The Star Online: Lifestyle: Bookshelf
The Star Online: Lifestyle: Bookshelf |
| Posted: 01 Feb 2013 02:32 AM PST A NEW Chinese translation of Finnegan's Wake, renowned for its linguistic difficulty in the original English language, is proving a hit in China – although one academic called the author James Joyce "mentally ill". The first-ever mainland Chinese edition of the novel sold out its initial print run of 8,000 copies just three weeks after being launched in December, the official Xinhua news agency said. Translator Dai Congrong of Shanghai's Fudan University toiled for eight years to render the work about an Irish family into Chinese, imitating the stream of consciousness style and unusual language, it said. It quoted Wang Weisong of the Shanghai People's Publishing House, which released the book, as saying its success was "totally unexpected". Both the translator and the publisher declined to comment on Tuesday. Chinese readers are already familiar with other works of the early 20th century Irish writer. The Chinese edition of Ulysses, considered Joyce's masterpiece, went on sale in 1995. Literary critic Liu Wei told a recent seminar on Finnegans Wake that the book – the plot of which remains open to interpretation – deserved respect. "Modern writers share a common sense of doing interesting textual experiments ... among this group of writers, Joyce has the most intensive sense of all," he said, according to an online transcript. "I think it deserves our respect that Joyce created such a rich text." But one reader, who gave the name Eudaimonus, said in a microblog posting that the work was not accessible to all. "Finnegans Wake is a book for book collectors and critics, but not for readers," the posting said. Others were more emphatic. Xinhua quoted Jiang Xiaoyuan, a professor at Shanghai's Jiaotong University, as saying: "Joyce must have been mentally ill to create such a novel." – AFP Relaxnews |
| Posted: 01 Feb 2013 01:42 AM PST Big Nate All Work and No Play: A Collection of Sundays Author: Lincoln Peirce Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing, 144 pages THIS New York Times bestseller contains over two years of the popular comic strip, Big Nate, which appeared in that paper's Sunday edition. It follows the colourful and rebellious life of Nate Wright, a spunky 11-year-old who has little interest in school and is no stranger to the detention room but whose heart is in the right place. I Funny: A Middle School Story Authors: James Patterson & Chris Grabenstein Illustrator: Laura Park Publisher: Little, Brown and Company, 272 pages BESTSELLING thriller writer James Patterson moved into young adult fiction territory successfully with several ongoing series, including Maximum Ride and Daniel X, and then kicked off the Middle School series with the hit opener, Middle School: The Worst Years Of My Life. In this second instalment, Patterson revisits the life of wheelchair-bound student Jamie Grimm who dreams of becoming a great comedian. He's a pretty funny kid, judging by the reaction he gets whenever he practises his stand up routine on friends, family members, and customers at his uncle's diner. Then, his uncle hears about a contest called "The Planet's Funniest Kid Comic", and Jamie is all set to take part – until he begins wondering: what if the judges only give him sympathy votes because of his disability? Mal And Chad #03: Belly Flop! Author: Stephen McCranie Publisher: Dial, 160 pages THE third book in the children's series about geeky Mal and his best friend, the talking dog Chad, takes readers into Mal's love life – or lack thereof. While young scientist Mal can build all manner of clever gadgets and machines, he can't seem to build up enough courage to woo Megan, the girl of his dreams. But then, Megan invites him to her birthday party! Wow! Mal's so excited, he creates all sorts of disasters, including destroying the party! Oh dear. Can his fierce science skills help Mal find a way of saving the situation? The Great Wall Of Lucy Wu Author: Wendy Wan-Long Shang Publisher: Scholastic Press, 320 pages WENDY Shang dishes out a humorous and heartfelt tale about cultural identities and a tween's complicated life. Aspiring basketball star 12-year-old Lucy Wu is ready to take on new challenges with hopes of becoming the captain of the school basketball team. At home, she's excited to take over the room she has always shared with her older sister. However, things take a twist when she learns that her grandaunt is coming to visit for several months and is staying in that coveted room! |
| Posted: 01 Feb 2013 12:47 AM PST IN Hollywood, break-ups happen so often you are want to wonder why stars even bother hooking up in the first place. However, not all celebrities who find romance on the red carpet or movie sets end up on the rocks. There are some Hollywood romances that aren't fleeting and Galaxie has picked, for its Feb 1 issue in commemoration of Valentine's Day, its most beloved celebrity couples. From one of the longest lasting A-list marriages (Will Smith and Jada Pinkett), a scandal rocked Twilight romance (Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart), a Crazy In Love couple (Jay-Z and Beyoncé), a cover worthy duo (David Beckham and Victoria Adams) and young love (Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth), Galaxie features the couples that have given celebrity watchers hope that maybe there is such thing as a Hollywood happily ever after. In this love fest issue, we uncover the secrets to making relationships work in the spotlight, we discover the chemistry that sparked some whirlwind romances and a peek at when reel love turned to real love. And just for fun, we threw in a side-bar on when romances turned sour with a look at some celebrity hookups that turned ugly. Besides Galaxie's love affair with power couples, the Feb 1 issue also features the latest in entertainment news, gossip and fashion! One Direction hit it big in Japan and Galaxie has snapshots of the boyband in kimonos, Justin Timberlake returns to music while Justin Bieber proves that if his music career doesn't pan out, he might have a fall back plan as a babysitter. On the fashion front, Taylor Swift shows us how to rock décolletage while James Bond star Daniel Craig and The Avengers villain Tom Hiddleston vie for the title of Best Dressed Man in Britain. In this issue, Galaxie trains the spotlight on Lawson, the other up and coming British band that are giving One Direction and The Wanted a run for their money at the top of the music charts. Also featured is TV actress Lyndsy Fonseca who reveals how its never a dull day on the set of Nikita. Not to be missed too is the low-down on the judges who are stirring up trouble on the latest season of American Idol. Yes, we're talking about the famously feuding divas Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj. If you're excited much and want more, then get your copy of Galaxie that's out at a newsstand near you. Galaxie is published by Star Publications (M) Bhd. Galaxie can also be found online at galaxieblog.com.my (providing you gossip seven days a week!), facebook.com/GalaxieMagazine and on Twitter@galaxiemag. |
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