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Items of Interest Literary prizes with the stroke of PEN LiveScience.com interview with author J. Fred Arment Tower of Babel beware -- Esperanto still going strong! Words from the 2004 Nobel Laureate in Literature Library of Congress wants your opinion on copyrights 100 best novel reads, according to the Guardian
Literary prizes with the stroke of PEN A fellowship of writers, The PEN American Center has been working for more than eighty years to advance literature, to promote a culture of reading, and to defend free expression. An array of literary prizes recognizes excellence among American authors of fiction, nonfiction, drama and poetry, honors the art of literary translation, and highlights the distinctive contributions of literary editors and publishers. Awards include: The PEN/Nabokov Award for lifetime achievement The PEN/Robert Bingham Fellowships for Writers honors exceptionally talented fiction The PEN/Book-of-the-Month Club Translation Prize The PEN Award for Poetry in Translation The PEN/Ralph Manheim Medal for Translation The Gregory Kolovakos Award for American literary translator, editor, or critic with a strong commitment to Hispanic literature The PEN Award for the Art of the Essay The PEN/Martha Albrand Award for First Nonfiction The PEN/Martha Albrand Award for Art of the Memoir The PEN/Jerard Fund Award for high literary quality And many more. For more information on awards or PEN, contact: awards@PEN.org
Collapsing The Wave: An Interview with Blue Hot Books author J. Frederick Arment By Bill Christensen Available on www.livescience.com/scienceoffiction and www.technovelgy.com "I really liked J. Frederick Arment's new book, Backbeat - A Novel of Physics. This is a story that demonstrates real writing power; he makes the ideas behind quantum mechanics come alive in a fascinating tale about people you'll care about. How he does this, I have no idea. I highly recommend that you read this book for yourself and find out." --Bill Christensen Interview... Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your background? A couple of years ago, I could have answered this quickly, but the writing of Backbeat: A Novel of Physics has given me a much larger perspective. Who I am at this moment is the superposition of every wave of experience, past, present and future: growing up in suburbia, blue collar father, fundamentalist Christian mother, undergraduate degree in History, masters in the French Enlightenment, post-graduate work in physics, teacher and lecturer, married with two children, divorced with a second chance at love, technical writer for corporations, advertising business owner, sailboater, peace advocate, infant of the sixties who bought the idea that anything is possible if we just use the energy in our minds. Like the characters in Backbeat, I'm the culmination of foreshadowing. A waveform, in effect! Did you read science fiction as a child? If so, what did you read? I must confess, it was Danny Dunn that floated my boat when I was in grade school. I went through a few of Asimov's work and on to the Dune series, but where abstract ideas and literature met was my real obsession. If I didn't learn something from fiction, it seemed pointless. Good and evil didn't do it for me. There is much more out there, I believe, and the type of science fiction that flourishes where the scientific method leaves off is really the edge that thrills me. Unfortunately, most science fiction is still dealing with the duality thing. When did you start writing fiction? In my early twenties, I decided it was about time to fulfill my eleven-year-old dream to write a book. However, I was involved in too many things --politics, history, psychology, science, theology -- to concern myself with the craft of writing. That's why it took me twenty years to turn those ideas into presentable stories that intrigue people's senses of art as well as subject. My first book was a techno-thrill called The Synthesis (www.bluehotbooks.com) that dealt with the end of history. Today, I'm very comfortable with writing and hope my work shows the result of many years of craft catching up with ideas. What made you decide to write novels in the sf genre? Science fiction is one of the few genres with the flexibility and depth to deal with ideas beyond our tools of measure. Most would call it speculation, but it is more than baseless imagination. Science fiction allows us to take what we know and make suppositions about the next logical step in our understanding. Backbeat: A Novel of Physics does not stray from sound physics, but through the use of plot and character, fiction allowed me to experiment and test my theories. In some ways, science becomes a character in the book, and as with other characters it takes on a life of its own. It learns and grows and becomes an integral part of the plot. That, I believe, is the difference between an worthwhile book and one that simply replays books of the past (an example would be the Romance genre, which replays Jane Austen over and over). In Backbeat, physics is a mysterious character that grows in the reader's mind until the climax and resolution when the reader realizes how science is central to the plot. Whodunit? The quantum mind! Where, when, and how do you write? In Florida? In the winters, my partner and I escape the Northern freeze and our landed responsibilities to live aboard our Hunter sailboat in the Keys. Lisa spends mornings topside letting the blue and green waters inspire her work (she's a ceramic artist) while I stay confined in the cabin clicking away on my Mac. Living on a sailboat, I must say, is a very freeing experience. The watery life lets you escape the usual busy life simply because you can't get here from there. Quick and always available is the ball and chain that our sailboat unlocks and concentration on our work is more easily found. What gave you the idea for writing Backbeat - A Novel of Physics? When I write, I start with the idea and then develop a plot to investigate its validity. With Backbeat, I began with the observation that we humans tend to separate ourselves from nature, which is absurd. This led to the hypothesis that if at our root we really do have a quantum nature, we must be a composite of quantum characteristics. At the macro scale, things are smoothed out and, with our inadequate senses, we take little notice of the quantum world. None-the-less we are quantum beings, made of energy, interfering as waves with frequencies and wavelengths. Since the scientific method requires me to create an experiment to test this hypothesis -- and since our current tools of measurement do not enable us to do that at the quantum scale -- I chose fiction as the apparatus. All indications from readers say the experiment worked well. Where do you get your interest in quantum mechanics? I've always been interested in fundamental questions, and quantum physics deals with the root of our being. You can't get much further down into our relationship with the universe or our own nature than the Planck scale. Because it is an evolving science, most of what we know of quantum physics is just analogy, much like our religions. Yet it allows us to contemplate our place in the universe with more precision than superstition and fear. Music plays an essential role in the book; do you have any musical talents? I played drums when I was in school and now have an electronic drum set that, unfortunately, sits idle most of the time. I've had music teachers say I had perfect pitch, and I must confess that mediocre musicians drive me crazy, but a well-played song in any genre, from jazz and classical to hip-hop and reggae, gets me closer to the backbeat of life. In eastern philosophy, the mind is sometimes compared to a pool of water; thoughts and emotions are described as waves disturbing the surface of the pool. In the book, you seem to use the idea of the waveform hypothesis to say that this eastern concept is not a metaphor, but a literal description. Do you think there might be scientific value in seeing people as complex wave phenomena? There is huge potential in finally coming to terms with our essential nature, which is energy. Think what could happen if scientists began to investigate the possibility that phenomena can be understood with more precision by measuring its frequency than the antiquated way we describe things now. Color, texture, length, width, opacity -- these are inefficient descriptors at best, antiquated at worst. If we put research dollars into finding ways to measure the wave characteristics of things, then we could simply apply a wave matrix to explain many of the results and behaviors, which now only seem unsolvable mysteries. You obviously enjoy writing about southern Europe in the book; what personal experiences inform those pages? I've taken several trips to Europe and find the history and culture of the individual countries fascinating. I find the people of Europe are very concerned with making this life mean something more than quantity. They suffer inconvenience to ensure that the means of production, how they make their living, does not control their lives. Perhaps it is because they live with thousands of year of history that quality of life is so strong in their minds. In the U.S., what is old is continually destroyed or remodeled into new and with the firm ground of antiquity goes much of our contemplative spirit. In the novel, you write about people with very different life experience and social status. Can you name and describe most alien human culture you've ever encountered? Einstein taught us that because the speed of light fixed, we only experience reality from our own inertial frames of reference. Alien human cultures are simply different frames of reference. The next evolution may be that we embrace a worldview that relishes the differences and faces the fact that we are all alien cultures to each other. How else could everyone be so wrong, and me so right? What projects are you working on now? During my book tour this fall, I had a chance to stop for five days at Pismo Beach in California and concept my next novel. It's a sequel to Backbeat: A Novel of Physics that follows one of the secondary characters on a waveform of his or her own (that would be telling). I'm intrigued with the thought that physics might help us understand and perhaps give new energy and depth to our religious traditions. If science can help us travel to distant moons and planets, why shouldn't it be used for traveling to the core of spirit?
Tower of Babel Beware -- Esperanto Still Going Strong! Esperanto literature includes translated and original novels, short stories, plays, poems, scientific works and dissertations. The library of the British Esperanto Association contains over 30,000 items in Esperanto. The language Esperanto was "created by Dr. Ludwig L. Zamenhof, a Polish physician, who published it in 1887. Since then, Esperanto has been learned by millions. Of the many projects and proposals for an international language over the centuries, Esperanto is the only one that has stood the test of time and is being spoken today. It is in daily use by many thousands of people all over the world, and the number is growing constantly. Many international meetings are held in Esperanto." Esperanto does not aim at replacing the existing national languages; but it overcomes the present linguistic chaos by serving as a neutral instrument of international communication for all. Structure: The core grammar of Esperanto consists of only 16 rules, with no exceptions. In spite of this simplicity, Esperanto can express the finest shades of meaning. Vocabulary: The word roots in Esperanto have been taken from many national languages according to the principle of maximum internationality. Thus, many of them are already known to people of all nations. Many words -- an average of ten to fifteen, but sometimes as many as fifty -- may be formed from one root. This building block approach helps make Esperanto easy to learn. Technical vocabularies: More than 125 technical dictionaries and vocabularies in some fifty branches of science, philosophy, technology, and handicrafts have been published in Esperanto. UNESCO: By the Resolution of December 10th, 1954, the General Conference of UNESCO recognized that the results achieved by Esperanto in intellectual exchanges and in bringing people together are in accordance with the aims and ideals of UNESCO; that is, Esperanto contributes to international cooperation in the fields of education, science, and culture. more information about books, records, membership, and classes, contact: Esperanto League for North America, Inc. P.O. Box 1129 El Cerrito CA 94530, USA (800) ESPERANTO (800) 377-3726 or (510) 653-0998
2004 Nobel Prize in Literature Recipient: Elfriede Jelinek Excerpts from an interview by freelance journalist Marika Griehsel in November, 2004, and are included here in a translation by Allison Brown. Marika Griehsel: Why did you become a writer? Who inspired you? Elfriede Jelinek: As is said about most writers: on the one hand all I ever did from when I was a child was read, and I was a loner, which was furthered by my parents and my upbringing. On the other hand, the more I read, the more I felt this well-known fissure between me and the world. That started very early on, and then I guess I tried to close up this fissure with something that was accessible to me, and all I had was writing. My inspiration came especially in the 1950s through the Vienna Group founded by writer H.C. Artmann. It showed me that if you want to say something, you have to let the language itself say it, because language is usually more meaningful than the mere content that one wishes to convey. My training in music and composition then led me to a kind of musical language process in which, for example, the sound of the words I play with has to expose their true meaning against their will so to speak. Marika Griehsel: Some time has now passed since the announcement that you have been awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for 2004. Do you think this will affect your future writing? Elfriede Jelinek: I have the feeling it will influence my future writing to the extent that without any material worries I could develop a greater ease, even lightheartedness, in my writing. That might be good for my language process, which as I said tends to be compositional. It could draw from a greater reservoir of freedom. The irony could develop an even greater ease. Marika Griehsel: What role has Internet had for you as a writer? Elfriede Jelinek: Internet is exemplary for me. I do not want to have the feeling of writing "for eternity," so to speak. The fleetingness of the Internet has therefore become very attractive to me. At some point I set up a heading on my homepage called "Notizen," or "Notes," in which I try to capture the fleetingness of jotting things down, similar to emails, which on the one hand acknowledges current events but on the other hand is not carved in stone. Instead it is more like something you write in wet sand with your finger. You can remove it at any time, whereas a book is more an object that Òremains,Ó as it were, something you hold in your hand. Marika Griehsel: In your opinion what is the most pressing social issue in Western society today? Elfriede Jelinek: That is very difficult to answer. I think isolation is one of the greatest problems, an ever-growing obstacle to political solidarity. In the past we wouldÕve said: to the development of class consciousness. The petty-bourgeoisification of society, with its hopes of climbing socially and its apprehension that a fall could come at any moment (there are no Òjobs for lifeÓ anymore; everyone is at risk; jobs are becoming increasingly insecure; each individualÕs survival is becoming more and more precarious, yet this doesnÕt seem to lead to greater solidarity with others in a similar situation) - this all seems very dangerous to me. Eroding solidarity paradoxically makes a society more susceptible to the construction of substitute collectives and fascisms of all kinds. Marika Griehsel: As a Nobel Laureate you will have the opportunity to nominate for the Nobel Literature Prize in the future. What kind of literature would you like to see awarded a Nobel Prize? Elfriede Jelinek: Literature that keeps employing new linguistic and formal modes of expression to draft a panorama of society as a whole while at the same time exposing it, tearing the masks from its face - for me that would be deserving of an award.
Library of Congress wants your opinion The Copyright Office seeks
to examine the issues raised by "orphan works," Concerns have been raised that the uncertainty surrounding ownership of such works might needlessly discourage subsequent creators and users from incorporating such works in new creative efforts or making such works available to the public. This notice requests written comments from all interested parties. Specifically, the Office is seeking comments on whether there are compelling concerns raised by orphan works that merit a legislative, regulatory or other solution, and what type of solution could effectively address these concerns without conflicting with the legitimate interests of authors and right holders. Dates: Written comments must be received in the Copyright Office on or before 5 p.m. EST on March 25, 2005. Interested parties may submit written reply comments in direct response to the written comments on or before 5 p.m. on May 9, 2005. Addresses: All submissions should be addressed to Jule L. Sigall, Associate Register for Policy & International Affairs. Comments may be sent by regular mail or delivered by hand, or sent by electronic mail to the e-mail address orphanworks@loc.gov (see file formats and information requirements under supplemental information below). Those sent by regular mail should be addressed to the U.S. Copyright Office, Copyright GC/I&R, P.O. Box 70400, Southwest Station, Washington, DC 20024. Submissions delivered by hand should be brought to the Public Information Office, U.S. Copyright Office, James Madison Memorial Building, Room LM-401, 101 Independence Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20540. For Further Information, contact: Mary Rasenberger, Policy Advisor for Special Programs, Copyright GC/I&R, PO Box 70400, Southwest Station, Washington, DC 20024-0400. Telephone (202) 707-8350; telefax (202) 707-8366.
100 Best Novels, According to the Guardian 1. Don
Quixote Miguel De Cervantes
2. Pilgrim's
Progress John Bunyan
3. Robinson
Crusoe Daniel Defoe 4. Gulliver's
Travels Jonathan Swift 5. Tom
Jones Henry Fielding 6. Clarissa
Samuel Richardson 7. Tristram
Shandy Laurence Sterne 8. Dangerous
Liaisons Pierre Choderlos De Laclos 9. Emma
Jane Austen 10. Frankenstein
Mary Shelley 11. Nightmare
Abbey Thomas Love Peacock 12. The
Black Sheep Honore De Balzac 13. The
Charterhouse of Parma Stendhal 14. The
Count of Monte Cristo Alexandre Dumas 15. Sybil
Benjamin Disraeli 16. David
Copperfield Charles Dickens 17. Wuthering
Heights Emily Bronte 18. Jane
Eyre Charlotte Bronte 19. Vanity
Fair William Makepeace Thackeray 20.
The Scarlet Letter Nathaniel Hawthorne 21. Moby-Dick
Herman Melville 22. Madame
Bovary Gustave Flaubert 23. The
Woman in White Wilkie Collins 24. Alice's
Adventures In Wonderland Lewis Carroll 25. Little
Women Louisa M. Alcott 26. The
Way We Live Now Anthony Trollope 27. Anna
Karenina Leo Tolstoy 28. Daniel
Deronda George Eliot 29. The
Brothers Karamazov Fyodor Dostoevsky 30. The
Portrait of a Lady Henry James 31. Huckleberry
Finn Mark Twain 32. Dr
Jekyll and Mr Hyde Robert Louis Stevenson 33. Three
Men in a Boat Jerome K. Jerome 34. The
Picture of Dorian Gray Oscar Wilde 35. The
Diary of a Nobody George Grossmith 36. Jude
the Obscure Thomas Hardy 37. The
Riddle of the Sands Erskine Childers 38. The
Call of the Wild Jack London 39. Nostromo
Joseph Conrad 40. The
Wind in the Willows Kenneth Grahame 41. In
Search of Lost Time Marcel Proust 42. The
Rainbow D. H. Lawrence 43. The
Good Soldier Ford Madox Ford 44.
The Thirty-Nine Steps John Buchan 45. Ulysses
James Joyce 46. Mrs
Dalloway Virginia Woolf 47. A
Passage to India E. M. Forster 48. The
Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald 49. The
Trial Franz Kafka 50. Men
Without Women Ernest Hemingway 51. Journey
to the End of the Night Louis-Ferdinand Celine 52. As
I Lay Dying William Faulkner 53. Brave
New World Aldous Huxley 54. Scoop
Evelyn Waugh 55. USA
John Dos Passos 56. The
Big Sleep Raymond Chandler 57. The
Pursuit Of Love Nancy Mitford 58. The
Plague Albert Camus 59. Nineteen
Eighty-Four George Orwell 60. Malone
Dies Samuel Beckett 61. Catcher
in the Rye J.D. Salinger 62. Wise
Blood Flannery O'Connor 63. Charlotte's
Web E. B. White 64. The
Lord Of The Rings J. R. R. Tolkien 65. Lucky
Jim Kingsley Amis 66. Lord
of the Flies William Golding 67. The
Quiet American Graham Greene 68 On
the Road Jack Kerouac 69. Lolita
Vladimir Nabokov Humbert 70. The
Tin Drum Gunter Grass 71. Things
Fall Apart Chinua Achebe 72. The
Prime of Miss Jean Brodie Muriel Spark 73. To
Kill A Mockingbird Harper Lee 74. Catch-22
Joseph Heller 75. Herzog
Saul Bellow 76. One
Hundred Years of Solitude Gabriel Garcia Marquez 77. Mrs
Palfrey at the Claremont Elizabeth
Taylor 78. Tinker
Tailor Soldier Spy John Le Carre 79. Song
of Solomon Toni Morrison 80. The
Bottle Factory Outing Beryl Bainbridge 81. The
Executioner's Song Norman Mailer 82. If
on a Winter's Night a Traveller Italo Calvino 83. A
Bend in the River V. S. Naipaul 84. Waiting
for the Barbarians J.M. Coetzee 85. Housekeeping
Marilynne Robinson 86. Lanark
Alasdair Gray 87. The
New York Trilogy Paul Auster 88. The
BFG Roald Dahl 89. The
Periodic Table Primo Levi 90. Money
Martin Amis 91. An
Artist of the Floating World Kazuo Ishiguro 92. Oscar
And Lucinda Peter Carey 93. The
Book of Laughter and Forgetting Milan Kundera 94. Haroun
and the Sea of Stories Salman Rushdie 95. La
Confidential James Ellroy 96.
Wise Children Angela Carter 97. Atonement
Ian McEwan 98. Northern
Lights Philip Pullman 99. American
Pastoral Philip Roth 100. Austerlitz
W. G. Sebald |
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