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Termiteros de la sabana
by Chinua AchebeChris, Ikem y Beatrice son tres estudiantes que comparten opiniones políticas y tratan de sobrevivir bajo la dictadura de un presidente educado en una academia militar británica. Unidos por la lucha contra la tiranía, la relación entre los tres jóvenes da un giro radical cuando cambia el régimen político y Chris y Beatrice pasan a trabajar para el gobierno, mientras que Ikem se convierte en redactor de un periódico opositor. Pero en un mundo en que cada nuevo día conlleva una nueva traición, Beatrice se niega a rendirse y a renunciar a la esperanza.«Un libro sabio, estimulante y necesario, un poderoso antídoto a los comentaristas cínicos que, desde la otra orilla, jamás ven que salga nada nuevo de África.»Financial Times
La pena de Bélgica
by Hugo Claus«Hugo Claus no necesitaba ningún maestro, él era un maestro.»CEES NOOTEBOOMAmbientada en Bélgica durante los últimos años del III Reich, esta novela narra la adolescencia de Louis Seynaeve, hijo de una familia pequeñoburguesa y ultraconservadora, orgullosa de su propia inanidad. Con el paso de los años, Louis, desencantado, abandona los mitos de la niñez y descubre la naturaleza hipócrita del mundo adulto. Obra de factura clásica y proporciones épicas, polémica, hilarante y cruda a partes iguales, La pena de Bélgica es uno de los mayores monumentos de la literatura europea.Traducción de M. C. Bartolomé Corrochano y P. J. van de Paverd
Herederas
by Lulu TaylorFama, moda y escándalo podrían ser fácilmente los nombres de las tres hermanas Trevellyan. Jemima, Tara y Poppy viven en la cresta de la ola, en las cimas inalcanzables del glamour y el estilo absolutos, si bien no debería pasarse por alto que tienen ciertos asuntos por resolver, sobre todo si hablamos de#RIQUEZA: El manirroto estilo de vida de Jemima no conoce límites. El único objetivo en la vida de Tara es independizarse económicamente de su marido a toda costa. Y Poppy quiere huir de la alargada sombra de su familia pero sin perder las comodidades que la fortuna doméstica le facilita.SEXO: Es la obsesión de Jemima, lo único que la ayuda a mitigar su aburrido matrimonio. Por su parte, la vida en apariencia perfecta de Tara no le depara tales placeres. Y Poppy, mimada y malcriada en exceso, aún está por enfrentarse con las emociones que la vida real, y el amor real, le pueda proporcionar.FAMILIA: Es la única verdad que han conocido en sus vidas, y ahora el legado de sus padres, un vasto imperio de la perfumería, ha quedado en las manos de ellas tres# y se encuentra en plena decadencia. ¿Serán capaces de convertir su pasión por el lujo en un negocio rentable? Aún más: tras empezar de cero, ¿podrán enfrentarse al pasado familiar?«Literatura de evasión de la buena. Tan buena, que es como irse de vacaciones.»Daily Mail
Para siempre jamás
by Lucy DawsonLa pasión, el entusiasmo y la espontaneidad que definen el comienzo de una relación se desvanecen con el paso del tiempo. Pero a Mia no le preocupa, porque sabe que el amor que siente por Pete será duradero. La experiencia le dicta que las relaciones requieren de un esfuerzo y un cuidado diario; este es el secreto para que una relación adulta funcione.Pero una noche, de camino al baño, encuentra el teléfono de Pete y lee un mensaje de texto que le deja la sangre helada: todo apunta a que tiene una amante. Mia tendrá que ponerse seria y sacar todas sus armas de mujer, incluso algunas que ni tan siquiera sabía que tenía.Después de todo, su felicidad está en juego, ¿no?«Lucy Dawson ha sabido dar forma a la pesadilla de toda mujer. Os identificaréis con el personaje aun a pesar de las decisiones que termine tomando, sentiréis su pesar, os saltaréis páginas por la impaciencia# y os dejará con un nudo en el estómago.»Heat
Falstaff y Hamlet (Colección Endebate #Volumen)
by Gonzalo TornéUn fascinante ensayo sobre dos personajes fundamentales de Shakespeare que no terminan de encajar en su contexto. Hay una clase de personajes que tienen una función narrativa distinta a la del resto: no tienen carne ni sangre, están hechos de palabras como el resto de personajes, pero parecen pertenecer a otro plano de la realidad: saben muchas cosas y actúan como un motivador contratado para dinamizar la obra. El lector reconoce en su perfil desdibujado que tienen un pie fuera (por enfermedad, por mayor experiencia, por pertenecer a un rango social inferior) del escenario común donde actúan el resto de figuras: su función narrativa consiste en propiciar la acción, en cometerla, en actuar como directores de escena vicarios. En este audaz ensayo Gonzalo Torné, tan brillante novelista como perspicaz crítico, propone una lectura de Shakespeare en la que Falstaff y Hamlet inauguran esa estirpe, que más tarde recogerán autores como Henry James, Iris Murdoch o John Coetzee.
THE CHILDRENS BOOK OF TRUTHS
by VariousWhy do people fight? What?s the use of education? Is India rich or poor? Why are stories important? Can anyone be a leader? Is science only about exams? Will planting trees save the earth? Growing up throws up a lot of questions ? about people, events and the world around us. Sometimes the answers are in simple black and white, wrong and right, but mostly they are not. In this book, ten truth-explorers and idea-shapers share with you their thought-provoking views on important topics close to your heart and mind. Drawing on their experiences, they help you see many different sides of a question and arrive at the most important truth ? your own conclusion, your own interpretation, your own answer. Subroto Bagchi on Leadership Shaheen Mistri on Education Vivek Menon on Nature Meeta Kumar on the Economy Manjula Padmanabhan on Gender Bias Omair Ahmad on Conflict Bibek Debroy on God and Religion Roopa Pai on Stories Hartosh Singh Bal on Science and Maths Kapil Dev on Sports
Sightlines
by Rage Theatre ProductionsEvery three years, over the last decade, the Mumbai-based theatre group RAGE - in collaboration with the Royal Court Theatre in London - organizes the Writers' Bloc Workshop. Offering a much-needed artistic retreat to playwrights, this workshop allows aspiring and professional playwrights a chance to perfect their scripts with established actors and professionals from within the industry. Apart from encouraging them to break free from the rigid boundaries of English theatre in India to fashion their own idiom, the workshop also ensures its playwrights access to the final pilgrimage of any script - the stage. As it stands today, the infamous debate on whether an Indian play written in English mirrors a bona fide Indian reality is no longer relevant. Using a vocabulary that is entirely their own - 'unaffected, homegrown and lyrical' - the three plays in this collection convincingly capture the peculiar accents and the particular chaos of our times. Rahul Da Cunha's 'Pune Highway' is set in a seedy hotel room where three friends, having just witnessed the gruesome murder of a fourth, are holed up, desperate to escape its consequences; Ram Ganesh Kamatham's 'Crab' takes a hard-talking look at the existential angst of a new generation, looking at once for purpose and an emotional safe place from an increasingly concrete world; Farhad Sorabjee's 'Hard Places' explores the unspoken borders that divide us from our loved ones and the violently disputed borders between countries. Bridging the invisible lines between the personal and the political and taking us to places and situations a little less familiar and safer than our own, these brilliantly written plays can be performed, and empathized with, across territories.
Harvest
by Manjula Padmanabhan`A modern morality play. A bitter, savagely funny vision of the cannibalistic future that awaits the human race...? ? OUTLOOK A searing portrayal of a society bereft of moral and spiritual anchors, Manjula Padmanabhan?s fifth play, Harvest, won the Onassis Award for Original Theatrical Drama in 1997, the first year in which the prize was awarded. Following its international premiere in Greece in 1999, the play has been performed over the years by theatre groups, both amateur and professional, around the world. A dark satire, Harvest tells the story of an impoverished family and the Faustian contract they enter into with a shadowy international corporation: fabulous wealth in exchange for the organs of one of its members. As Ginni, the glamorous American woman who hopes to receive the organs, invades their one-room home via an interactive video device the play lays bare the transactional nature of human relationships ? even the most intimate ones. This edition includes, for the first time, a gender-reversed version of the play ? an experiment by the author that provides startling insight into the stereotypes and societal constructs ingrained deep in the human psyche and, indeed, into how we perceive gender.
Bhartiya Arthvyastha: भारतीय अर्थव्यवस्था
by संजीव वर्मायूपीएससी पाठ्यक्रम के नए पैटर्न के आधार पर पूरी तरह से संशोधित और अद्यतन संस्करण - अब 4 व्यापक खंडों में संरचित- ए। घरेलू अर्थव्यवस्था, बी। बाहरी क्षेत्र- बाहर की ओर, सी। ग्लोबल इकोनॉमी और आउटलुक और डी। इंडियन इकोनॉमी रिविजिटेड, आउटलुक और चुनौतियां। पुस्तक आर्थिक मुद्दे को महान वैचारिक स्पष्टता के साथ रेखांकित करने और आवेदन के हिस्से में लाने और वर्तमान समय में इसकी प्रासंगिकता का प्रयास है। नई पीढ़ी के छात्रों को अर्थव्यवस्था को सही परिप्रेक्ष्य में समझने का प्रयास। निम्नलिखित अध्यायों में अर्थव्यवस्था में भारत सरकार द्वारा शुरू की जा रही नई अवधारणाओं, नीतियों और कार्यान्वयन को अद्यतन करने और जोड़ने के दौरान सीखने की आसानी को ध्यान में रखा गया है: 1. मुख्य विशेषताएं: नया भारत 2. गरीबी और सामाजिक क्षेत्र 3. सरकार फाइनेंसिंग और बैंकिंग 4. विदेश व्यापार नीति ... कुछ का नाम दिया जाना है निम्नलिखित वर्गों को नए संस्करण में डाला गया है: 1. भारतीय अर्थव्यवस्था तारकीय प्रदर्शन 2. भारत की अर्थव्यवस्था भर में फैले JAM 3. माल और सेवा कर: एक प्रगतिशील कर व्यवस्था 4 निति आयोग: द प्रीमियर पॉलिसी थिंक टैंक 5. स्टार्टअप इंडिया: विंग्स टू द स्काई ऊपर 6. डिमॉनेटाइजेशन पॉलिसी: काले धन के खिलाफ सर्जिकल स्ट्राइक को कुछ ही समय में अवधारणा (ओं) को सीखने और समझने की सुविधा के लिए आरेखों के साथ समृद्ध किया गया है।
Astro-Nuts: An Intergalactic Drama
by Manjula PadmanabhanIt?s the General Assembly of the Galactic Union, and the first delegation from SOL-3 is desperate to present its case before it. The crazily assorted contingent of the third planet of the star SOL-aka Earth - carries with it all its baggage of opposing opinions, narrow views, squabbles, secrets and conspiracies. Toilets, whales, racism, food, body size...everything is cause for shouting matches and name-calling as the representatives ? 11 human and six non-human ? each wait to hold forth. To their shock and horror, they come to know that only one delegate will appear before the Assembly. Fuss and fireworks erupt among the elected leaders of the delegation, while five rebels plot a blow-up of a different kind. Uncertainty rules: Who is that one chosen speaker going to be and what is he, she or it going to say? Will SOL-3 be stuck with being `ecologically unfit for full membership to the Union?, or be seen as having `potential for change?? Is this interplanetary jamboree an insult, an opportunity, or a test? Among telepathic cookies and high-tech waste disposal, Manjula Padmanabhan sets up a colourfully cast, witty and thought-provoking stage spectacle sure to leave its audience and readers amused, inspired and applauding.
Indian Art and Culture: भारतीय कला एवं संस्कृति
by Nitin SindhaniaNitin Singhania holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Economics from Presidency College, Kolkata. He is also a Chartered Accountant and Company Secretary. He worked in Coal India Ltd before joining the Indian Administrative Services (IAS) in 2013 in the West Bengal cadre. He has a deep interest and expertise in Indian Art and Culture and is known for guiding students in this area. Presently he is posted as Sub-Divisional Officer in Purba Bardhaman district of West Bengal. Earlier, he has worked as the Assistant Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India and as Assistant Collector in Burdwan, West Bengal. His bestselling title Indian Art and Culture is a favourite among students preparing for the Civil Services Examination.
Bharat Ava Vishva Ka Bhugol: भारत एवं विश्व का भूगोल
by माजिद हुसेनसंघ लोक सेवा आयोग (UPSC) ने वर्ष 2013 में सिविल सेवा मुख्य परीक्षा हेतु अपने परीक्षा पैटर्न और पाठ्यक्रम को पुनरीक्षित किया था। वर्ष 2011 में प्रारंभिक परीक्षा के आकार और पैटर्न में भी परिवर्तन किया गया था। पुनरीक्षित पाठ्यक्रम और विद्यार्थियों से प्राप्त उत्साहवर्धक प्रतिक्रिया के आलोक में “भारत एवं विश्व का भूगोल” पुस्तक को विभिन्न सरकारी और गैर-सरकारी प्रकाशनों से प्राप्त नवीनतम आंकड़ों और सूचनाओं को ध्यानपूर्वक सम्मिलित कर पुनरीक्षित और अद्यतन किया गया है। इस पुनरीक्षित संस्करण में भूगोल, पर्यावरण और पारिस्थितिकी तथा आपदा प्रबंधन के लगभग सभी विषयों को शामिल किया गया है, जोकि प्रारंभिक परीक्षा और मुख्य परीक्षा के सामान्य अध्ययन पत्र—II, III और —IV में निर्धारित हैं।
Blood and Laughter: Plays
by Manjula PadmanabhanA neighbourhood that turns a blind eye to a recurring gruesome crime. A game show that puts the lives of its contestants on the line. An insidious tableau that pits three artists against each other. A world where organs of the poor are commercially harvested for the rich. Collected Plays brings together, in a much-anticipated series, the dramatic works of Onassis Prize-winning playwright and author Manjula Padmanabhan.Blood and Laughter, the first volume, presents within its covers Padmanabhan’s full-length plays – including the three-times cinematized Lights Out, the previously unpublished Mating Game Show and Artist’s Model, and the award-winning Harvest – all known for their masterful portrayal of the dilemmas of morality, relationships and the idea of justice. Horror, anticipation and chilling realism mark each of these works, drawing readers and audiences alike to the edge of their seats.With new introductions to the works that affirm the relevance of the themes of the plays, this collection showcases the playwright’s mastery of her art and reconfirms her standing among the leading dramatists of our time.
Laughter and Blood: Performance Pieces
by Manjula PadmanabhanConjoined triplets on a blind date. A lesson in human reproduction by a manic-prudish teacher. A heart-stopping game of cards. An instrument that tunes in to the music of our bodies’ organs.Collected Plays brings together, in a much-anticipated series, the dramatic works of Onassis prize-winning playwright and author Manjula Padmanabhan.Laughter and Blood, the second volume, presents within its covers Padmanabhan’s short performance pieces. From The Sextet and Ladies’ Night to Hidden Fires and Blind Date, these wildly inventive, subversive and often chilling plays introduce readers to the intrigues of inverted power structures, tantalizingly suggestive interactions and powerful voices from the fringe.With new introductions to the works that affirm the relevance of the themes of the plays, this collection showcases the playwright’s mastery of her art and reconfirms her standing among the leading dramatists of our time.
Young Audiences, Theatre and the Cultural Conversation
by John O'Toole Ricci-Jane Adams Michael Anderson Bruce Burton Robyn EwingThis volume offers rare insights into the connection between young audiences and the performing arts. Based on studies of adolescent and post-adolescent audiences, ages 14 to 25, the book examines to what extent they are part of our society's cultural conversation. It studies how these young people read and understand theatrical performance. It looks at what the educational components in their theatre literacy are, and what they make of the whole social event of theatre. It studies their views on the relationship between what they themselves decide and what others decide for them. The book uses qualitative and quantitative data collected in a six-year study carried out in the three largest Australian States, thirteen major performing arts companies, including the Sydney Opera House, three state theatre companies and three funding organisations. The book's perspectives are derived from world-wide literature and company practices and its significance and ramifications are international. The book is written to be engaging and accessible to theatre professionals and lay readers interested in theatre, as well as scholars and researchers. "This extraordinary book thoroughly explains why young people (ages 14-25+) do and do not attend theatre into adulthood by delineating how three inter-linked factors (literacy, confidence, and etiquette) influence their decisions. Given that theatre happens inside spectators' minds, the authors balance the theatre equation by focusing upon young spectators and thereby dispel numerous beliefs held by theatre artists and educators. Each clearly written chapter engages readers with astute insights and compelling examples of pertinent responses from young people, teachers, and theatre professionals. To stem the tide of decreasing theatre attendance, this highly useful book offers pragmatic strategies for artistic, educational, and marketing directors, as well as national theatre organizations and arts councils around the world. I have no doubt that its brilliantly conceived research, conducted across multiple contexts in Australia, will make a significant and original contribution to the profession of theatre on an international scale. " Jeanne Klein, University of Kansas, USA "Young Audiences, Theatre and the Cultural Conversation is a compelling and comprehensive study on attitudes and habits of youth theatre audiences by leading international scholars in the field. This benchmark study offers unique insights by and for theatre makers and administrators, theatre educators and researchers, schools, parents, teachers, students, audience members of all ages. A key strength within the book centers on the emphasis of the participant voices, particularly the voices of the youth. Youth voices, along with those of teachers and theatre artists, position the extensive field research front and center. " George Belliveau, The University of British Columbia, Canada
KIRCHNER, LOS (EBOOK)
by Joaquin Morales SolaA lo largo de su trabajo periodístico el diario La Nación, Joaquín Morales Solá fue relatando los entretelones del quinquenio kirchnerista. Cada una de sus columnas fue una crónica a la vez que un análisis lúcido acerca del proceso político que permitió transformar a un hombre votado por apenas el 22% de los argentinos en un fenómeno de concentración de poder pocas veces visto en la breve historia democrática argentina. Pero más allá de la crónica y el análisis, Morales Solá supo ver #para enojo del matrimonio Kirchner, que muchas veces usó los atriles para criticarlo# cómo aquel poder hegemónico iba dejando fisuras institucionales, heridas políticas, problemas económicos irresueltos, curiosas interpretaciones históricas que degradarían con mayor rapidez que la que fue necesaria para construirlo el sistema creado por la pareja gobernante. Los Kirchner se lee como un ensayo en tiempo presente y como un drama en varios actos. Cada columna seleccionada por Bartolomé de Vedia parece haber sido escrita ayer mismo. Los personajes principales son siempre los mismos, los secundarios entran y salen de la escena. El libro cierra en el clímax, tras el duro conflicto con el campo, dejando un final abierto. Los que llegaron solos han vuelto a quedarse solos.
La dama oscura: La vida de Æmilia Bassano Lanyer, la mujer que Shakespeare amó en secreto y lo inspiró a escribir sus obras más famosas
by Cristina PerezLa vida de Æmilia Bassano, la mujer a la que Shakespeare amó en secreto, lo inspiró para escribir sus obras más famosas y que vivió limitada por las restricciones que el renacimiento inglés imponía pero que ahora sí puede ser puesta en primer plano y dada a conocer en todo su esplendor. En pleno siglo XVI, las mujeres casi no tenían derechos en Inglaterra. No sabían leer ni escribir. Æmilia Bassano Lanyer, nacida en una familia de músicos y con formación de princesa, iba a enfrentar un mundo donde hasta la reina Elizabeth I pagaba el precio de ser mujer. Æmilia llegó a la corte como intérprete musical y compositora, pero también como amante de uno de los hombres más poderosos del reino. Fue la primera mujer en publicar un libro en la literatura inglesa y eso la uniría con un poeta y dramaturgo que empezaba a descollar: William Shakespeare. Subyugado por la misteriosa belleza e intelectualidad de Æmilia, él dejaría en sus sonetos registro de ese amor. Allí la menciona crípticamente como "la dama oscura" y hay investigaciones que aseguran que fue coautora de algunas de sus obras e inspiración de historias de origen italiano como Romeo y Julieta. En esta novela, Cristina Pérez busca unir los puntos históricos de un amor que inventó el amor, y recrea un lenguaje y una atmósfera de época con ritmo contemporáneo. Una rigurosa investigación es el telón de fondo para desentrañar quién fue Æmilia Bassano Lanyer, una mujer encorsetada por los límites del renacimiento inglés que, sin embargo, estuvo por delante de su tiempo como pionera de la mujer moderna y libre.
Julio César para jóvenes y no tanto
by Fernando VillegasAño 44 a. C. El hombre más poderoso de Roma se dirige al Senado en los fatídicos Idus de marzo. Se jugaba el destino de la República. Una época fascinante y turbulenta a la que Fernando Villegas viaja para contarnos esta gran historia. Julio César para jóvenes y no tanto es un ensayo sutil que enseña y entretiene.
El mundo abajo
by Patricio JaraUna de las voces más interesantes de la narrativa chilena contemporánea. En estos siete espléndidos cuentos, Patricio Jara nos sumerge en los mundos subterráneos de hombres y mujeres que, por diversas razones, son enfrentados a la tragedia. Entre el desierto de Atacama y la periferia de la gran ciudad, los relatos se conectan y nos permiten ingresar al universo psicológico de quienes habitan estos paisajes. Una piloto que diseña las rutas de los aviones, un buzo profesional que no quiere volver al mar después de un accidente y una pareja de investigadores en la desembocadura del río Loa son algunos de los personajes que difuminan la línea entre lo correcto e incorrecto, y que demuestran que el paso de lo cotidiano a lo siniestro es estrecho. Un conjunto de relatos donde lo temible se abre paso con la fuerza del oleaje.
En otro lugar
by Susan MailerUn libro conmovedor y de hondo calado sicológico sobre lo que implicó para descubrir su propio camino ser la hija de uno de los escritores más polémicos y controversiales del siglo XX. En otro lugar es la historia de una hija y de su padre, del vínculo de ambos. Pero no es cualquier padre. Se trata de uno de los más destacados, talentosos y controversiales escritores del siglo XX: Norman Mailer. Conocido por ser un hombre combativo y egoísta, que disfrutaba pelear tanto en lo físico como en lo verbal, estuvo al centro de los grandes debates y discusiones culturales de Estados Unidos durante más de cincuenta años. Se casó seis veces y fue padre de nueve hijos. Susan, nacida en 1949, es la mayor. Sus padres se separaron cuando era bebé, por lo que creció viajando entré México y Nueva York, hasta que se radica en Chile, donde ha vivido gran parte de su vida adulta. Este libro de memorias y recuerdos reconstruye la relación con su padre, intensa y compleja, con sus cinco madrastras y sus 8 hermanos. Cuenta las alegrías y dolores que ha significado para ella ser parte del clan Mailer. Una historia de separación, de las luchas de vivir en dos culturas muy diferentes, un libro sobre el desarraigo y las implicancias de pertenecer a todas partes y a ninguna.
International Theatre Olympics
by Jae Kyoung KimThis pivot examines how the Theatre Olympics, born in 1995, have served to enrich each host country's culture, community, and foreign relations. Looking at the host country's political, social, and cultural circumstances, it considers how the festival expands the notion of Olympism beyond its application to the Olympic Games, expressing the spirit of Olympism and interculturalism in each country's distinct cultural language. It also emphasizes the festival's development over the twenty years of its existence and how each festival's staging has reflected the national identity, theatre tradition, and cultural interest of the hosting country at that time, as well as how each festival director's artistic principle has attempted to accomplish cultural exchange through their productions.
Theatre and National Identity in Colonial India: Formation Of A Community Through Cultural Practice
by Sharmistha SahaThis book critically engages with the study of theatre and performance in colonial India, and relates it with colonial (and postcolonial) discussions on experience, freedom, institution-building, modernity, nation/subject not only as concepts but also as philosophical queries. It opens up with the discourse around ‘Indian theatre’ that was started by the orientalists in the late 18th century, and which continued till much later. The study specifically focuses on the two major urban centres of colonial India: Bombay and Calcutta of the 19th and early 20th centuries. It discusses different cultural practices in colonial India, including the initiation of ‘Indian theatre’ practices, which resulted in many forms of colonial-native ‘theatre’ by the 19th century; the challenges to this dominant discourse from the ‘swadeshi jatra’ (national jatra/theatre) in Bengal, which drew upon earlier folk and religious traditions and was used as a tool by the nationalist movement; and the Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA) that functioned from Bombay around the 1940s, which focused on the creation of one national subject – that of the ‘Indian’. The author contextualizes the relevance of the concept of ‘Indian theatre’ in today’s political atmosphere. She also critically analyses the post-Independence Drama Seminar organized by the Sangeet Natak Akademi in 1956 and its relevance to the subsequent organization of ‘Indian theatre’. Many theatre personalities who emerged as faces of smaller theatre committees were part of the seminar which envisioned a national cultural body. This book is an important contribution to the field and is of interest to researchers and students of cultural studies, especially Theatre and Performance Studies, and South Asian Studies.
Hokkien Theatre Across The Seas: A Socio-Cultural Study
by Caroline ChiaThis book adopts a refreshing approach by examining Hokkien theatre in a region connected by maritime networks, notably southern Fujian, Taiwan, Kinmen and Singapore. It considers how regional theatre is shaped by broader socio-cultural and political contexts and the motivation to stay relevant in an era of modernisation and secularisation. Political domains are often marked out by land boundaries, but the sea concept denotes fluidity, allowing theatrical forms to spread across these ‘land-bounded’ societies and share a common language and culture."This is an insightful theatrical study on the web of Chinese cultural networks in southern China and Singapore, and by extension, between China and Southeast Asia in the twentieth century and beyond. Using diverse sources in multiple languages and extensive field ethnography, this is a ground-breaking study which is both didactic and inspiring."- Lee Tong Soon, author of Chinese Street Opera in Singapore (University of Illinois, 2009)."Focusing on Hokkien theatre, this book offers new insights into how Chinese performing art responds to geographical, temporal, and social changes. Historical sources in different languages are widely used to give access to the cultural characteristics of Hokkien theatre, offering valuable ethnographic reports on the contemporary practices of Hokkien theatre in Taiwan, Kinmen, and Singapore. The book comments on the changing ritualistic significance of Hokkien theatre, and help us understand how societies remember the past of a performing tradition, and shape its present."- Luo Ai Mei, Co-Editor of A Preliminary Survey of the Cantonese Eight Song Cycles in South China: History and Sources (2016)
Modernization of Asian Theatres: Process and Tradition
by Yasushi Nagata Ravi ChaturvediThis volume focuses on the theatre history of Asian countries, and discusses the specific context of theatre modernization in Asia. While Asian theatre is one of the primary interests within theatre scholarship in the world today, knowledge of Asian theatre history is very limited and often surprisingly incorrect. Therefore, this volume addresses a major gap in contemporary theatre studies. The volume discusses the conflict between tradition and modernity in theatre, suggesting that the problems of modernity are closely related to the idea of tradition. Although Asian countries preserved the traditional form and values of their respective theatres, they had to also confront the newly introduced values or mechanisms of European modernity. Several papers in this volume therefore provide critical surveys of the history of theatre modernization in Asian countries or regions—Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, India Malaysia, Singapore, and Uyghur. Other papers focus on specific case studies of the history of modernization, discussing contemporary Taiwanese performances, translations of modern French comedy into Chinese, the modernization of Chinese Xiqu, modern Okinawan plays, Malaysian traditional performances, Korean national theatre, and Japanese plays during World War II. Renowned academics and theatre critics have contributed to this volume, making it a valuable resource for researchers and students of theatre studies, literature, and cultural studies.
Chinese Ibsenism: Reinventions of Women, Class and Nation
by Kwok-kan TamThis book is a study of the relation between theatre art and ideology in the Chinese experimentations with new selfhood as a result of Ibsen’s impact. It also explores Ibsenian notions of self, women and gender in China and provides an illuminating study of Chinese theatre as a public sphere in the dissemination of radical ideas. Ibsen is the major source of modern Chinese selfhood which carries notions of personal and social liberation and has exerted great impacts on Chinese revolutions since the beginning of the twentieth century. Ibsen’s idea of the self as an individual has led to various experimentations in theatre, film and fiction to project new notions of selfhood, in particular women’s selfhood, throughout the history of modern China. Even today, China is experimenting with Ibsen’s notions of gender, power, individualism and self.Kwok-kan Tam is Chair Professor of English and Dean of Humanities and Social Science at the Hang Seng University of Hong Kong. He was Head (2012-18) and is currently a member of the International Ibsen Committee, University of Oslo. He is a Foundation Fellow of the Hong Kong Academy of the Humanities. He has held teaching, research and administrative positions in various institutions, including the East-West Center, the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the Open University of Hong Kong. He has published numerous books and articles on Ibsen, Gao Xingjian, modern drama, Chinese film, postcolonial literature, and world Englishes. His recent books include Ibsen, Power and the Self: Postsocialist Experimentations in Stage Performance and Film (2019), The Englishized Subject: Postcolonial Writings in Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia (2019), and a co-edited volume Fate and Prognostication in the Chinese Literary Imagination (2019).