Books, Fiction
I was researching how many copies of the Swiss children’s book Heidi have been sold worldwide, as I once heard it was the most popular German-language book ever. During this process, I came across Cornelia Funke, who is listed as a bestselling children’s book author from Germany. I had never heard of her, and my curiosity was piqued. She wrote many popular children’s books, but Inkheart is her most famous one because it was also turned into a Hollywood motion picture. I just finished reading this wonderful book. What appealed to me most is that the story celebrates the love of books.Inkheart
Diary, Politics
As a dramaturgist, Trump is in a class of his own. I am trying not to pay attention everyday what he is doing to keep my mental health, but this morning I read the story in the NYT about this first cabinet meeting, and the role is handed to Elon Musk. Hats off. This is drama at its finest. Full story below.The Trump Show Continues
Movies, Documentary
I recently came across the documentary Love Has Won, which tells the story of a young American woman who formed a cult around herself, convincing her followers that she was “Mother God.” The rise of smartphone technology after 2008, with the introduction of the iPhone and Android devices, has made documentary filmmaking significantly more accessible. Today, the challenge is not the lack of material but rather the task of selecting and shaping the most compelling footage.Love has Won
Movies, Drama
For many years, I have recorded films that I want to see in a to-do list software called OmniFocus. There are 128 items on the films list. One of them is Okuribito (a foreign language film). It is in position No. 5, which means it was recorded many years ago. I searched for the film and found that it is called Departures in English. To my surprise, it won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 2009. This was probably how it ended up on my list of films to watch 15 years ago.Departures
Books, Fiction
This Chinese novel is deeply moving. The writing is very simple, but it manages to pierce through one’s heart. Set during the Civil War in China, it tells the story of a farmer who gambled away his father’s land and tries to make a living in an increasingly difficult context. First, he is forcefully inducted into the Nationalist army. Then, when the Communists take over, things improve for a while before turning dire. We accompany Fugui throughout his life, starting from his early gambling habits to his marriage and, eventually, his children.To live