Film Review: PINK

After the Brock Turner scandal, in which a rapist served only three months of his six months sentence, it was fitting and somewhat comforting to see the film PINK.

Given India's usually conservative stance in the social realm, I wasn't sure what to expect. Certainly rape is considered a crime, but I wasn't sure how the victims would be seen. Would we hear common excuses - "Her clothes were skimpy" or "She was too flirty"? Yes, this was touched upon. But gratefully there was also the resounding "No means no".

Film Review: A Flying Jatt

At the end of August I ventured out with my husband and mother in law to see the almost family-oriented movie A Flying Jatt. Although I normally enjoy watching a Hindi film without subtitles, as I consider it extra language practice, I had reservations about this film based on the earlier release of Baaghi.

NIE! The Physics of Sorrow by Georgi Gospodinov

Title: Physics of Sorrow

Author: Georgi Gospodinov

Translator: Angela Rodel

Original Language: Bulgarian

"If we exist, that means we're being watched. There is something or someone that never lets us out of its sight. Death comes when that thing stops watching us, when it turns away." -187

According to the New York Times, this Bulgarian novel is a kind of response to an Economist poll showing Bulgaria to be the saddest place in the world. But this piece isn't exactly what I would call depressing - nor does it read like a standard novel. The Physics of Sorrow is dressed like prose but breathes like poetry.

Angela Rodel masterfully translated each segment, as it reads fluidly as we jump from each experience to the next. There's certainly a flavouring of Borges in this work, particularly due to the motifs of labyrinths.

The empathetic narrators' obsession with the Minotaur keeps the reader centred as he/she is flung into the lives of family members at different ages. It is a small portrait of the Bulgarian life in the last century, a dash of colour that offers a glimpse into the mindset of a family surviving war, living through the rise and fall of communism, into the modern day.

The structure mirrors a kind of natural flight of conciousness, in a way that complements the empathetic nature of the narrator. He moves from one time and person to the next, experiencing everything, but only for a moment before moving into another mode of conciousness, another thought appears.

This novel, due to its structure, is far more interactive for the reader. Connecting the characters and time-line is part of the joy of the novel. While short, this novel is rather time consuming, if only because one must become used to the pattern.

Regardless, I'm shelving Physics for a definite re-read - if only because, even in its sorrow, there is beauty.

Now In English! "Memory In The Flesh" by Ahlam Mosteghanemi

Title: Memory In The Flesh/Bridges of Constantine

Author: Ahlam Mosteghanemi

Translator: Baria Ahmar Sreih / Raphael Cohen, Revised Translation: Peter Clark

Original Language: Arabic

There are some novels that contain a plot so marvelous that you can't help but read on. And there are others that lead you 262 pages deep from the poetry alone. I've heard that Persian may be considered the poetic language of Southwest Asia and Northern Africa, but it certainly has its contenders.

NIE! World Poetry: An Anthology of Verse from Antiquity to Our Time

There are times when a reader runs out of books. When she is shuffling around the library, trying to pick out a new title to take home. This quest can be many times more difficult if she is searching for a translated work - a category that probably does not have its own section.

One solution is to seek out an anthology. And one of the best anthologies I've ever purchased is World Poetry: An Anthology of Verse from Antiquity to Our Time, edited by Clifton Fadiman, John S. Major and Katharine Washburn. This volume, composed of 1376 pages of sweet and tumultuous words, will be one book you will not regret reading.

Now In English! Review of "Nostalgic Clone"

"...when we arrive at the absolutely essential texts, when the information and narratives fashioning the suppression of needs have been disposed of and the lost knowledge returns, if nothing else at least we’ll know where we are going, what possibilities remain.” - "Nostalgic Clone", Amis M.

Last November I raided my university library in search for modern Greek fiction - and to my surprise, I wasn't disappointed. Finding literature or language books with the words "modern" and Greek adjacent to one another is like trying to find a movie rental store - it's nearly impossible. Among the several poetry volumes I collected, I did find one anthology of prose - the Dedalus Book of Greek Fantasy.

While I maintain that this entire book is a must have, the story "Nostalgic Clone" by Amis Marangopoulos is perhaps my favorite.

Courseless: Holidays and Language Breaks

When I took Spanish in high school, I rarely studied during the semester, let alone during Christmas or Summer break. Maybe the week before classes resumed, I may scramble for my list of verb conjugations and important vocabulary words, but that was it. It wasn't enough to learn the language, or even relearn it.

I realized that breaks can be detrimental when I started again with German. You might be able to make it two weeks without loosing too much, but even then you'll need time and dedication just to recall what you last studied, let alone what you studied at the beginning of your course.

No one is saying you need to bind yourself to a chair and force the language down your throat. I've been there - it doesn't help. Instead, I found it's better to spend 10-30 minutes a day reviewing, especially if your goal is just to keep up with a college or high school course. And you can do this multiple ways:

One is to simply take your textbook and reread grammar and vocabulary. But I don't have to tell you that this route is the most boring one you can take.

Screenshot from memrise.com 

For vocabulary, I tend to use Memrise, a flashcard program. You can create your own set or use someone else's. You might even find your textbook! This free program also encourages you to make interesting and fun memes for words as a memory exercise. If you get a word wrong in spelling or multiple choice, you'll get to see it again along with your meme. In addition, this program uses a spaced repetition model to help you retain what you've been over. Basically, after a certain amount of time, words that you've already mastered are readmitted into your study stack, giving you a chance to brush up.

I've gotten really addicted to this program over the past few months. There are some study sets for movies. For example, I used this set for the first 10 minutes of the German film Goodbye, Lenin!, and after finishing my study-set, I could watch the opening scene without subtitles! You can also download an app on your phone, so you can practice just about anywhere.

Another great way is simply to write, whether it be a diary, a short story, or just information about your family and friends. Of course this depends on your level, but I find that writing not only helps me practice vocabulary, but also grammar - without having to reread all the rules!  Also, because you are writing things relevant or interesting to you, the vocabulary will stick better. And of course, if you have someone you can speak with, you should do that too!

I also like to do small things related to what we've learned. Sometimes I'll take a topic that we've discussed - let's say, the weather, and I'll google weather report videos. One video may be two to three minutes, and I may watch a few of these. That will be my review for the day. The more you use the words in context, the better they will stick. Listening practice also gives you an idea of the natural flow of the language. When I was recovering from jet-lag, I used this form from Saudi Arabia. It has English underneath the Arabic, but it let me practice reading and writing basic information.

No matter what method you use to study, whether it's what I've suggested or not, the main idea is to study for a short amount of time everyday during extended holidays. A few days off are never bad, but as scholarships and finishing general education requirements are important to all students, 30 minutes a day reviewing language material is better than trying to cram it all in the last few days of the break.