JG Ballard looks back at Empire Memories have huge staying power, but like dreams, they thrive in the dark, surviving for decades in the deep waters of our minds like shipwrecks on the sea bed. Hauling them into the daylight can be risky. Within a few hours, a precious trophy of childhood or a first romance can crumble into rust. Empire Of The Sun Production year: 1987 Country: USA Cert (UK): PG Runtime: 152 mins Directors: Steven Spielberg Cast: Christian Bale, John Malkovich, Miranda Richardson More on this film I knew that something similar might happen when I began to write Empire of the Sun, a novel about my life as a boy in Shanghai during the second world war, and in the civilian camp at Lunghua, where I was interned with my parents. During the 1960s, the Shanghai of my childhood seemed a portent of the media cities of the future, dominated by advertising and mass circulation newspapers and swept by unpredictable violence. Even then, I had to leave out many things that belong in a memoir rather than a novel.
City Map of Fictional Streets and Landmarks This is a map that contains “over 900 film titles including cinema classics such as Lost Highway, On the Waterfront, Jurassic Park, Reservoir Dogs, Carlito’s Way, Nightmare on Elm Street, Valley of the Dolls and Chinatown.” (via We are Dorothy) I don’t know if it’s included on the map, but I’d really like to live at “P. Sherman Wallaby Way, Sydney”. Otherwise, I’ll settle for “The Polar Express” because I hear they have fantastic hot chocolate there, and I’d also be right next to “Forrest Gump” and “Animal Farm” which is great because I hear country air is good for you. {Map by We are Dorothy, £25}
Podcasts - The House I Grew Up In JG Ballard Shanghai Home & Lunghua Camp JG Ballard's Home Destroyed by Renovations In the autumn of 2009 a few trusty spies visiting and living in Shanghai noted the restaurant SH508 had shut down and crews were assembling on the site. Over the next 10 months what remained of the house Ballard grew up in was gutted and rebuilt into a brand new brick structure, possibly a large private home. JG Ballard's Shanghai Neighbourhood In September of 2007 Shanghai resident Andy Best did a complete tour of the neighbourhood around Amherst Avenue, taking pictures of the old mansions, schools, colleges and cathedrals which would have existed during the 1930s when the young Jim Ballard roamed this area. JG Ballard's Shanghai Haunts After visiting JG Ballard's Shanghai home, I set out to take in other areas of the city mentioned either in Ballard interviews, letters and novels. Memories Of The Sparse Age: The Recollections of Lunghwa Civilian Assembly Camp Internees This all started in the Fall of 2008. An Hour with Desmond Power
Most Anticipated: The Great Second-Half 2012 Book Preview 2012 has already been a rich year for books, with new novels from Toni Morrison, Richard Ford, and Hilary Mantel and essay collections from Marilynn Robinson and Jonathan Franzen, to name just a fraction of what we’ve featured, raved about, chewed on, and puzzled over so far. But the remainder of this year (and the hazy beginning of next year) is shaping up to be a jackpot of literary riches. In just a few short months, we’ll be seeing new titles from some of the most beloved and critically lauded authors working today, including Martin Amis, Zadie Smith, Michael Chabon, Junot Díaz, Alice Munro, Ian McEwan, George Saunders, and David Foster Wallace. Incredibly, there’s much more than that to get excited about, but, were we to delve into it further up here, we would risk this introduction consuming the many previews that are meant to follow. July: August: September: The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Every Love Story is a Ghost Story: The Life of David Foster Wallace by D.T. San Miguel by T.C.
Podcasts - In Our Time Archive: Culture Books | Steven Pinker Pinker, S., & Mehler, J. (1988). Connections and Symbols. Cambridge: The MIT Press.Abstract Does intelligence result from the manipulation of structured symbolic expressions? Or is it the result of the activation of large networks of densely interconnected simple units? Connections and Symbols provides the first systematic analysis of the explosive new field of connectionism that is challenging the basic tenets of cognitive science. Amazon Editors Pick the 20 Best Books of 2012 So Far Today Amazon editors revealed their picks for the best books of the year so far. The top ten books on the list were all published by the Big Six publishers–no Amazon Publishing, indie presses or self-published titles. The editors also picked their top ten books in all the popular categories: biographies & memoirs, business & investing, cookbooks, food & wine, crafts, hobbies & home, literature & fiction, mystery & thrillers, nonfiction, romance, science fiction & fantasy, comics & graphic novels, and teens, middle grade and picture books for kids. Here’s more from Amazon: “Customers can also enter the Best Books of the Year So Far Sweepstakes on the Amazon.com Books Facebook page through July 23 for a chance to win one of 10 Kindle Fire devices, each accompanied by a $100 Amazon.com Gift Card. There is no purchase necessary to enter. Must be a legal resident of the 50 United States or D.C., 18 or over. Amazon’s Top 10 Books of the Year So Far 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
Books That Shaped America - National Book Festival The Library of Congress, the world’s largest repository of knowledge and information, began a multiyear “Celebration of the Book” with an exhibition on “Books That Shaped America.” The initial books in the exhibition are displayed below. “This list is a starting point,” said Librarian of Congress James H. Billington. We hope you will view the list, discuss it with your friends and family, and most importantly, choose to read and discuss some of the books on this list, reflecting America’s unique and extraordinary literary heritage, which the Library of Congress makes available to the world. Visit the online exhibition Show entries Search: Showing 1 to 88 of 88 entries Top
20 Best Websites To Download Free EBooks Ebooks have revolutionized the way book enthusiasts engage with literature. With the ability to read on ebook readers or mobile gadgets, the convenience is unmatched. Moreover, the internet is flooded with platforms offering free or discounted ebooks. For those in search of the finest sources to download free ebooks or even market their ebooks online, here’s an exhaustive list detailing their respective formats and downloading procedures. 20 Places to Sell and Publish eBooks 20 Places to Sell and Publish eBooks "If you are good at something, never do it for free" is the most famous dialogue from movie... Project Gutenberg More info: Genre: VariousCompatible with: Kindle, .epub, .htmlSign-in required? Project Gutenberg is an esteemed online library offering complimentary public domain books. Hart’s inspiration for this library sprouted when he discovered the print copy of the Declaration of Independence was priced at $1.50, which he deemed excessive. ManyBooks Free-eBooks eBookLobby Smashwords
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