Welcome to Litsy!

The ships at first sailed down the Nile carrying guns not bread, and the railways were originally set up to transport troops; the schools were started so as to teach us how to say "Yes" in their language. They imported to us the germ of the greatest European violence, as seen on the Somme and at Verdun, the like of which the world has never previously known, the germ of a deadly disease that struck them more than a thousand years ago.

A doctorate - that's really something.
Putting on an act of humility, I told him that the
matter entailed no more than spending three years delving into the life of an obscure English poet.
I was furious - I won't disguise the fact from you - when the man laughed unashamedly and said We have no need of poetry here.

📕I read this book for a class and had a completely different idea going into it. It was a fascinating read and left me quite uncomfortable (which is the point!). I just don't know if any of the portrayals of the Sudanese people could be damaging. Of course, it is strategic, but anyone has access to read this book and have opinions based on the portrayal. I still don't know how to feel about this book, but it was wonderfully written! ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Last week I came across the On the Road with Penguin Classics podcast. They have one episode remaining in their third season. OTR features Henry Eliot, editor of two wonderful coffee table books about Penguin (The Penguin Classics Book & The Penguin Modern Classics Book), with a different guest talking about classics. These range from Chaucer to Carrington. I have listened to only two episodes so far, but I was very impressed by it. Any fans?

My review of this amazing book-:
https://myliteraryramblings.in/season-of-migration-to-the-north-tayeb-salih/

Excellent novel. A counterattack to Conrad's Heart of Darkness.

Heard a lot about this classic. Started today.

Evocative language and story that dives into the harmful legacy of colonialism. A good read, if disturbing in sections. Read for the Sidsters After Hours book club. #AwesomeAugust #readathon

My copy is moth approved! #awesomeaugust #readathon

It‘s weird reading about the desert after it absolutely POURED here last night. #awesomeaugust #readathon

What a lovely rainy day to be reading literature. #awesomeaugust #readathon

This started off very well. Two men of different generations live in the same town in Sudan. Both spent years in England for education and work. They returned for different reasons, the elder keeps his past a secret. But then the book gets odd. The Sudanese author himself spent much of his life in Europe. I think this is largely about the colonized joining the colonizers and working with them, and how it doesn‘t work. #1001books #intranslation

Started a new #1001books book that was supposed to be a June read. Found my first ever 1986 fire commemoration book plate inside. I did not live here when an arsonist set the central library on fire, I was in high school 400+ miles away. I have vague horrified memories. Thank you Elizabeth K Armstrong. #libraryfire #reading1001 #bookplates

Ok, I don't really know what to think about this one, it is beautifully written, I get all the Sudan being a British colony, but it is also a book about women being murdered or killing themselves because of men and this disturbed me a lot.
The English title is Season of migration to the north, and I read a Brazilian portuguese edition.

So relevant for today‘s times

OFFS. Only the seductive poison of imperial power and a huge dose of white privilege could lead a person to say that. One country‘s hero is another country‘s wanker.

“I want to take my rightful share of life by force, I want to give lavishly, I want love to flow from my heart, to ripen and bear fruit. There are many horizons that must be visited, fruit that must be plucked, books read, and white pages in the scrolls of life to be inscribed with vivid sentences in a #bold hand.”

#QuotsyNov17 #1001books

#jubilantjuly day 16: #compasspoints

Season of Migration to the NORTH
SOUTH of the Border, West of the Sun
EAST of Eden
Exit WEST

This is the story of Sudan meeting England. A heartbreaking story, written without opschmuk. Still I can feel life in this Sudanese village at the bend of the Nile. #1001books

one day you have to back home