad1</guid>
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			<title>Ragnarok review</title>
			<link>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201201c.htm#ad2</link>
<description><![CDATA[
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The most recent addition to the <font color="#a52a2a"><i>complete review</i></font> is my review A.S.Byatt's <a href="http://www.complete-review.com/reviews/byattas/ragnarok.htm" target="_blank">Ragnarok</a>: <i>The End of the Gods</i>, her contribution to <a href="http://www.themyths.co.uk/" target="_blank">The Myths</a>.-series.
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			<guid>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201201c.htm#ad2</guid>
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			<title>Peter Carey profile</title>
			<link>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201201c.htm#ac6</link>
<description><![CDATA[
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;In <i>The Age</i> Simon Mann <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/books/interview-peter-carey-20120126-1qiap.html" target="_blank">profiles</a> Peter Carey, whose new novel, <i>The Chemistry of Tears</i>, is just out -- in Australia.
<br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;See also the publicity pages from <a href="http://www.penguin.com.au/products/9781926428154/chemistry-tears" target="_blank">Penguin Books Australia</a> and <a href="http://www.faber.co.uk/work/chemistry-of-tears/9780571279975/" target="_blank">Faber</a>, or pre-order your copy from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0307592715/ref=nosim/completereview" target="_blank">Amazon.com</a> (US release date: May) or <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/057127997X/ref=nosim/completereview07" target="_blank">Amazon.co.uk</a> (UK release date: April).
]]></description>
			<guid>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201201c.htm#ac6</guid>
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			<title>Indian literature abroad</title>
			<link>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201201c.htm#ac7</link>
<description><![CDATA[
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;In the <i>Economic Times</i> Narayani Ganesh has a Q &amp; A with the head of foreign literature at French publisher Buchet-Chastel, Marc Parent, <a href="http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/opinion/interviews/indian-literature-is-riding-a-very-powerful-economic-wave-marc-parent/articleshow/11659550.cms" target="_blank">Indian literature is riding a very powerful economic wave</a>.
]]></description>
			<guid>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201201c.htm#ac7</guid>
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			<title>Banned books in ... Viet Nam</title>
			<link>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201201c.htm#ac8</link>
<description><![CDATA[
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kelly Macnamara finds that <a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5isNtaKNOHmYPgPUduCAW7LKE4zQg?docId%3DCNG.b87b04d0027d305a495120d7a49a93c4.411" target="_blank">Banned books hot property in censored Vietnam</a> for AFP, as:

<blockquote>
<font size="-1">
Vietnam's pop culture is attracting the attention of print censors who experts say are struggling to accept an increasingly brash literary scene.
<br>
<br>
After years spent keeping political texts off the printing presses, authorities are setting their sights on the growing market of publishing for young people, with several books prohibited in recent months.
</font>
</blockquote>
]]></description>
			<guid>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201201c.htm#ac8</guid>
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			<title>Literature in ... India</title>
			<link>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201201c.htm#ab8</link>
<description><![CDATA[
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;At Tehelka Nisha Susan speculates -- in the wonderfully titled <a href="http://www.tehelka.com/story_main51.asp?filename=hub040212That.asp" target="_blank">Is That a Fish in Your Indian Ear ?</a> -- &quot;What would India be if we were reading each other more? &quot;
<br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Indeed, sadly:

<blockquote>
<font size="-1">
At this year's JLF, there are 260 Indian writers of which over 40 write in Indian languages other than English, and not one of them have the glamorous aura of those who write in English.
</font>
</blockquote>

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Interestingly, even in India:

<blockquote>
<font size="-1">
At the heart of the sluggishness in the bhasha book trade is the shocking but everyday assumption that translation is second-hand and second-rate. 
</font>
</blockquote>
]]></description>
			<guid>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201201c.htm#ab8</guid>
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			<title>Icelandic Literature Awards</title>
			<link>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201201c.htm#ab9</link>
<description><![CDATA[
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;In the <i>Iceland Review</i> they announce that <a href="http://www.icelandreview.com/icelandreview/daily_news/Icelandic_Literature_Awards_Announced_0_386781.news.aspx" target="_blank">Icelandic Literature Awards Announced</a> -- with <i>Allt me&#240; kossi vekur</i> by Gu&#240;r&#250;n Eva M&#237;nervud&#243;ttir winning in the fiction category.
]]></description>
			<guid>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201201c.htm#ab9</guid>
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			<title>African writers Q and A</title>
			<link>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201201c.htm#ac1</link>
<description><![CDATA[
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Theleka has a triple-Q&amp;A, with African writers Ben Okri, Taiye Selasi, and Teju Cole, making for <a href="http://www.tehelka.com/story_main51.asp?filename=hub040212Africa.asp" target="_blank">An Africa That Talks Back</a>.
]]></description>
			<guid>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201201c.htm#ac1</guid>
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			<title>Kenan Malik on Rushdie-(not)-in-Jaipur</title>
			<link>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201201c.htm#ac2</link>
<description><![CDATA[
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Eurozine prints Kenan Malik's piece from <i>Pandaemonium</i>, <a href="http://www.eurozine.com/articles/2012-01-27-malik-en.html" target="_blank">To name the unnameable</a>, in which he takes on the recent Salman Rushdie non-appearance at the <a href="http://jaipurliteraturefestival.org/index/" target="_blank">Jaipur Literature Festival</a> (see also my most recent <a href="#ab4">mention</a>, etc.).
<br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Malik notes:

<blockquote>
<font size="-1">
But if it is not the role of literary festivals to stand up for writers, and to defend their right to speak, especially in these circumstances, it is difficult to know what is. 
The festival's decision not just to distance itself from Kunzru and Kumar but to threaten others who might be thinking of following suit was nothing less than cowardly.
<br>
<br>
Contrast the pusillanimity of the Jaipur festival organizers with the response of writers, publishers, editors, translators and booksellers faced with Ayotalloh Khomeini's fatwa in 1989.
</font>
</blockquote>

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Indeed .....
]]></description>
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			<title>Profile: Adonis</title>
			<link>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201201c.htm#ac3</link>
<description><![CDATA[
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;In <i>The Guardian</i> Maya Jaggi has an extensive profile of the Syrian poet, <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2012/jan/27/adonis-syrian-poet-life-in-writing" target="_blank">Adonis: a life in writing</a>.
<br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;One impressive fact: mom is still around -- at age 107 !
<br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And quote of interest:

<blockquote>
<font size="-1">
What's really absurd is that the Arab opposition to dictators refuses any critique; it's a vicious circle. 
So someone who is against despotism in all its forms can't be either with the regime or with those who call themselves its opponents. 
The opposition is a regime avant la lettre." He adds: "In our tradition, unfortunately, everything is based on unity -- the oneness of God, of politics, of the people. We can't ever arrive at democracy with this mentality, because democracy is based on understanding the other as different. 
You can't think you hold the truth, and that nobody else has it.
</font>
</blockquote>
]]></description>
			<guid>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201201c.htm#ac3</guid>
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			<title>Profile: Roger Scruton</title>
			<link>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201201c.htm#ac4</link>
<description><![CDATA[
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;In <i>The Telegraph</i> Georgia Dehn looks at the <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/authorinterviews/9045076/World-of-Roger-Scruton-writer-and-philosopher.html" target="_blank">World of Roger Scruton, writer and philosopher</a>.
<br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;I'm not a huge fan -- see, for example, my review of his <a href="http://www.complete-review.com/reviews/divphil/scruton.htm" target="_blank">The Uses of Pessimism</a> -- but I do like this format for an author-profile.
]]></description>
			<guid>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201201c.htm#ac4</guid>
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			<title>All Our Worldly Goods review</title>
			<link>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201201c.htm#ac5</link>
<description><![CDATA[
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The most recent addition to the <font color="#a52a2a"><i>complete review</i></font> is my review of Ir&#232;ne N&#233;mirovsky's <a href="http://www.complete-review.com/reviews/nemirovi/allour.htm" target="_blank">All Our Worldly Goods</a>.
]]></description>
			<guid>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201201c.htm#ac5</guid>
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			<title>Nigerian writers abroad</title>
			<link>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201201c.htm#ab2</link>
<description><![CDATA[
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;AP has an article on how <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/nigerian-authors-both-home-and-abroad-need-international-fame-to-sell-back-home/2012/01/26/gIQAu1FUSQ_story.html" target="_blank">Nigerian authors, both home and abroad, need international fame to sell back home</a>, as:

<blockquote>
<font size="-1">
While Nigeria serves as a muse, many of these new authors must live abroad or tap into Western networks to earn a living from their writing. 
The international attention helps them secure a reputation in Nigeria and allows their books to be published here too.
</font>
</blockquote>

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Also worth noting:

<blockquote>
<font size="-1">
Western publishing also overlooks a vast body of non-English writing in a country where more than 150 languages are spoken. 
Hausa-language literature that is self-published, for instance, has thrived in Nigeria's north, but is unheard of by non-Hausa speakers
</font>
</blockquote>

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;I hope someone looks into that .....
]]></description>
			<guid>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201201c.htm#ab2</guid>
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			<title>New Review of Contemporary Fiction</title>
			<link>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201201c.htm#ab3</link>
<description><![CDATA[
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;A <a href="http://www.dalkeyarchive.com/book/?GCOI=15647100809690&fa=sommaire" target="_blank">new issue</a> of the <i>Review of Contemporary Fiction</i> is out, and while the Flann O'Brien-content is not freely accessible online, the reviews are; scroll down to the review section and click away !
]]></description>
			<guid>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201201c.htm#ab3</guid>
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			<title>Dalrymple on the Rushdie-fiasco</title>
			<link>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201201c.htm#ab4</link>
<description><![CDATA[
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;William Dalrymple tries to explain <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/jan/26/salman-rushdie-jaipur-literary-festival" target="_blank">Why Salman Rushdie's voice was silenced in Jaipur</a>, as he gives a run-down of what unfolded at the <a href="http://jaipurliteraturefestival.org/index/" target="_blank">Jaipur Literature Festival</a>; see also my <a href="#aa3">previous mention</a>, etc.
]]></description>
			<guid>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201201c.htm#ab4</guid>
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			<title>Armenian literature</title>
			<link>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201201c.htm#ab5</link>
<description><![CDATA[
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;At ArmeniaNow Gohar Abrahamyan reports on <a href="http://armenianow.com/arts_and_culture/34995/armenia_literary_magazine_granish" target="_blank">Granish: Spreading Armenian literary word</a>, as:

<blockquote>
<font size="-1">
Armenian literature enthusiasts on Wednesday unveiled an upgraded version of their literary website that appears popular among reading aficionados and authors.
</font>
</blockquote>

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Check out the <a href="http://granish.org/" target="_blank">&#1331;&#1360;&#1329;&#1350;&#1339;&#1351;</a>-site -- but, yes, the content is practically all in Armenian. 
]]></description>
			<guid>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201201c.htm#ab5</guid>
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			<title>Publishing in ... Finland</title>
			<link>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201201c.htm#ab6</link>
<description><![CDATA[
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<i>Helsingin Sanomat</i> report that <a href="http://www.hs.fi/english/article/WSOY+regains+number+one+spot+in+publishers%E2%80%99+quality+comparison/1135270267969" target="_blank">WSOY regains number one spot in publishers' quality comparison</a> -- for what that's worth.
<br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;More interesting, the note that:

<blockquote>
<font size="-1">
The sales of fiction even went up a little bit, despite the fact that the total sales edged down by a couple of percentage points.
</font>
</blockquote>

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(They report that overall book sales declined 6.7 per cent, so the fiction-plus is significant.)
]]></description>
			<guid>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201201c.htm#ab6</guid>
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			<title>'Europe's narrative bias' ?</title>
			<link>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201201c.htm#ab7</link>
<description><![CDATA[
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;At Eurozine Erik Hammar complains about <a href="http://www.eurozine.com/articles/2012-01-26-hammar-en.html" target="_blank">Europe's narrative bias</a> -- and he may have a point, given that:

<blockquote>
<font size="-1">
Grants for literary translation showed a similar bias. 
Half of the nearly 500 projects were for translations of texts originally written in English, French or German; Estonian was the source language in 2. 
</font>
</blockquote>
]]></description>
			<guid>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201201c.htm#ab7</guid>
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			<title>Stig S&#230;terbakken (1966-2012)</title>
			<link>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201201c.htm#aa5</link>
<description><![CDATA[
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Norwegian author Stig S&#230;terbakken has passed away; see, for example, (Norwegian) reports in <a href="http://www.aftenposten.no/kultur/Stig-Saterbakken-dod-6748910.html" target="_blank">Aftenposten</a> and <a href="http://www.dagbladet.no/2012/01/25/kultur/litteratur/bok/19937861/" target="_blank">Dagbladet</a>. 
(His US publisher, Dalkey Archive Press, <a href="http://www.dalkeyarchive.com/aboutus/?fa=news" target="_blank">report it</a> as a suicide; the Scandinavian press has been more circumspect.)
<br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;See also the <font color="#a52a2a"><i>complete review</i></font> review of his <a href="http://www.complete-review.com/reviews/norge/saeters.htm" target="_blank">Siamese</a>, as well as the information page at Norwegian publisher <a href="http://www.cappelendamm.no/main/Katalog.aspx?f=2472" target="_blank">Cappelen Damm</a>.
]]></description>
			<guid>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201201c.htm#aa5</guid>
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			<title>Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature finalists</title>
			<link>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201201c.htm#aa6</link>
<description><![CDATA[
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;They've <a href="http://www.jewishbookcouncil.org/awards/2012-sami-rohr-prize-for-jewish-literature" target="_blank">announced</a> the finalists for the Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature.
<br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;They alternate between non and fiction, and this year it is, regrettably, again a non year. 
The prize is also noteworthy for being one of the richest in the US, the &#36;100,000 prize putting the 'big' literary prizes -- Pulitzer, National Book Award, NBCC, etc. -- to (remunerative) shame.
]]></description>
			<guid>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201201c.htm#aa6</guid>
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			<title>E-books in: Africa</title>
			<link>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201201c.htm#aa7</link>
<description><![CDATA[
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;In the <i>Business Daily</i> Wangui Maina reports that <a href="http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/African+publishers+lag+in+shift+to+electronic+books+/-/539444/1313940/-/wyl5hgz/-/" target="_blank">African publishers lag in shift to electronic books</a>, as:

<blockquote>
<font size="-1">
Electronic readers are transforming the way people enjoy their books. 
However, there is very little African published content on the online stores.
</font>
</blockquote>

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Look for that to change fast.
]]></description>
			<guid>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201201c.htm#aa7</guid>
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			<title>E-books in: Arabic</title>
			<link>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201201c.htm#aa8</link>
<description><![CDATA[
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;In <i>The National</i> Neil Parmar finds that slowly <a href="http://www.thenational.ae/thenationalconversation/industry-insights/technology/e-books-put-the-accent-on-arabic?pageCount=0" target="_blank">E-books put the accent on Arabic</a> -- another as yet under-developed market that is showing signs of growth.
]]></description>
			<guid>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201201c.htm#aa8</guid>
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			<title>The Cyclist Conspiracy review</title>
			<link>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201201c.htm#aa9</link>
<description><![CDATA[
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The most recent addition to the <font color="#a52a2a"><i>complete review</i></font> is my review of Svetislav Basara's novel, <a href="http://www.complete-review.com/reviews/yugo/basaras2.htm" target="_blank">The Cyclist Conspiracy</a>.
]]></description>
			<guid>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201201c.htm#aa9</guid>
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			<title>'A World of International Literature'</title>
			<link>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201201c.htm#ab1</link>
<description><![CDATA[
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;A reminder that I will be speaking on 'A World of International Literature: Bringing Foreign Fiction Home' at the <a href="http://www.sheffieldma.gov/Pages/SheffieldMA_Library/upcoming%20events?textPage=1" target="_blank">Bushnell-Sage Library</a> in Sheffield, Massachusetts at 19:00 tomorrow !
]]></description>
			<guid>http://www.complete-review.com/saloon/archive/201201c.htm#ab1</guid>
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