Orbis Terrarum 2009: Short Story Challenge (June 1st - Sept 1st 2009)


Announcing the Orbis Terrarum Short Story Challenge. I know many of you are alredy participating in Bethany's
Announcing the Orbis Terrarum Short Story Challenge. I know many of you are alredy participating in Bethany's Orbis Terrarum challenge and some of the mini challenges that are part of this bigger challenge, so I'm here to twist your arm and make you sign up for another one!The Short Story mini-challenge works on the same principal as the main challenge: read works from 10 different countries. In this case it's just 10 short stories (or collections of stories) you have to read. Short stories can be anything from a page long to 50+ pages in length.
Rules:
Read 10 (or more if you're inclined) stories from 10 different coutries.Runs June 1st to Sept 1st 2009
Review the stories and link back here with your reviews. You can review one, two or even all 10 at once.
In the link leave the name of the story and the country from which it is from/based.If you found the story online leave a link, we may want to go and sample the story ourselves.
I have found a few great places online where you can find some fantastic short stories from a variety of countries:
Granta both online and in their magazines (I found loads avaliable cheaply on Amazon)
Story mainly British writers but a great section on migrants/immigrants writing.
Words Without Borders Probably my favourite. This month features Japanese work but if you go into the back issues section a whole host of countries are avaliable.
The New Yorker a great collection also podcasts avaliable
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie The Nigerian authors website links to her short stories which are published on line
African Writing Online
Australian Short Story ProjectDaily Lit A free site which sends you stories/ segments of stories via your email. Looks like they have a good collection of Russian stories.A Pool from Amazon:
I Sweep the Sun Off Rooftops by Hanan-al-Shaykh. I've seen this at the library and always mean to get it next time.
African Short Stories ed. Chinua Achebe
Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio by Pu Songling
Stories of God, Rilke. I have this at home all ready.
Italian Folk Tales, ed. Italo Calvino
I've treated myself to:75 Short Masterpieces ed Roger Goodman and The World's Greatest Short Stories ed. James Daley as I want to sample some of the classic stories from Chekov, Kafka et al. but I'm also looking forward to searching out some unknown authors.
If anyone has any recommendations be sure to post them and I'll add them to the list.Join us on a journey this summer!
As Mr Linky isn't working at the mo leave a comment here if you plan on joining the mini-challenge - I'll create a participants list. If anyone wants to join the main cahllenge click on the link above.
If you have any suggestions for short stories or web-sites which would be useful also leave a comment here

Friday, 11 July 2008

My Thoughts: Stardust by Neil Gaiman


I've been meaning to read a Neil Gaiman novel for a while as everyone seems to rave about him and I finally got around to it! I had seen the film earlier this year, and while I loved the film I seem to have forgotten the majority of it so this story was still fairy fresh to me.


The novel, for anyone who doesn't know, is set in the village of Wall, a small English village in which the locals guard the wall which leads to the land of Faerie. Despite no one being allowed to cross into Faerie a market exists every 9 years which allows the inhabitants of Wall to mix with the people of Faerie. Early in this book the market results in a child being born, he is brought to live in Wall and grow up as a normal citizen.

When this child is 18 he falls in love with the popular Victoria Forrester. So in love with her is he that he promises her anything she wants in the world, she requests the star she has just seen fall from the sky. The star lays in Faerie, so off he goes on his journey. Along the way he meets a variety of characters and situations.


This is a feel good book, something nice to drift off into at the end of a busy day at work. I will certainly be looking out for more of Gaiman's work. I have seen a stunning graphic novel copy of Stardust in the bookshop and may have to ask for it for Christmas.


Challenges:


Others Thoughts:
If you have read and reviewed this book please leave a link to your review and I'll add it on, also feel free to link back to my review.

5 comments:

unfinishedperson said...

Here is my review, with links to others you might not have yet linked at the bottom of the review.

Girl Detective said...

Came from semicolon. I haven't read the novel, but the graphic novel is indeed stunning, and I highly recommend it. Charles Vess' art brings a dimension to the fanciful story that really suits it. (and the GN came first, the prose novel later)

Also, the movie was pretty good.

Framed said...

This was my first Gaiman book and I loved it. So much that I went out and bought the Charles Vess version. The movie is great also. I've also enjoyed Neverwhere by Gaiman and Good Omens which he co-wrote.

Darren said...

Here is my review. I'd read Neverwhere next, if I was you, one of my favourite books. Ever.

Josette said...

This was my first Gaiman book too and I quite enjoyed it. It's definitely great story-telling. Have you watched the movie? I loved it! Much more than the book actually. But can't really compare both of them. They can't be totally the same.

Anyway, here's my Stardust review. :)