Whenever a newspaper needs filler in England they always dig up the same old meme: Those beastly Americans (or, increasingly, Eurocrats) are trying to destroy our: roadside cafes, chippies, great British sausage, football, Christmas, biscuits, old fashioned class based xenophobia. . . Well this time it's the turn of Bonfire Night. In Monday's Guardian an ill informed man called Andrew Martin wrote a piece on the American tradition of Halloween and why (yawn) it's too commercial, too packaged, too boring and is inferior to the rituals surounding Guy Fawkes Night....
What is Guy Fawkes Night I hear you beastly Americans ask? Well it's the night of November 5th when they drag an effigy of a Catholic rebel who tried to blow up Parliament through the streets, hoist him on a bonfire, throw things at him, and set fire to him. Lovely eh? Of course from Joan of Arc onwards certain upper class Brits have enjoyed burning Catholics as a hobbby and I suppose it's one of the great shibboleths of traditional England along with darts, Saturday night street brawling and saying rude things about the French, Yanks, Germans and Micks.
...
I am a Mick and I grew up not with Guy Fawkes Night but rather with Halloween, as did most Scots and not a few Welsh. Despite Mr Martin's silly claims, it isn't an American invention, in fact Guy Fawkes Night itself only dates back to the seventeenth century and before that all good Englishmen celebrated, yes, that's right, October 31st not November 5th. Martin doesn't appear to know that the Celtic inhabitants of the British Isles have never bought into the pseudo holiday called Guy Fawkes and neither did the colonials on the other side of the Atlantic. Now, if a province with as much sectarian division as Northern Ireland can reject Guy Fawkes Night because of its barbaric, racist, ritual killing aspect what does that say about places that do celebrate it and the people who want to champion it? It says a lot. Catholics weren't allowed to vote in the UK until 1829 and if a monarch (or heir to the throne) marries one it's considered so poisonous that said monarch must abdicate. This is the law of England right now, (no I'm not kidding - it's called the Act of Settlement).
...
Martin goes on to lament the growing popularity of Halloween among English children. "Why oh why can't someone brainwash the little loves to embrace the hatreds of their forebears," he seems to say. "Don't they realise that if we lose Guy Fawkes night, they'll come for cricket next?" And the villains responsible for these new fangled notions? Why those insidious Yanks of course.
The trick or treat component of Halloween was built up in the US because it offered the best merchandising opportunities. It is no accident that it is promoted most heavily over here by Asda, which is owned by Wal-Mart, a beneficiary of the billions of dollars spent very year in the US on Halloween.
Can you believe this tired conspiracy nonsense still gets published in papers of record? I would have expected it in the Daily Mail but not The Guardian. Who was the editor on this story? Who was the copyeditor? Well guys, dreary, ill thought out, lazy, hack work like this is killing the mainstream media. And no Mr Martin Halloween isn't a massive conspiracy foisted upon English schoolboys by American corporations, it's a rejection of tribal hatreds by kids who'd prefer to have a bit of fun on All Hallows Eve rather than participating in a sicko, sectarian auto da fe.
109 comments:
OWNED!
Thanks, I'm assuming that's a compliment Johnny, my youth lingo comprehension skills have declined since I stopped teaching full time.
While I agree with you that Martin's piece is parochial bollocks, I think you might be overstating the scales against Guy Fawkes Night. For instance, call me thick and uneducated but I had no idea Guy Fawkes was a Catholic and I doubt 1% of the English populace are aware of that fact, just as I'm sure 99% see Guy Fawkes night as simply an excuse to roast some taters and watch fireworks go up.
Interesting rant though. (c:
"Overstating the scales"? I don't know what I mean to type there. Perhaps I should just go to bed and get some sleep.
Michael
Your point is a good one. I like the bonfires too but I dont see the point of burning anyone on top of them, especially if nobody even knows who he is. What about just a bloody great bonfire?
Whats great about living in England around Christmas time is that from Dec 24th - January 2nd its just one big holiday, because you've got Boxing Day thrown in there too, so how about celebrating Halloween and Guy Fawkes (without the guy) in one big week long Saturnalia? I'm sure if you and I both advocate it will soon catch on.
I know what you meant there its like I when I say "dont over-egg the customs"
Nice points, but you are overlooking one small fact. We Americans are evil. We worship at the temple of Satan and are trying to corrupt the rest of the world with every waking, nay, every sleeping thought. It is our raison d'etre. Oops! That was French and hopefully it was mangled, because we hate the French with every particle of our beings. Or was that last year?
Well, Mr. McKinty, as a naturalized citizen, it's high time you got with the program. Opposing Guy Fawkes day is a good start, but it's only a start. We would like to hear of some progress from Australia and so far we have had little to none. Unless you count your invective against that national treasure, Australian possums, and frankly, we do not count that at all. It does indicate your willingness, though. If you returned to America tomorrow there would likely be no unpleasant situation. But I wouldn't push it.
I also have to chide Mr. McKinty- now that you are a naturalized Yankee you should be blissfully ignorant of any other holiday not marked on our calender. Guy Fawkes is just the mask from V for Vendetta and Boxing Day doesn't even sound like a real thing.
And yes, we will hate the French every single year until they apologize for making us come up with "Freedom Fries"
Seanag
Well now it all becomes clear. But why didnt they tell me any of this at the citizenship interview? Is this information only for "natural born citizens" i.e. those who can run for President?
Will I be given further nuggets as time progresses, just as Scientologists move up the progression until they become fifth level druids with knowledge of Xenu?
Please any info that you can reveal with compromising your security I'd love to hear it.
a...
Dylan
But Freedrom Fries are great, they're just that little bit crunchier and tastier than French Fries - I guess because they are stuffed full of liberty?
Maybe we all could unite against Frites and Mayo?
We worship at the temple of Satan
Nah,we Eurocrats now that Americans worship Jesus.
A SUV driving Jesus with a rifle in one hand and a roll of banknotes in the other.
Guy Fawkes is just the mask from V for Vendetta
Guy Fawkes at least gave the world V for Vendetta (the graphic novel).
Halloween,only a series of lameass horror films.
On a slightly more serious note,here in Italy we started to celebrate Halloween only in the last few years- films,tv movies,cartoons and sitcoms prepared the way, and then marketing jumped in.
Halloween is not part of our tradition and it is somewhat redundant with the feast of Carnival;on these grounds it has also been criticized in Germany.
And it's not the first example of American influence:our traditional Christmas involved Baby Jesus and Nativity Scenes , not Father Christmas and Spruces.
So from a certain standpoint it may be easy to fault Americans for the perceived loss of traditions and the commodification of feasts -even if it is an excessive simplification of causes,correlations and effects.
My v-word was cater,but there was a glitch and I had to retype.Now it's ethict.
Both may be significant,or so say the voices in my head.
Ciao,
Marco
Marco
The lameass horror films AND The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror, the best (and these days the only good) episode of the season. Didnt you like the first Halloween movie though? I seem to recall that being pretty good. "OMG he's calling from inside the house!" - wasnt that in that one? And for me at least Jamie Lee Curtis: poco loco pero muy calliente as we say in Belfast.
On a more serious level wasn't it you Italians who spoiled the real Saturnalia around the Winter Solstice and started telling everybody that our good pagan festival of drinking and partying and gift giving was somehow connected to some earnest kid who was born in a barn in a remote part of the Roman Empire?
We'll take back our Halloween if you give us our proper Winter Solstice Festival back. Deal?
AND The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror, the best (and these days the only good) episode of the season
Here you're very right.How could I forget.
Didnt you like the first Halloween movie though?
Bah.Nothing on our gialli.
We'll take back our Halloween if you give us our proper Winter Solstice Festival back. Deal?
So we agree that the Us plays the same role of Evil Imperialist Superpower that the Roman Empire played back then?
;)
Ciao,
Marco
Not much on topic,but my next v-word is barfing,and I couldn't let it pass.
I discovered this story through a sf-site (Making Light).
Enjoy
Marco
Marco
And you know what? We're taking back football/soccer too. Then where will you be? You'll be playing that game with the ball and the cup and the piece of string. That'll be fun. You can keep your hot baths and your roads. At least we'll have a match to go to on a Saturday.
Marco
My v word was "staci" which is adorable really.
I assume you've seen this video: Palin receiving protection against witchcraft
No,I didn't,though I've probably read about it.
As a gesture of goodwill in this old world/new world feud,I'll mention that the theologian Brunetto Salvarani (one of the good ones,big on social justice and progressive on sexual matters) has written this book ,From Bart to Barth:for a theology worthy of the Simpsons.
Bye,slards. (that's my v-word)
Just wait until some of our better holidays start to spread. Marco and his kin should love Festivus
I plead us Americans as innocent for now. However, if there IS a holiday you'd like to have well and truly bollocksed up, we're the guys to call.
Saturnalia, you say? It's not bad enough that you're a traitor? You have to go and be a pagan, too?
I'd say roast the mainstream media in that blaze, but there's hardly enough there to get a good fire going.
===================
Detectives Beyond Borders
"Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
http://detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/
Marco,
Nah, Jesus is just the cover, as I'm afraid you should have already figured out by all this Sarah Palin you've been watching.
Adrian,
Obviously, there is very little I can tell you about when or where or how you'll be inducted. I will say that that Supreme Court question on the citizenship test is a kind of litmus test, and getting it right is getting it wrong, as Craig Ferguson has now learned to his cost. It shows an aptitude for both history and current affairs that just does not go very well with our American Way. However, if you can somehow find a way to listen to a lot of our talk radio, there may yet be hope for you. I don't know, though--I am not too optimistic.
I can tell you now that those possums were our agents...and not really Australian at all.
My 'v' word is 'crookle'.
Dylan
Festivus good call, "a festival for the rest of us."
Seanag
One time at JFK a security man asked me to strip down to my boxer shorts. Was that part of the secret initiation?
I've been trying to talk radio as much as I can, my favourite are the bellicose gentlemen of a certain age who somehow didn't manage to go to their generational war when they had the chance. I'm sure they had excellent reasons/excuses though.
Dana
Look just make it so that on Saint Patrick's Day people stop drinking German beer and all be forgiven.
Oh and get them to stop putting FOUR LEAF CLOVERS on everything - never a symbol of Ireland.
Cheers mate
a...
Peter
Obviously your own fair paper will escape the pitchfork wielding mob and the blaze.
Marco
Its looking slightly more likely that I'll be spending the first half of 2010 in Firenze so I'm going to try to learn a little Italian. A book on Simpsons seems like a good place to start.
Uh, no, Adrian, that security guard was just a wannabe like yourself, who had to be removed from his position for a certain excessive exuberence. Let's just say that you were lucky to keep the shorts.
The bellicose gentlemen, are, however, part of the program. You'd be well-advised to take notes when you can, and even memorize key passages, as these do contain some of the relevant passwords. Hint: Things that are repeated over and over and over ad nauseum are likely to be the most fruitful, so try not to tune out.
Seanag
The security did ask me if I was "allergic to latex" which I now realize was some kind of code phrase.
But I'll be fine here in Oz. I am living in the land of Rupert Murdoch and my local cable network is Foxtel. I delight in being to watch Fox News Channel, Sky News and the Australian Fox News. They'll keep me up to date.
Funnily enough, I wrote a book called The Dead Yard a few years ago and at one point the lead baddie wants to have 3 prisoners released from custody. Their names: Hannity, O'Reilly and Buchanan.
No one noticed until Peter Rozovsky spilled the beans.
I haven't gotten to The Dead Yard yet, though I have it. It sounds like Peter might be a good one to have on hand to decode the key Fox news subtext.
And yes, I'd say you're going to be fine in Oz. Just fine. Oh, very fine indeed...But forget I said anything.
By the way
Its the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown is available free on YouTube
here
or at least until the Schulz estate finds out.
sorry to be off the subject (as usual) but i forgot to mention earlier--loved your article on PKD. i did my MA thesis on Blade Runner & Solaris and the peculiar tendencies of the male leads to fall in love with artificial women. and a hell yeah on the old school punk, though i must admit my favorites don't reach back quite as far. i'm more of a fugazi/rancid era guy, though these days i favor crooked fingers and against me!
Hard B
Yeah big PKD fan. In fact creepy obssessed fan might be more like it. Every year on his birthday I used to drive up to Fort Morgan Cemetery and say hi, which sounds like a scene from Ubik. And I wasnt the only one there either.
I was 8 when the Undertones, Pistols, Clash broke so they had me early.
Adrian, no self-respecting mob would deign to give a rat's bollocks about my withered, reeking corpse of a newspaper.
Since you may be spending some of 2010 in Firenze, here's all the Italian you need to know: "In restauro," "Sciopero," "Fuori servizio," "Dov'e la toletta?" "Il conto, per favore" and "JU-VE! VA FAN CUL'!"
Just back from an evening at the bar that hosts Noir at the Bar, followed by a couple of hours at my favorite Irish session at another bar. My v-word, believe it or not, is bloto.
If anyone asked if I were allergic to latex, I'd answer honestly that I was not but that it was not my scene.
===================
Detectives Beyond Borders
"Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
http://detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/
bloto, eh? I am beginning to wonder if it might be right here on this very blog that our illusion of reality begins to wear thin and be exposed as the simulation it apparently is. These "v" words are beginning to get a little creepy--or at least presumptuous.
But mine is 'ousnedl', and I am somewhat reassured to be able to make nothing at all of that.
Seanag
I'd be worried. That benign V word of yours ousnedl is of course a hidden threat, it's an anagram of U slo End!
Peter
Well the whole of Philly will be caught up in the blaze when the Phillies win the WS, fortunately the rain will put it out.
Seanag and Adrian: My v-word is rednes, which has potential but is not quite as spooky as some of the others.
Philly right now, through now fault of its own, is party to one of the most absurd and squalid episodes in the history of the World Series. The greed that has led to extra round of playoffs and absurdly late start times at absurdly late times of year has finally come home to roost.
Game Five of the World Series was halted in the sixth inning Monday night with the score tied amid wind, rain and 5 degree Celsius temperatures. Evidently the spectacle of players sliding through mud and making Little League-caliber errors became too much even for Major League Baseball and its paymasters at the television network broadcasting the game (Fox, in this case, though it is no more evil than the others).
The game was suspended until Tuesday, though late fall in Philadelphia being what it is, the weather was even colder, rainier and windier, which meant the teams could not play Tuesday, either. Tuesday was to be an off-day for the teams to travel back to Florida for games Wednesday and Thursday, if necessary, but that obviously won't happen now. So the potential deciding game in a championship series has now been on hold for three days because of greed and stupidity. It is truly one of the most disgusting episodes in the sport's history.
===================
Detectives Beyond Borders
"Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
http://detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/
Ousnedl is a Swiss Alpine village where excavations in 1883 caused archaeologists to rewrite their ideas about Halstatt culture.
U slo End--of course! But now even ousnedl itself begins to have a sinister ring, once you say it a few times--like an imp that's crept in under the door. Ousnedl, ousnedl, ousnedl.
Just saw Peter's comment about the Swiss excavation. There is apparently far more to this than we mere mortals--or sims,as the case may be-- can even fathom.
I was just kidding about Halstatt. Ousnedl is really the Austrian ducal seat where Mozart wrote his famous K. 399, popularly known as the "Ousnedl Concerto," dedicated fondly to the struggling composer's patron, the fifth Margrave of Ousnedl.
The concerto's harmonic innovations so revolutionized music that schools of musicians grew up who were devoted to exploring its tonal implications. These became known to history as the Ousnedlians (die Ousnedlmenschen in German).
--------------
V-word: surene, the most widely prescribed drug by psychiatrists in these difficult economic times.
Peter
I think you are confusing Ousnedl with Oussnedl, the latter being the Mozart concerto whose harmonies (and eccentric use of upturned saucepan lids as kettle drums)so revolutionised the form. Ousnedl, or as I should say "Ousnedl Syndrome" is that rare form or Tourettes in which the sufferers utter random words in Middle or High German. Interestingly the Syndrome only occurs in populations who have had no exposure at all to the Germanic languages. Certain tribes in Borneo are particularly badly afflicted and the victims are often "sent out into the forest" to die. I read an article recently that although there is no cure yet for the affliction both the Indonesian and Malaysian governments have cracked on this barbaric tribal custom of ostracization and a place is made for the OS patients in the longhouse.
Re the WS, thats what I love about the Packers. Bring out the apocalypse and they'll still play their games at Lambeau.
Seanag
I will be sending this entire thread to Nick Bostrom at Oxford unless he's already seen it in his freaky Sim way.
" ... say "Ousnedl Syndrome" is that rare form or Tourettes in which the sufferers utter random words in Middle or High German. ..."
A related afflication makes non-Celtic speakers say "gobshite" a lot.
V-word: nopsica
The v-word game can end now. I have just received on another blog a verification word better than which none can be imagined: inane.
===================
Detectives Beyond Borders
"Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
http://detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/
Peter
They'll just invent an even more insidious game. Play along, keep your head down, dont let them know we're onto them, otherwise they'll send the species ending event comet that wipes the program.
Besides I just got calestrom
Its looking slightly more likely that I'll be spending the first half of 2010 in Firenze
You're trying to infiltrate my cell,right? But I won't name names and I won't betray my friends.
Not even under torture!
Though I suppose I'll have to buy a few extra chestnut beers and lose my Pynchonian anonimity.
A book on Simpsons seems like a good place to start.
You could try some contemporary Italian crime fiction (no,not Umberto Eco)-So when you're here you could ask them to blurb 50g or to propose its translation to the publishers.
Don't worry about Television,Italy will more than live up to the level of quality you're used to.
And remember to drop JU-VE! JU-VE! VA FAN CUL'! in every polite conversation in Firenze.
One time at JFK a security man asked me to strip down to my boxer shorts
The security did ask me if I was "allergic to latex" which I now realize was some kind of code phrase
...the mind wanders...
was he at least of the blue-eyed mellow voiced southern gentleman type?
Every year on his birthday I used to drive up to Fort Morgan Cemetery
Somehow I'm not surprised.
You may be right about the v-words, Peter,but my last one wants me to
singread.
Ciao,
Marco
hard barned
i did my MA thesis on Blade Runner & Solaris and the peculiar tendencies of the male leads to fall in love with artificial women
Sounds really interesting.
I like the 70/80 punk/new wave period-some of my friends even more- I know a couple who considered Bela Lugosi is Dead for their wedding march.
My favourite group was however Australian,but named after a british sf classic...
coant,
Marco
Marco
I dont understand book publishing. You can the Dead Trilogy in Danish but not Italian?
I inter-railed around Italy for a bit, but now that I'm a grown up I'm expecting it to be very much like Dolca Vita. All chestnut beers and jumping in fountains...And I'm sure when I tell them that I'm a Liverpool fan it will go down very well.
Look just make it so that on Saint Patrick's Day people stop drinking German beer and all be forgiven.
Why should they ? This is a kind of cultural exchange. Our side of the bargain is that we are nowadays heavily involved with ... Halloween - which I find, to be honest, quit annoying, kids (nowadays also a German word) run around in costumes and gather sweets, last year our door bell chimed 20 times, but no one knows what Halloween is about.
BTW Does this blog degenerate to a GBB (German bashing blog), to receive as much attention as the famous British tabloids ? Concerning the Ousnedl Syndrome you should know that it is also present in some rural areas of Bavaria and Austria and there is still an ongoing debate in the scientific community whether the Austrian singer Falco suffered from the OS.
v-word: morsess (mors, roman god of death, niederdeutsch(lower German): derrière, lat.: death)
Krimi
We would never bash the Germans. I took German for 3 years in high school, though alas the only phrase I can remember is Die Burg ist uber acht hundert jahre alt which I dont think will prove to be that useful.
No listen my friend there's a perfectly good German beer drinking holiday called Oktoberfest when ONLY German beer should be consumed. I repeat only German beer. On St Pats, come on, Guinness, you have to admit it. And by the way when I said German beer what I was really talking about was Budweiser which hardly qualifies as beer at all and certainly would be in trouble under the Reinheitsgebot.
By this you may have gathered that I'm a bit of a beer nerd. Yes, but Germany only comes 3rd on my list of beer making cultures, though still well above Ireland, I'm afraid. Here's my own very personal list of the beer making top 10:
1. Belgium
2. England
3. Germany
4. The United States (microbrewers)
5. Denmark
6. Holland
7. Czech Republic
8. Ireland
9. France
10. Italy
Adrian,
I must confess, that I don't drink beer any more, nowadays I drink wine (both would be to much). But I liked to drink beer when I was younger. Can`t say that English beer ever impressed me.
Guiness is popular in German, mostly perhaps because of this image of green pastures and country life and those Irish Pub which are well liked.
In Franken (part of Bavaria) there is the highest density of small scale breweries in the world - nothing yuppie, just old-fashioned. Many of the villages and small towns have a brewery of their own. And each of these brews an individual beer.
v-word: mister
Given the fact that you live in Australia I remember that I met "my" first Australian in Ireland, and he was quite surprised when he learned that the per capita consumption of beer is higher in Germany than in Australia.
Mmmmmm, Oktoberfest.
I was in Saarbruken at the tail end of Oktoberfest a couple of years ago and the restaurant we ate at was still serving the Wiesbier. I tried a couple of different ones, but fell in love with the Dunkel (The brand eludes me now). I bought some Erdinger when I got home, but it just wasn't the same.
Hey--what are you guys doing playing around with my "v" word when I'm not here to defend it? It's apparently one of those unfortunate time difference circumstances that you all only really start riffing after I've hit the sack.It's a little bit of a shoemaker and the elves thing, only I don't end up with any freshly cobbled shoes.
I do think that it is wise to ignore the 'v' word 'inane' here, Peter. Surely it's become apparent to all that whatever--or whoever--is generating these "v" words is not always of benign intent. It may be old Bostrom, a.k.a. Old Nick, himself--I don't know, though it does seem like something an Oxford type would think up. I am pretty sure that the English, in addition to giving us the questionable Guy Fawkes day, are also the ones responsible for unleashing the Ousnedl syndrome on the world, in a way somewhat similar to that in which we Americans like to unleash high grade anthrax. The Germans are only responsible for the Ousnedl concerto, or, as you so rightly and yet wrongly point out, Adrian, the Oussnedl concerto--it's really just a variation in dialects. The concerto is charming heard once, but torture if ever heard again, which is perhaps the point.
My 'v' word is 'dicie', which is perhaps Old Bostrums's way of commenting on my statement, or perhaps this entire post.
But pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.
Seanag
Thats why you must never sleep.
Theres a video of Bostrom talking about some of his theories over at Ted.com. I tried to find it to embed it but I couldnt, but IT IS there somewhere.
my word was rhbbarb - Thats supposed to be random? I mean come on who are they trying to kid.
But Adrian, 'rhbbarb' isn't supposed to be random.If you had taken this clue to mention even a slight interest in that American favorite, rhubarb pie, you would now be at the next level. I am truly sorry. Also, referring to 'Firenze' over and over, though it may have impressed Marco, does not win any points with us. A true American, even after visting the Duomo, Dante's home and Michelangelo's David, will still return to the good old US of A and refer to 'Florence'. Preferably pronounced 'Floor-ence". The only time it is correct to say 'Firenze' is when you are returning from a recent visit to Europe and are speaking to people who you damn well know have no hope of ever getting there. Or, I grudgingly suppose, when you are talking to Europeans.
Just a few helpful pointers from a patriotic American. And no, you don't have to thank me. We Americans don't need thanks for our compassion toward the foreign born.
Seanag
Rhubarb pie and vanilla ice cream...the international language of yummy if you ask me. Funnily enough in Ireland we call it rhubard tart, I wonder if its the same thing with a different name or two different concotions?
Good points about Firenze. Now that I'm a true blue Yank and having voting and everything, I must remember to say Paris, France not just Paris so everyone knows where I'm talking about.
Paris, France. Mr. McKinty, there is hope for you yet. Don't think that this won't be noted in higher channels.
I would hold off on the true blue American until the election results are known,though. True red American may still prevail, God help us. In which case that tried and true American slogan 'better dead than red' may at last make some kind of sense...
Sorry to double post here folks, but I just read this on another site. No way of verifying it but it does tend to bring the discussion around full circle. Happy Halloween!
"Halloween traditions of trick-or-treating and jack-o-lanterns were brought to America in the 1840s by Irish escaping the Great Potato Famine. On Halloween, Irish peasants begged the rich for food and played practical jokes on those who refused. To avoid being tricked, the rich handed out cookies, candies, and fruit - a practice that turned into our present day trick-or-treating."
Thanks, Irish people! And here we were thinking you had only given us one great holiday.
And then there's Saint Patrick's Day, America's great gift to Ireland.
===================
Detectives Beyond Borders
"Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
http://detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/
Seanag
No, it was all invented by Wal Mart thats what The Guardian says.
Peter
OUCH! That hurt.
But it's true, according to the bus driver who drove us from Dublin to Newgrange.
Saint Patrick's Day, he said, used to be the day when Irishmen sat around at home and moped because even the pubs were closed. Then, the driver said, probably wih a twinkle in his eye, the Irish took up the idea from "the Yanks, and now we have Saint Patrick's Week."
===================
Detectives Beyond Borders
"Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
http://detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/
Peter
No OUCH because its true. American concept that I approve of cept for the four leaf clovers which are insane.
I dont understand book publishing. You can the Dead Trilogy in Danish but not Italian?
Who holds the foreign translation rights for your books? You, your American Publisher or Serpent's Tail? And for 50g?
According to an article I've read recently,foreign contracts for midlist authors often depend from the contacts the agents have.
No, it was all invented by Wal Mart thats what The Guardian says.
Well,Father Christmas was invented by Coca-cola.That's a known fat.
My v-word is destra,which means right,but only in the sense of the spatial and political direction,not
in the sense of correct (giusto) or entitlement (diritto)
Marco
Simon and Schuster own all the rights and assign the translations. Japanese and Danish but not Italian or German? Makes no sense to me.
Holt own all the rights to 50G so far the only 1 assigned is UK and Commonwealth.
Where did the tooth fairy come from?
The Evil that is Halloween,Part 2,332
I was horrified to discover that today's episode of La Prova del Cuoco (a play of words on Trial by Fire with Cuoco,Cook instead of Fuoco,Fire) the lunchtime program which explores the treasures of our rich and regionally diverse cuisine was Halloween themed,with bats and spiders hanging from the ceiling, Jack-o-Lanterns and pumpkin-based recipes.
A bastion of our cultural identity meekly capitulating to the Irish/American invader!
And the sight of 70/80 year old Bigazzi,the maximum expert of regional culinary traditions , in outlandish, must-be-seen-to-be-believed bright orange trousers...the horror,the horror!
Worse,today I begrudgingly bought some sweets expecting the usual round of trick-or-treating,but the kids,probably discouraged by a raging thunderstorm,didn't come.
What I'm supposed to do now? Go after the kids myself with the sweets tomorrow like a creepy child molester?
Halloween is evil,EVIL,I tell ya!
v-word:losms
Well, Marco, I have to admit that I've had the experience of buying the damn candy and having no one show up myself. In fact, for some reason this reminds me of an experience I had as a teenager, where, belonging to a girl's service club--yeah, I was that kind of teenager, more fool me--we hit upon the brilliant idea of collecting unwanted candy and trucking it on up to the state mental institution. We were highly successful. It was only some years later that I wondered about the wisdom of delivering a truckload of sugar to the certifiably insane.
I have to say that many of our noble efforts were unfortunately similarly dubious.
My v word is arpari. I think it might take an Italian to sort that one out.
marco, seanag,
Halloween hasnt taken off in Australia, but just in case we got in some candy. No one came so we stuffed our faces. I was tripping for hours.
Adrian, stop the tripping and realize one simple fact. The mission of spreading Halloween in Australia is up to you. Irish-born by way of America? Come on--it's a no-brainer. You don't think Australians are ready for another holiday? Now that they've had their Olympic moment, it's all downhill for them. It's not Italy, after all. Throw in the Potato Famine bit and skip the Walmart propaganda and you'll have them eating out of your hands. Probably literally, especially if there is any sugar left on them.
No one came so we stuffed our faces. I was tripping for hours.
Sadly we are not much of a sugar-crazed folk in my family.
we hit upon the brilliant idea of collecting unwanted candy and trucking it on up to the state mental institution.
I thought about giving them to a daytime centre for people with mental and physical handicaps,but I know many of them have a controlled diet and some diabetes.
Arpari may be a dialectal way to say harpists.
My current v-word,resti,means leftovers or remains-again spookily appropriate.
My new theory is that the verification space is a kind of ouija board through which the spirits of the dead communicate with us.After Halloween the v-words should slowly return to meaninglessness.
Ciao
Marco
Marco
Could be ouija spirits. I remember reading in Arthur Clarke somewhere that there have been about 100 billions on the Earth so far so thats a lot of ghosts clamouring for attention.
Seanag
"If I had but world enough and time" but I dont. Alas I cant convert the Ozzies to Halloween if they dont want to come, I'm supposed to be finishing a novel and starting another one.
Besides Halloween is too close to the Melbourne Cup which is all about gambling and drinking and eating, so pretty much like the other Ozzie holidays.
First they came for Guy Fawkes and then they came for cricket!
The Times goes there
I'm supposed to be finishing a novel and starting another one.
A few more details?
First they came for Guy Fawkes and then they came for cricket!
Though both Cricket and Baseball bore me to tears,at least Cricket earns my respect because it springs from the last vestigial memories of a bloody pangalactic war.
Some choice quotes from the article and the comments:
In sport, the biggest difference between over there and over here is that Americans just don't get international competition. Its sporting culture is insular. It holds a World Series, of course, but it is a World Series only in the sense that many Americans have a world view - the world on their doorstep.
The Simpsons summed the US view on sports perfectly in the immortal words of the Springfield sportscaster hyping football (soccer) coming to town: 'Low scores and tie, tie, ties!'
james kellow, london, uk
All I know about soccer (world football) is that the uniforms are really cute. Am I missing something?
Carolyn, Los Angeles, California USA
Marco
The Times article was almost a parody of stupidity. Soccer is huge in America which has massive populations from Latin America. There are more Guyanans living in the US than in Guyana. I think its very comforting for Europeans to think that Americans are insular and dont care about the world when in fact its not true. Go into a Borders in Iowa and you'll find Italian, German, French newspapers. Its the same old tired bullshit they've been trotting out for decades, ever since Dickens and Mrs Trollope and Oscar Wilde went to visit actually.
Eddie Izzard made the same "joke" about the world series a decade ago. In fact there is a World Baseball Classic played every 4 years, with as many countries in it as the rugby world cup.
Fair about cricket but I'll stack Life The Universe and Everything against The Natural any day.
marco
the books. I'm trying to finish Fifty Grand's little niggly bits and I'm supposed to be working on a new YA novel.
I hope that all the lively posting here isn't keeping you from your main task, Adrian. We want the books.
v word, anxiver--one who creates anxiety in an author in order to propel them further in their writing.
You're right--it is some kind of ouija universe.
Adrian
I'm not really out to declare Americans as insular,nor I do believe that as far as -isms go Anti-americanism is more fashionable that others
But there's something in the way you present your arguments that always stirs up the contrarian in me
In fact there is a World Baseball Classic played every 4 years, with as many countries in it as the rugby world cup
And its importance in the US,compared with that of the Soccer World Cup for Italy or England,or the Rugby World Cup for New Zealand,or the Cricket World Cup for Pakistan?
Do any of the International championships in Basketball/Baseball/Hockey have major relevance in the US?
It is unfair-there are reason why it is so-the pro/amateur divide,the fact that in their major sports Americans feel (and probably are) a cut above the competition (that's also the reason why England didn't participate in the first FIFA World Cups) but the point still stands.
With regard to "American curiosity" this article says that,out of 50,071 new fiction titles published in the year,only 258 are translations.
I don't have a fiction and literature breakdown for Italy,but out of 53,117 new titles published in the year 12,197 are translations (7,906 from English,1,800 from French 1,100 from German,round 300 from Eastern Europe only).
Again,there are probably pretty good reasons-the vastity of the US internal market,the dominance of English as world language-but the difference seems striking to me.
I think its very comforting for Europeans to think that Americans are insular and dont care about the world when in fact its not true
The US is the last world superpower,its culture is the closest thing to a world culture-this may give rise to inferiority complexes and coping mechanisms-but you're very quick to say "Europeans" even as you complain when others say "Americans".
And,while the article(s) may indeed be superficial,are the articles of major US newspapers over Italy, Germany, UK ,France or Europe in general always faultless and devoid of stereotyping? And when they're not,are you as quick to point it out?
v-words: pinge,halgatea,jians
(this comment has had a troubled history)
Ciao,
Marco
Marco
Of course we have the old tautology that "all generalisations are wrong, including this one." I should have parsed that a little and said that "many Europeans" seek comfort in the idea of American stupidity, just as many Americans seek comfort in the idea of American exceptionalism.
Your figures on translation seem completely bogus I'm afraid to say. Its America not England nor Ireland, where you can get Heinrich Boll or Miguel Asturias or Knut Hansum in almost all second hand bookstores. And the fact is that people read in the original language and dont require a translation. The Spanish language section of my local Barnes and Nobel in Denver was as big as many book shops. In Denver the Ethiopian community for example is 100 000 people strong. Denver! Ethiopians.
Americans and Europeans and Australians come to that have an almost identical world culture and sneering from The Times or anyone else reflects more on the sneerer than the sneeree. Its really quite pathetic actually, its like that old canard that Americans are "irony challenged". Have they seen The Daily Show or The Simpsons or Family Guy or anything at all of America?
Finally, in two years time the President of the United States is going to be a black man from a broken home who was raised in Indonesia, Hawaii and Kansas and worked his way through college and law school. The Prime Minister of Italy is going to be a millionaire oligarch. The Prime Minister of England is going to be a wealthy descendant of royalty who went to Eton and Oxford.
Seriously, you think Italy or the UK is more progressive and less insular than America?
Your figures on translation seem completely bogus I'm afraid to say.
These are not "my" figures.The Italian ones come from the Italian Publishers Association and I've no reason to doubt them-in my small town bookshop the number of foreign titles doesn't seem much lower at first sight than that of the Italian ones-and I can find literature in translation from pretty much every corner of the world.
Conversely,I've often read complaints about the lack of translations of foreign literature in the US,new titles not the classics of the past or international bestsellers like,say,Murakami-
for instance I remember a guy had to order ths Spanish translations of French and German books he was interested in-and it seems to me that this was the point nearly always acknowledged even by those very critical of Engdahl's speech.
And the fact is that people read in the original language and dont require a translation
Oh,come on! Surely there are a lot of immigrants which will read in their original languages,but all the others?
Its really quite pathetic actually, its like that old canard that Americans are "irony challenged".
No,this is the province of the Germans ;)
Finally, in two years time the President of the United States is going to be a black man
let's hope so
from a broken home who was raised in Indonesia, Hawaii and Kansas and worked his way through college and law school.
and has conducted the most expensive election campaign in recorded history.
The Prime Minister of Italy is going to be a millionaire oligarch.
many thanks for reminding me
Seriously, you think Italy or the UK is more progressive and less insular than America?
To be really honest,I NEVER,and I say NEVER,think about comparisons in these terms-they are simply not useful.
And for my taste,neither is progressive or open enough.
If I were to try to give an even remotely intelligent answer,I should have to evaluate a lot of contradictory aspects.
But I do look very often at the beam in my own eye,thank you-and I don't consider my remarks an attack against America -and for these reasons find your answers a bit too defensive.
Ciao,
Marco
Marco
I'm from Belfast, I'm a street fighter, of course I'm going to be defensive. But I think I'm in a pretty good position to posit this thesis: the countries of the West are very, very similar and tired attacks from the English press are really what Freud called "the narcissism of the small difference." Your average Yorkshireman, Dane, Iowan are pretty similar. Differences between them are largely superficial and irrelevant; but its comforting for a segment of the population that reads a certain newspaper or watches a certain TV show to be reminded in subtle or not so subtle ways of her or her own innate superiority. (My guess is that the weaker the individual or the culture the more they may need this reinforcement.
The most racist and anti EU of papers in the UK is probably The Sun which is read by the most economically deprived and poorly educated segments of society. With The Times and The Daily Telegraph and The Guardian I think that beneath the sneering there's also a cultural xenophobia and a covert racist agenda. ie. they're afraid.)
But to be honest I dont really get what your point is. America doesnt read as many books in translation as Italy or Germany? Is that a big deal? In the Borough of Queens, NY there are over 100 different languages spoken - thats 100 plus sub cultures all with their own bookstores, video stores, places of worship, etc. Is there another world city that comes even close to that? That's what America is, big, plural, diverse, and fissaparous. You might find this interesting .
My point is that America is 3000 miles wide with hundreds of cultures, scores of languages, thousands of regions, and over 320 million people. Its a continent not a country. If you're going to generalise about such a place you're going to need to be a lot smarter that some goon in The Guardian who thinks American kids are corporate slaves, or an idiot in The Times who believes they're all boorish Texan millionaires.
You wouldnt catch me saying, "God those Europeans, all they day is go to bullfights, drink sangria and have siestas all day long," but a certain class of European pseudo-intellectual writer (especially those who dont travel that much) delight in making such sweeping comments about the USA.
Lazy thinking.
Unfortunately, these children lose most of their native language in the process of learning English. Heritage languages typically die out within three generations. American schools generally ignore or even suppress the languages immigrant children bring with them. Giving up one's native language often is seen as a natural result of assimilation.
By adolescence, most immigrant children speak their heritage language haltingly. Most of them lose or never develop the ability to read and write in it or to speak it formally.
From your link.
Not that here is much better,mind you-but still you constantly look only at the shiny side of things.
Anyway,I see it's past Midnight "down" where you live...I'll let you go to bed.
Ciao
Marco
v-word: string
America doesnt read as many books in translation as Italy or Germany? Is that a big deal?
Oh,probably not.After all we have already decided that all good non-English literature is in the past (Dostoevsky,Tolstoj,Borges,Garcia Lorca) while modern authors are tedious, average,inscrutable,creepy and hokey ;)
I'll concede your points with regard to TV,intellectuals,and newspapers both serious and tabloid-but try also to look at what you call "cultural xenophobia and fear" from another angle.
Take fast food chains and junk food,for example.
In Italy,we first saw them in American programs;then they arrived here in the mid 80s causing a small culture clash-horrified protests by the partisans of good food and a new youth culture (the paninari )* which thought there was nothing more cool than eating day and night at McDonalds.
*God have mercy,I (very briefly) was one of them.
Now,I know you probably want to respond citing a billion different ethnic cuisines in the US ,farmer markets,organic and whole foods-but the bottom line is that our eating habits have changed,and not for the better (there's been a sharp increase in juvenile obesity,diabetes and food allergies) and the US is perceived as the trendsetter for this development.
A more recent example may be the controversy over the use of psychotropes like Ritalin on children.
I realize accusing the US is lazy thinking-but the fear that unpleasant novelties will sooner or later cross over isn't totally unjustified -even if it has to do with the nature of globalization and the leading role of America in it more than anything.
And we always seem to pick up only the bad things,not the good ones (probably a corollary of Murphy's Law).
Changing the subject,you may recall from previous conversations that I have an interest in science fiction ;)
The site of Tor Books offers monthly free e-books downloads.
I've already downloaded a few,without ever reading them-now that I work many hours at the computer my enthusiasm for e-books has sharply declined -but I had heard good things about the last one and decided to try it.I'm still going slow (Chapter 3 after a week) but I like it very much.
I haven't encountered overtly s-f nal elements yet-but I've noticed two things:
1) In the Borough of Queens, NY there are over 100 different languages spoken - thats 100 plus sub cultures all with their own bookstores, video stores, places of worship, etc.
that it tries to portray exactly this aspect of New York,with a host of characters coming from the more diverse backgrounds
2) How much it reminds me of Pynchon -it's almost like hearing a riff on all his beats-the skewed but not quite magical realism, subcultures,cults and conspiracies that seem an actualization of those described in V or Vineland-even the name of what seems to be the main character -Wendell Apogee-is pure Pynchon.
So if you go here and sign up to the site you can download it now (the link should remain active for a month,so you have time until November 22) and read it when you have time.
And talking of good crossover recommendations,this seems a good sf/thriller story ,but probably it's not for you; don't follow this link
ciao,
marco
Our Hiberno-Americo-Australian friend may have a point or two. Yes, the World Baseball Classic has not gained much attention in the U.S. (and I might add that NBA players' newfound attention to Olympic success seems not entirely convincing, either).
On the other hand, the comment that "soccer is huge in America" is more acute than he may know. Sportswriters in my part of the country will occasionally state that soccer is the province of the white suburbs, home of the "soccer mom." The huge Latin American following for soccer somehow flies below their radar. Or maybe it doesn't count, because those folks are not real Americans.
Adrian may the first commentator I've read to state that soccer is huge in America without the qualifier "in certain communities."
The language question is of more interest that can be covered even in the vast compass of a blog comment. One of the joys of large American cities, New York especially, is hearing multilingual conversations, usually between parent or grandparent and child. The child speaks English, the elder responds in Spanish or Chinese, and the different languages are absolutely no barrier to the fluency of the exchange. The emphasis on language as the bearer of cultural heritage is often overstated in this country, I suspect not always with good results.
In my own experience, a former colleague of Puerto Rican birth, a tub-thumper against white racism and sexism at all times, would sneer at efforts by (mostly) Anglo newspaper publishers to put out Spanish-language editions. There will not reach the intended audience, my friend sneered. Don't these publishers know that most Latinos in the U.S. speak and want to speak nglish?
===================
Detectives Beyond Borders
"Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
http://detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/
I will also briefly agree with Marco that any American culinary influence in Italy is probably for the worst. I lived in Rome for five months in 1997, eating something like a local diet, and I lost twenty pounds without making the slightest effort to diet or exercise.
Don't these publishers know that most Latinos in the U.S. speak and want to speak nglish?
I'll re-quote from the piece Adrian linked:
Heritage languages typically die out within three generations.
Giving up one's native language often is seen as a natural result of assimilation
I suspect there may be a 2-3 step refusal/rediscovery cycle in successive generations-
The old Grandfather never learns proper English,the father strives for assimilation and makes a point of speaking only English,the son wants to rediscover his roots and studies the language of his Grandfather.
Peter,would you say the consideration you made holds true also for Canada,where there's the concept of the Canadian Mosaic in place of the Melting Pot?
Marco
Thanks for the sci fi links, I've needed a fix for some time. The last two Iain Banks novels were disappointing and one of them was a Culture novel.
I've got to agree about the food. I worked for McDonalds for a year when I was in law school (NEVER get the filet o' fish)and with a cheap product and high turnover local cuisine suffered terribly. Its sort of what happened to British beer in the 70's with cold cheap tasteless foreign lager almost wiping out room temperature real ales. But then in the 80's and 90's the locals fought back in and largely won - a model which can be emulated in a war versus the food chains.
Peter
I used to teach K - 8 in Denver and EVERYBODY played soccer not just the Latin kids. I think one of the advantages is that girls can play with boys in the playground and thats attractive for both sexes.
I agree about the food. I beg you to watch Meades on fast food when you get the chance. Jonathan Meades is a bit of a showboat, but his points are excellent. (Marco you'd like it too, but its going to make your blood boil.)
I'm glad you have all hashed this out in my absence. And I think that pretty much everything that you each said is true. I think though, that there are two different things going on here. One is the multiplicity of Americas, which is not one culture but many, despite the disproportionate media play that one or two segments get. But there is also what part of all this stew gets exported around the world, and frankly it is often the most commodified and least attractive aspect. But I do have to point out that things like McDonalds are hardly being force fed to people around the globe. There has to be something that appeals to people in what mass culture brings for it to take hold. McDonald's first conquered us, after all, and probably with very similar marketing strategies.Cheap, fast, greasy, salty and sweet.
I'm not really trying to be the peacemaker or build consensus here--though that would be a very Santa Cruz sort of thing to do. My real purpose is to try to get Adrian to 100 again, which may only happen if you all take issue to what I've said...
v word= petzeh
My real purpose is to try to get Adrian to 100 again, which may only happen if you all take issue to what I've said...
And without the hook of the signed editions ...a deserving cause.
I think there are various self-reinforcing effects at play:
Firstly,The US often is the canary in the goldmine for the societal changes brought about by the continuing evolution of capitalism -and the rest of the world generally sees the flash and then hears the thunder at home.
Secondly,the US is a powerful model -Adrian mentioned my Prime Minister,but Berlusconi frequently cites the US as inspiration and his party (Freedom Party) has closely studied the Republicans and mutuated their main buzzwords - tax cuts,family values, compassionate conservatism, privatizations,zero tolerance.
The former left (now firmly center) main opposition party has instead rechristened itself Partito Democratico-I'm sure you can do the translation.
Thirdly,Interest groups in the US actively try to expand their influence abroad-which brings me to
my following comment.
The site that directed me to the article about kenyan witches for Obama continues to show interest in those enlightened beings who only want for the world to rejoice in Christ.
This time it brings to our attention this insightful piece that once again reveals how the fight between good and evil is at the root of many seemingly unrelated world events.
I'm sure that inspired by the fact that in this very moment the owners of the site that hosts this jewel are intent on Trasforming Melbourne,Adrian will seek them out in order to give sense to his existence and abandon his idle swimming days.
Marco
I'm looking forward to the Rapture when the Chosen get taken to heaven. Just think of all those big houses that will be available.
Continuing in the heroic efforts to bring this post over 100 comments -and at the same time not to clutter others with o/t...
We have mentioned big/plural/diverse cities,immigration,progressiveness vs insularity -one of my favorite novels of recent years,Clash of Civilizations over an Elevator on Piazza Vittorio deals with all these things,and has just been translated into English.
This month issue of Words Without Borders has a very interesting interview with the author, Amara Lakhous,as well as a small excerpt .
I cannot possibly be objective about this author and this novel -if you remember I've been a teacher to immigrants you can understand how much his life,his activism and his work strike a chord with me.
Don't believe the slanderous things his character says about pasta and pizza in the excerpt,though.
Don't worry,I hereby declare a moratorium on unsolicited links -won't pester you with recommendations for a while.
In other news,your books (2 out of three) are awaiting me in Florence,along with,among others,the Bennetts.
v-word:judgenm
Ciao
Marco
Marco
No seriously keep the recs coming, sometimes we dont hear about things as quickly as we'd like out here.
So Marco, I read your post here about Amara Lakhous this morning at work and thought, that sounds cool, maybe I'll order one. But I was much heartened to see that we already had a couple of copies. It felt like instant gratification of a relatively obscure desire, and I was happy that our main buyer had been so on top of it. But I was doubly happy when one of the young guys who runs our fiction section saw it and said, "I read that--I really liked it." (Of course I grumbled at him for beating me to the punch.) I then took it along to the cafe where I take a morning break and ran into some friends and their new baby. The husband who's sharp but not really a huge reader grabbed it up and read a few paragraphs and said, When you're done with this, would you lend it to me? Later in the day, the Random House sales rep, who was in the store doing a presentation said, "Oh, I've been wanting to read that!" And another big fiction reader on our staff picked it up and said "I love that cover." Here I thought I was going to be championing a relatively obscure Algerian author writing in Italian and find that in my neck of the woods, there's hardly any need at all. But I bought it and will read it and pass it on, rest assured.
Makes me very happy,Seanag.
Hope you'll like it,and be a good voisher (v-word) for the book.
I think balancing humour and sadness in the way he does is one of the most difficult things for a writer to achieve successfully.
Voisher! That's fantastic, Marco. And I will be proud to be a voisher for this book. I'm only a few chapters into it, but have already recommended it to another of my friends who happened in today.
I think what makes me happy is that though independent bookstores are a rapidly dying species, here is this little moment of triumph. We had the book, and word was and will be spread in a face to face way. I have no problem with it also being spread in a virtual way--obviously. But I want both options to be able to coincide, dubious as I am that this is actually possible.
v word:knemox?
It's sad for the independent bookstores-here they are a bit of a protected species (they can offer 7% to 15% discounts on many new titles) and the situation is not so bad- though they increasingly suffer the competition of online bookstores.
Who said Americans are insular? Not me.
Now,the Irish,the British,and the Australians,I'm pretty sure they are-I checked a map.
Ciao,
Marco
v words:abley,blendees
Another 100 comments! Whoo Hoo!
The Western Isles of Scotland - there's insularity for you. North Wales can be a little unwelcoming in my experience.
I am just starting a memoir by Lorna Sage called Bad Blood which begins with her childhood in North Wales in the 1940s, which she describes as being much like it would have been in the 1880s except more depressed, less populous and more out of step-- "more and more islanded in time as the years went by". Insular indeed. And in that sense, I suppose Marco is right that America as a whole can not really be insular, though pockets certainly are.
Just finished Clash of Civilizations Over an Elevator in the Piazza Vittorio, and very much enjoyed it. I was happy to read it was being made into a film. One thing, though--Marco, I suppose it's been awhile since you read it, but do you remember that the central character Amadeo exhibits the same general directional/geographical laxness that Adrian does? When asked where he comes from he will only say 'from the south of the South'. In the McKinty universe, this could just as easily have meant Antarctica. It's too bad he's fictional or we could enlist him to fill out the Spread the Word form. He'd have no problem whatever with it.
I just bought"Clash of Civilizations Over an Elevator in the Piazza Vittorio" today, so grazie. Marco. No spoilers, please!
And there was me thinking I was ahead of the zeitgeist for once. I too own that volume though I havent read it yet. I'm reading a fun book called In Search of Conrad. Dr Johnson said read just as the mood takes you and I agree with him.
I also felt that I was ahead of the zeitgeist but learned quickly that I wasn't. No, no spoilers coming from me, Peter, unless for some reason you thought Amadeo might really hail from Antarctica. I try to be careful about that kind of thing.
I was happy to read it was being made into a film.
I believe a tv-movie rather than a "real" film,but I don't know for sure.
I see your point re:geographical laxness.
Glad you enjoyed it.
Ciao,
Marco
v word:punti (points)
Did they celebrate the Fifth of November in this country? Guy Fawkes Night.I wasn't sure.
Marco
Well we had a gigantic Obama party
It was a quote Adrian...memory with age and all that,right?
v-word:
ichsangh (I sang)
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