Albert Camus’ Nobel Prize in Literature acceptance speech, given at Stockholm on December 10, 1957. He was awarded the prize “for his important literary production, which with clear-sighted earnestness illuminates the problems of the human conscience in our times”. The translated Speech: Sire, Madam, Royal Highnesses, Ladies and Gentlemen, When I received the distinction with…
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An example of and for Life ?? by Arnold Heumakers/nrc Amsterdam, July 29th 2021– One of the most remarkable prose poems in Baudelaire’s Le Spleen de Paris (1869) is about a mother whose son committed suicide. He hanged himself in the house of the painter, where the boy lived. The mother asks the painter (who…
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On Sex, sexual desires and more by Persis Bekkering/nrc Amsterdam, July 29th 2021–Twelve years ago Maggie Nelson wrote Bluets, something between poetry, autobiography and philosophical treatise. The book, about the color blue, became a cult hit, which has now been translated. “The book is also about desire, about being horny, and being frustrated.” No, the…
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Grand mural projects by Jeremy Musson Amsterdam, 23 July 2021–In her book, Lydia Hamlett unpacks the literary, cultural and political significance of “the animated wall” Mural paintings are some of the most ambitious works of art commissioned by British patrons during the 17th and early 18th centuries. From Rubens’ work at Banqueting House, Whitehall, to…
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The original Buena Vista Social Club album was recorded for World Circuit Records over six days at the vintage EGREM studios in Havana. Released in 1997, the album went on to become a worldwide phenomenon, selling over 8 million copies and contributing to the rise in popularity of Cuban, as well as Latin American, music.…
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Including pain And sorrow Part VIII Amsterdam, June 30 2021– According to Robert Musil, Rainer Maria Rilke was the greatest German-speaking poet since the Middle Ages. He had made the poem “perfect for the first time.” Musil made his oft-quoted statements in a 1926 article shortly after Rilke’s death, and at first glance his preference seems…
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Life Itself Part VII Amsterdam, June 30 2021– Different people have different opinions on Rainer Maria Rilke (1875-1926). Thomas Mann thought he was an “Austrian snob” whose “large-scale affectation” was unpalatable. Robert Musil, on the other hand, called him the most important German-speaking poet since the Middle Ages, a great modernist and prose innovator, too.…
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Part VI Amsterdam, June 30 2021– Rainer Maria Rilke’s last great love was a woman he called Merline, whose real name was Baladine Klossowska. Rilke had met this painter, eleven years her junior, in Paris before the First World War. In 1919 he renewed contact with her when both were living in Switzerland, and until his…
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Eagles perform “Hotel California” at the 1998 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. Looking for more Induction Ceremony memories from Eagles? Visit the band’s official Hall of Fame online bio: http://rockhall.com/inductees/eagles Dive into the full 1998 Induction Ceremony video collection at rockhall.com/inductees/classes/1998 and watch all videos, read from the official Hall of Fame…
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Learning from Art Part V Amsterdam, June 30 2021– “Spiritually speaking, I stay miles away from my bookcase when I write,” says Stefan Hertmans. “Yet reminiscences of other literature haunt my books, quite unconsciously and unintentionally. You can find traces of Rilke’s The Diary of Malte Laurids Brigge in all my prose work.” The poet,…
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