The Star Online: Lifestyle: Bookshelf
The Star Online: Lifestyle: Bookshelf |
| Posted: 10 Feb 2013 05:57 AM PST In homage to the creature that rules this Lunar New Year, we present a page of hissy reads. SNAKES have such a bad rep. They're slimy, slithery evil things, many people think. That little episode with Eve in the garden hasn't helped (although I rather like that particular snake for shaking things up in the Adam household) and popular culture has chosen, by and large, to present the snake in a negative light. I think snakes are gorgeous – cool, smooth and elegant – and have long coveted one as a pet (I don't think my cats would be pleased). I think a beautifully-patterned length of snake would be a design asset in any household, and also an inspired fashion accessory – around the wrist or the waist, or draped over the shoulders (only don't choose the sort that constrict). Today is the first day of the Lunar new year and it's the year of the Water Snake. According to the Chinese zodiac, snakes are philosophical, insightful, fun-loving and intelligent. For babies born this year, there aren't as many books about snakes as there are about tigers, dragons, monkeys, and most of the other animals in the zodiac. There are, however, three that I feel are a must for any mini library. Verdi by Janell Cannon is about a young python who dreads growing up because he doesn't want to be like the seemingly lazy adult snakes he sees around him. Verdi starts off bright yellow, which suits him just fine as it's a sign that he's still a young python. He loves exploring the forest, slithering all over the place and flinging himself off tree tops. When he notices a green stripe extending down the entire length of his body, Verdi tries his best to get rid of this sign of impending adulthood – with near-fatal results. Will Verdi realise that getting older isn't all bad? Cannon's books about young animals are known for their beautiful, vibrantly-hued and realistic illustrations. Verdi, being true to its title, glows green, with touches of yellow and earth tones. Verdi's story is a compelling, entertaining one that also gives young readers an idea of the lives of pythons in the wild. In addition, "Snake Notes" at the back of the book provide an interesting list of facts about pythons and snakes in general. Next is Crictor by the wonderful Tomi Ungerer. The titular character is a boa constrictor which an old French lady, Madame Louise Bodot, receives as a gift from her Africa-based herpetologist son. Once Madame Bodot determines that the snake is not poisonous, she names him Crictor and settles down to positively spoiling him – feeding Crictor bottles of milk, knitting him long, sleeveless sweaters, taking him for walks and making him feel at home by decorating her home with potted palm trees. Madame Bodot is a teacher so of course Crictor goes to school and is a great favourite with the students, who use him as a slide and a skipping rope. Crictor also helps the boy scouts learn their knots and is a pro at twisting his body into the shapes of letters and numbers – what a useful snake! But Crictor really proves his worth when he helps apprehend a robber who breaks into Madame Bodot's home. An ex-colleague once told me that he had a pet python who wrapped itself around the legs of a burglar so perhaps this bit of the Crictor story isn't as fanciful as it might appear. My favourite thing about Crictor is Ungerer's charming pen-and-ink-wash illustrations, which are just very graceful and simple, and droll. Crictor himself, despite just being a length of green, is most expressive – it's amazing how much emotion a pair of eyes can convey. Finally, there is My Snake Blake by Randy Siegel, with illustrations by Serge Bloch. Bloch's pictures remind me of Ungerer's with their graceful, lively and dramatic lines, light touches of colour, and interesting detail. And actually this book is a version of Crictor, as Blake, like Crictor, shows the unconverted what a delightful pet a snake can be. Also, just like Crictor, Blake is an expert contortionist. Not only can he form letters with his body, he can spell whole words and this is how he communicates with his owner ("Hello") and his owner's nervous mother ("Relax"). Blake also walks the dog, plays baseball and helps with homework. If only real snakes could do all that. Never mind, they are beautiful and that is enough. Happy Year of the Snake! Daphne Lee reads to wonder and wander, be amazed and amused, horrified and heartened and inspired and comforted. She wishes more people will try it too. Speak to her at star2@thestar.com.my and check out her blog at daphne.blogs.com/books. |
| Posted: 10 Feb 2013 02:01 AM PST EIGHTY years after Adolf Hitler's rise to power in Germany, a novel that imagines his return to modern-day Berlin has become a bestseller in Germany, though a comedy about the Fuehrer is not to everyone's taste. Instead of committing suicide in his bunker on April 30, 1945, in He's Back (Er Ist Wieder Da), Hitler wakes up in 2011 without the slightest idea what has happened in the intervening 66 years. He stumbles through Berlin, dazed by the fact that Germany is now ruled by a woman and is home to millions of Turks. In one scene, the Nazi leader asks a group of boys for directions, addressing them as "Ronaldo Hitler youth". He has mistaken their football shirts bearing the name of the soccer star as some kind of military uniform. "Who's the old guy?" the boys ask each other. In a celebrity-obsessed world where success is often gauged by follower numbers on social networks or YouTube views, Hitler soon becomes the star of an entertainment show with a Turkish host. "You're golden my dear! This is just the beginning, believe me," his producer says. The story, written in the first person, is dotted with rambling inner monologues like those in Mein Kampf, the treatise Hitler wrote in 1924 that Germany plans to reprint in two years, the first re-issue since 1945. In the book, Hitler discovers jeans, tries to create an e-mail address ("Hitler89" referring to the year of his birth is already taken) and discovers cooking shows. Such is the tone in the nearly 400-page novel by Timur Vermes, a 45-year-old journalist. A farce in poor taste to some, a political satire to others, He's Back has done well in bookstores. With a print run of 360,000, the book recently made Germany's bestseller list and is set to be published in English and more than a dozen other languages. The book makes its impact even before it is opened, with a cover that depicts Hitler's block-like black parted hair and the title squeezed into the shape of his trademark square moustache. The hefty 19.33 (about RM81) price tag is a none-too subtle reference to the year the Nazi party leader came to power in Germany. Vermes, a 46-year-old ghostwriter, says the confrontational nature of the book, which has so far sold over 400,000 copies, and tens of thousands of audiobooks, is deliberate at a time when Germans appear to be obsessed by Hitler. "The fact is we have too much of a stereotype of Hitler," he told German media. "He's always the monster and we can be comforted by the fact that we're different from him. But in reality he continues to spark real fascination in people, just as he did back then, when people liked him enough to help him commit crimes." The book is the "latest outgrowth of a Hitler commercialisation machine that breaks all taboos to make money", wrote the weekly news magazine Stern. Sales of the 400-page book do seem to be riding on the wave of commemorations to mark the 80th anniversary of Hitler's rise to power and it has beaten novels by Paulo Coelho and Ken Follett to steal the top slot in Germany's book charts. Seventeen foreign licences have so far been sold, as well as the film rights. It is due to be published in Britain later this year. Unthinkable even 10 years ago, Hitler is today increasingly the subject of German comedians and artists – including a comic film directed by a Jew and a burlesque musical comedy. But this sudden popularity has triggered a mixed response by critics. "We laugh but it's a laugh that sticks in the throat," wrote Die SΓΌddeutsche Zeitung. Germany, it adds, "has a Hitler fixation which has taken on almost manic proportions. Hitler poses in reliable frequency on magazine covers, wanders like a ghost ... through the TV channels. ... Vermes satirises this 'Hitleritis', but his novel draws on it as well and even lends it a new dimension, that of not laughing about Hitler, but with Hitler." Daniel Erk, a journalist and Hitler expert, calls the phenomenon the "banalisation of evil". –Agencies |
| Posted: 10 Feb 2013 01:07 AM PST FROM Egg To Snake: Following The Life Cycle by Suzanne Slade & Jeff Yesh: Snakes symbolise many things and carry many connotations. But on a very primary level, snakes make up an intriguing part of the animal kingdom. This book exposes young readers (older ones can benefit from it too) to the life cycle of a snake, from the moment of its growth in an egg all the way to being an adult snake. Accompanied by fun facts and illustrations, this book is a great way of finding out more about the mysterious creatures. The Bible: The first time a serpent makes an appearance in the Bible is to trick Adam and Eve into eating the forbidden fruit. We humans do not like being tricked. Maybe that's why so many of us don't have a very nice impression of this suborder of reptiles. We associate it with something sinister. Snakes are mentioned in the Bible a number of times, from being associated with wisdom in the book of Matthew to having Aaron's staff be miraculously transformed into a live serpent in the book of Exodus. The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling: Nagini the snake makes her first appearance in the fourth book of the Harry Potter series, Goblet Of Fire, and appears in every book thereafter. Deriving from Hindu and Buddhist legends, her name is the female version of the Naga (people who worship snakes and can transform into them). She is Voldemort's pet of sorts, or as he states in his diary, an intended tool to safeguard his immortality. This is one example of how snakes are often portrayed as magical creatures or beings with some sort of supernatural power. Not a creature to be messed around. The Reptile Room by Lemony Snicket: In this second book in the Unfortunate Events series – which revolves around the lives of the orphaned Baudelaire children – events start off hopefully enough when the children are taken away from their horrible guardian, Count Olaf (who is after their inherited wealth) and placed under the care of affable Uncle Monty, a distant relative – and a passionate herpetologist. The children are fascinated by Uncle Monty's Reptile Room and are even set to go on an expedition to Peru with him. What's the unfortunate turn of events? Poor Uncle Monty is found dead with two tiny puncture holes under his eye. And once again, the children must scramble to save themselves. Snake by D.H. Lawrence: Snakes have not been left out of poetry either. Lawrence's poem speaks of the narrator's encounter with a snake at the water-trough. The encounter turns into a battle of conflicting thoughts and feelings as the narrator contemplates his actions towards the snake. What The Snakes Wrote by Hazel Hutchins & Tina Holdcroft: The children's literary world seems to have a thing for literate snakes. Here we get not just one but dozens of clever snakes who together form a jumble of words in a farmer's field. Or maybe they are not just a jumble of words. Rufus the farmyard dog takes notice of their little activity and becomes curious. What can the snakes be trying to tell Rufus? – Compiled by Amanda Soo |
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