The UrbanWire      

An independent bookstore with a specialty in Literature, BooksActually has been a quiet part of the local book scene for some time, and they just turned 4 years old on Nov 29.

Borne of owners Karen Wai and Kenny Leck’s shared love for reading, this compact establishment didn’t survive 4 years just by sitting pretty in an old shophouse. The shop has achieved much this past year, and on closer review of the rustic mix on display, they offer a lot more than just books, actually.

UrbanWire drops by for a look at the shop’s hallmarks.

^{Meet Karen and Kenny.}

First Impressions
Entering the shop on a rainy December afternoon, you’d think you stepped into the storybook department of Santa’s Workshop; The walls are tightly packed with various literary works – from Nabokov and Orwell to classic fairy tales –, you hear a typewriter hard at work somewhere on the upper floors, soft music plays, and the place smells of fresh paper and wood.

The second floor houses a brocante (secondhand market). On display are common items from bygone days – cream glass marbles from our parents’ childhood, and old rubber stamps. Their non-fiction sister shop, Polymath and Crust, is on the third floor. It carries titles including food, nature, geography, and history.

“It’s like another world,” said Helene Mayne, a first-time customer, “You can tell these people really love books. This shop is a sensory experience.”

Literary Installations
At present, there are a number of installations at the store. Here’s a quick look at our favourites:

1)    Brillat- Savarin’s Literary Orders: Just by the entrance, you’ll find stacks of vintage paper and a coin box. Typewritten on each piece is a passage from Karen and Kenny’s favourite poems and novels. They’re free, but you can drop them a little reward.

2)    We Share Stories: An exhibition initiated by the Singapore Design Festival. “We Share Stories” invites you to drop off a roll of film of pictures you took, and exchange it for a roll taken by someone else.

They liked this so much at BooksActually, they’ve asked to continue this little project after the festival ended in November. So it’s still there, and an almost permanent feature.

Intellectual wall-art at the entrance: Spot your favourite author’s portrait.

“These installations are something for people to think about,” said Karen, “You don’t necessarily have to come in to buy a book.”

Installations will be up for the rest of the year.

Birds and Co.
Amongst the range of books, you’ll also find the shop’s handmade stationery on display.

^{(Image courtesy of BooksActually)}

Birds and Co. is BooksActually’s stationery line. The collection includes pencils with famous authors’ names on them, and a good variety of whimsical handmade notebooks, like the “Chronicles of the Deer” and “Portions for Foxes” ranges.

“We like the old way of bookbinding, so we do a lot of handmade stationery, with hand-stitching. All the covers of our notebooks are hand-printed, since we really like the letterpress,” Karen told us.

Notebook prices start from $3.

Hand-stitched book spines.

Publishers Too
Unpublished writers take note: BooksActually also has a publishing arm, Math Paper Press.

“Publishing’s a very personal process. Both of us edit the works, and if we like something, we try to incorporate our ideas,” said Karen, “if we feel illustrations suit the writing a lot, we will try to get in touch with our artist friends to do a collaboration, things like that”.

Book launches and author readings are held for free as well, both for the author and the public. This is their way of showing support for the local writing scene.

And if all that wasn’t enough, the couple hand-picks every title the shop carries.

“It sort of reflects our own tastes,” said Karen.

Kenny summed it up in 2 words: “Processing Hell”. But hey, hard work pays off, evidently.

The average novel is sold at $35 a copy.

BooksActually is certainly a very busy 4-year-old. With so much going on, we find it amazing that the owners whole-heartedly micromanage everything about the business.

“It’s our labour of love, so we have to see that we’re involved in every aspect,” said Karen happily.

What Lies Ahead
From their humble beginnings making rounds at university book bazaars, BooksActually has come a long way. From their original second-storey shop space, they now occupy an entire shophouse.

Polymath and Crust, their non-fiction collection, started just this May. Also, the shop was approached to be the official festival bookstore of the Singapore Writers Festival, held in October.

“We’re happy we’re still surviving. We hope to create a legacy and be around for the next 10 to 20 years, or more,” said Karen.

They’ve only just turned 4, but the 2 owners already have some new goals to work toward.

“We’d love to expand more on our title selection,” Karen said.

There are also hopes for Polymath and Crust and Birds and Co. to become separate entities and have shop units of their own.

To us at UrbanWire, it looks like BooksActually might actually get to create the legacy they hope to have. If it’s love and passion that drives a place, then they ought to be sticking around for another 4 years and more, easily.

BooksActually
86 Club St
Contact: +65 6222 9195
Opening Hours:
Monday to Saturday – 11am to 9pm
Sunday – 12 pm to 6pm
Getting There:
Tanjong Pagar MRT Station, Exit G

Authors and poets from Australia converged in Singapore for New Australian Writing; a panel that featured fresh faces of the Aussie publishing world at The Arts House, for the Singapore Writers Festival on Oct 24, which was peppered with writers’ tips and insights from their journey to getting published.

The journey was no smooth ride. Kate McCaffrey said, “In Australia, you have more chances of making the Olympic team, than… getting a book published.”

The Aussie Writers, from left to right, Omar Musa, Maree Dawes, Chris Pash and Kate McCaffery

Embrace your life experiences

Life experiences are good sources of inspiration for authors, so embrace them.

Omar Musa, a poet and rapper, who, while coming into contact with the impoverished conditions where Aborginals live, realised “that as artists, sometimes …you have to speak up, and you have to be political, and there are some things that just can’t be ignored.” Now he also writes, among other issues, about racial inequality in Australia. Such an example is the rap “Open Your Eyes”, which discusses stereotypes he encounters, such as airline staff thinking he is a threat because of his “Arabic sounding” name.

Similarly, Chris Pash, the author of The Last Whale, was introduced to the world of whaling at 19 as a rookie reporter at the Albany Advertiser. He later decided to return some 30 years later to chronicle the story of both whalers and activists. He explained that while “whaling stopped, … I felt some sort of obligation somehow, to have a conscious representative of the last whalers.”

Get inspired

Keep on the lookout for ideas everywhere. Kate McCaffery found her initial spark of inspiration through the TV programme Dr Phil, which features the celebrity psychologist as host of his own show, giving advice on a range of topics. They were talking to a girl who had been abused by text messaging and blog and email. Her interest was sparked off on how despite new technology and changing times, the act of bullying had not changed. The notes she took while watching the talk show eventually grew to become her first novel, Destroying Avalon.

Have a muse, and the researching and refining part of writing becomes less of a drag. The importance of this comes as writing a novel or collection of poems isn’t without its complications, and having a passion in your subject will certainly help the process.

Maree Dawes, who penned a collection of poetry called Women of Minotaur about wives and mistresses of Picasso, is such an example. She explained that while she started out penning a poem, fascination for the subject soon grew in her. She became intrigued by Broadway pieces and articles about the women’s lives in the 1800s and 1900s, learnt how Picasso painted, and even familiarised herself with crimes committed in that era.

Above all, persevere

However, good ideas alone aren’t enough to bring a book to completion. Many people give-up halfway, but with the goal in mind, you’ve got to press on. For instance, despite having a full-time job, Chris Pash would squeeze precious time to put his thoughts on paper while having dinner and before going to bed. Time doesn’t free itself up.

Omar Musa gave possibly the most important word of advice for aspiring authors.

As a rapper, he often writes his lyrics on the spot at the studio. However, he’s quick to make the distinction that it’s not just raw talent that allows him to write. To him, this is a common mistake that writers make, thinking they can “wait for the great moment, where they can save up all their ideas and write a masterpiece, without actually practising”. Instead, doing it frequently, which he likens to “push-ups”, is all-important to become a good writer.

He said, “a writer writes. You don’t wait … just constantly write. I always do sometime where I just write songs, and I never release these songs, but this is just so I can keep my game at top level”.

The Singaporean cannibal enjoys the occasional stuffed author, English writer Neil Gaiman believes.

This snack is prepared by “taking a visiting author, and feeding them good things until they can eat no more, and then cutting them up into delicious little slices”.

He said, “This explains why from the moment I arrive in Singapore till the moment I leave, people just come up to me and say, ‘Here, eat it’.”

This humorous, if somewhat morbid take on the locals’ passion for food was one of the many tales Gaiman treated a 900-strong audience in Singapore to.

The man who brought us tales of Stardust, American Gods, and the Sandman, was in town for the Singapore Writers Festival.

The writer who enjoys a cult following globally 3 meet-the-author sessions, each touching on different topics, the last of which – on graphic novels and fantasy – took place on a Sunday afternoon.

What was supposed to be a Q&A session with the author soon felt like an impromptu collective of little stories, as Gaiman’s gift for spinning a yarn took center stage.

With an easy charm, he shared various anecdotes to answer questions, bringing them to life with enthusiastic storytelling and a hearty dose of British humour.

The audience didn’t seem to mind that he hardly stuck to the theme of the talk, and that his narratives sometimes digressed beyond the questions.

“I actually preferred this as he had answered plenty of questions before on his own blog and other interviews,” said Seriously Sarah, a fan in the audience who enjoyed Gaiman’s anecdotes. “His little stories elaborated on the background of his answers, unlike what we’d be able to read in the papers or articles.”

When asked about turning 50, he recounted a particular flight he took in 1988:

He had just started on his would-be phenomenal comic series, Sandman, and was bringing extracts of a graphic novel he had co-worked on, Black Orchid, to America.

“I just remember thinking, if this plane goes down, nobody will see Black Orchid and the Sandman thing I started,” recalled Gaiman. “I just spent the entire flight, from England to America, working very hard to keep that plane afloat with my mind.”

“But if the plane goes down tomorrow, I’m in great shape,” he concluded, “I’ve done all this stuff I’ve set out to do, and you don’t get to say that very often.”

Another question about bees sparked a comedic account of his beekeeping; about his assistant Lorraine’s deathly fear of them, an old birdwatching-buddy-turned-fellow-beekeeper, and the accidental blue ribbons his bees have won for their honey.

Most of the hour went by with him answering more questions with such captivating anecdotes.

The 900 fans fortunate enough to have attended the session certainly must thank their lucky stars that organisers relocated the session, originally at a 200-seater site, to the Victoria Theatre, and released another 700 tickets. There were, of course, painful hours of queuing involved before finally laying hands on those tickets.

It was another 4-hour queue for the autograph session after the talk!

^{Image courtesy of seriouslysarah.com}

“I just want to thank all of you for braving long queues, and braving heat, and braving whatever mysterious secret messaging system that let you know that tickets were available to actually get to be here,” said Gaiman to those present.

But to the fans, all that were a small price to pay for an afternoon with the man himself, listening to him doing what he does best – telling stories.

The word “UNderCovers” conjures up multiple meanings which are explored in this year’s Singapore Writers Festival (SWF).

One of these notions is that of a child lying under the covers listening to a bedtime story. This ties up with a new initiative of SWF 2009 to introduce children’s literature and writers of this genre.

Another would be to uncover emerging literary talents, with a special focus on Singaporean and Malaysian writers, and to provide a platform for showcasing their creative works.

Exploring the supernatural and exposing misdeeds, the theme of UNderCovers also zooms in on the subjects of horror and crime which, “serves as a metaphor for social and humanitarian issues,” according to Mr Phan Ming Yen, Assistant General Manager of The Arts House.

SWF 2009 will span from Oct 24 to Nov 1 with over 100 programmes such as meet-the-authors sessions, book launches and even film screenings. With the aim of reaching out to a wider public and creating a greater interest in the literary arts, notable writers such as Neil Gaiman (The Sandman series, Stardust), Taichi Yamada (I Have Not Dreamt of Flying in Awhile, and Strangers), Qiu Xiaolong (Inspector Chen series: Death of a Red Heroine, A Case of Two Cities and Red Mandarin Dress) and John Ajvide Lindqvist (Let the Right One In) have been invited to be part of the activities.

In addition to the international line-up, there’ll be a strong focus on Asian works and one of the programme highlights is Singaporean authors. 8 writers: Alfian Sa’at, Desmond Kon, Leong Liew Geok, Ng Yi-Sheng, Alvin Pang, Adrian Tan, Teng Qian Xi and Ovidia Yu, all from different backgrounds and generations, will expound on Singapore’s prominent tourist icon in Dissecting the Merlion.

Watch this space for more as we dive under covers at SWF 2009.

It’s unlikely that any of us would sit back to think about the gazillion words and phrases we use on a daily basis, so what more the overrated profanities that hang so precariously from our lips? Pull up your socks and learn a thing or two from English poet and playwright William Shakespeare when it comes to controlling our temper. This quick guide will teach you to behave like royalty when someone gets on your nerves and, slowly but surely, you’ll master the lovely mix of swear and style.

By Rachael Nonis

“What the dickens” - The Merry Wives of Windsor

Used in replacement of “What the devil” or the infamous four-letter swear sword, Shakespeare describes the annoyance of forgetting someone’s name. Despite another famous author with the surname Dickens appearing years later, I’m pretty sure Shakespeare wrote this curse without any pun intended. So the next time you forget anything at all, you should be wondering what the dickens it was.

“A sorry sight”- Macbeth

Shakespeare laments Macbeth’s murderous hands as a pathetic sight, rotten to the eyes and miserable – just like your friend’s hideous outfit. Only you don’t want to be mean and tell her it looks retarded. Instead, bring her to a mirror and say, “Oh darling, you are such a sorry sight…”. But do try to make it up to her by bringing her for an awesome shopping spree afterward.

“A blinking idiot”- The Merchant of Venice

In order to get Portia’s hand in marriage, the prince of Arragon has to find a basket with a portrait of her in it. Instead, he finds a portrait of a stranger, and in his anger and frustration, calls it a portrait of a blinking idiot. Surely he couldn’t have meant that the portrait was blinking, but it sure makes for the nicest adjective to compliment the word idiot.

“A plague on both your houses”- Romeo and Juliet

Used to curse the feuding Montague (Romeo) and Capulet (Juliet) families, this curse translates to something like “damn them in any way possible”. So next time you’re stuck in the middle of a love triangle where things get out of hand and you’re thinking of calling the spiritual forces on her/him, this line will be perfect. You’ll be surprised at their surprise and feel surprisedly better after that.

“The most unkindest cut of all”- Julius Caesar

When Brutus stabs Caesar, Shakespeare calls it the most unkindest cut of all, since Brutus’ treachery and betrayal killed him more than the actual wound. In today’s world filled with scheming backstabbers, look him/her square in the eyes, put on your most believable pout, and say the line. Believe me, that weasel will never forget it.

“Cudgel thy brains”- Hamlet

Two clowns are having a conversation. One is more confused than the other. The smarter one advises the other not to cudgel thy brains any more since it has been beaten up, and even thinking takes an extraordinary effort. This is perfect to describe someone who takes way too long to figure out the sum of one plus two.

“My dear lady disdain, are you yet living?”- Much Ado About Nothing

This was first used by Benedick when he bumps into Beatrice who later becomes his wife. Like all modern love stories, the two hate each other at first, constantly hurling insults at the other. Guys, it might just be the way to win over your long-time crush, although careful planning is needed. Ladies, try it on the she-devil in your life, and prepare to run.

“The serpent’s egg”- Julius Caesar

Brutus calls Caesar a serpent’s egg, as though he was some evil waiting to be hatched. The modern adaptation of the phrase is something like “You son of a b*tch!”. Now, learn some manners from the Bard and sound a little more civilised, will you?

Disclaimer: We are not liable for any sort of defamation, break-ups, or emotional trauma inflicted on the victims as a direct result of this article.

Film adaptations of best-selling books are a common sight in Hollywood fare today. hype brings you four books that will make its way to the big screen in the coming months. Grab them before they fly off the shelves!

Through the eyes of time

By Josceline Foo

Henry DeTamble is an average librarian who lives in Chicago, save for one thing: Due to a genetic disorder, he gets swept off to another chapter of his life at fate’s whim every once in a while. Told through the viewpoint of his faithful wife Clare Abshire, readers are pulled into a heartbreaking tale of two lovers whose romance is put through the fire by the whimsical…(read more)

Wild things in all of us

By Tanya Lai

What if you had to turn a 10-sentence children’s book into a full-length feature film? Seems like an impossible job only meant for overachievers and the brilliantly creative, doesn’t it? That brilliant and creative overachiever arrives in the form of Spike Jonze, whose directorial credits include Being John Malkovich and Adaptation…(read more)

Colour my world grey

By Wong Yeang Cherng

If you wake up to a world devoid of life and stained grey from hopelessness and death, would you rather die or carry on with life? Brace yourself to ponder over this question when you watch the film adaptation of Pulitzer prize-winning novel The Road. Written by Cormac McCarthy (No Country for Old Men), The Road is about…(read more)

Screening the Moon

By Lin Zicheng

If you thought that Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight series is all about a steamy fairytale romance between a perfect vampire and a regular teenage human girl, New Moon will definitely make you think twice. Compared to its fluffy romantic prequel, New Moon is driven by the internal turmoil and paranoia faces Bella when Edward…(read more)

By Lin Zicheng

If you thought that Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight series is all about a steamy fairytale romance between a perfect vampire and a regular teenage human girl, New Moon will definitely make you think twice.

Compared to its fluffy romantic prequel, New Moon is driven by the internal turmoil and paranoia that faces Bella when Edward leaves her abruptly after the fact that Edward and his family are endangering Bella.

Shortly after, Bella sinks into a brooding depression for most parts of the book, where she befriends a werewolf Jacob. The complicated relationship results in a messy love triangle between Edward, Bella and Jacob.

Instead of Catherine Hardwicke, the film adaptation of New Moon will be directed by Chris Weitz (The Golden Compass) due to “time restrictions”. Fans of the first movie will be thrilled to know that both Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson reprise their roles as Bella and Edward.

Also, Taylor Lautner rejoins the cast as the werewolf Jacob Black, after much confusion when his name was not listed in the initial official cast list. Due to Taylor’s underdeveloped frame, he was deemed unable to physically portray the transformation of Jacob to a werewolf. That has changed since Taylor began working out and putting on the pounds.

Another member of the cast to look out for is Dakota Fanning, who is the latest addition to the vampire brood as she plays the Vulturi guard Jane with the ability to torture people with illusions of pain.

So, with stellar additions made to the original cast, what can fans expect in this sequel to the phenomenal Twilight film, which grossed almost US$400 million worldwide since its release in 2008?

There will be action from both werewolves and vampires. Chris Weitz has promised in an official press release to protect the characters, themes and story that captivated fans in the first place. But it remains to be seen if New Moon will bring something more to the game, or just be another one of those sequels that are in it for the fans’ money.

Fans were quick to point out one tiny problem though: How would Edward be portrayed in the upcoming film, since he plays a minor role in the book, appearing only to Bella in short dream sequences? In a nod to Robert Pattinson’s star power, the director has responded to this by extending those dream sequences to give him more screen time.

Still, you have to admit that with such attractive leads, a big budget and a commercially viable storyline, New Moon is pretty much guaranteed a top spot at the box office. So while you wait for the arrival of one of the most anticipated movies of the year, be sure to get your daily vampire fix by reading or rereading the books that started it all.

New Moon will hit the silver screens on Dec 20.

By Tanya Lai

What if you had to turn a 10-sentence children’s book into a full-length feature film?

Seems like an impossible job only meant for overachievers and the brilliantly creative, doesn’t it?

That brilliant and creative overachiever arrives in the form of Spike Jonze, whose directorial credits include Being John Malkovich and Adaptation. Known for his unorthodox interpretations and perspectives, Jonze has managed to magically transform the widely-popular children’s book, Where The Wild Things Are, into a feature film.

Costume designer Casey Storm says that Jonze “has a great imagination and a strong link to kids’ creativity”, and the book’s author Maurice Sendak was only felt comfortable handling the project to him.

Sendak wrote the original story way back in 1963 as a picture book starring Max, a mischievous boy who is sent to bed without supper after he misbehaves yet again. Angered by his punishment, Max deals with his emotions by imagining another world where he rules as king among monsters he calls Wild Things.

The massively successful children’s book paints a riveting and unusual story and won the “Most Distinguished Picture Book of the Year” in 1964. The film adaptation has not fared too badly either; Firstshowing.net predicts that the movie “is bound to win a most creative or most unique award”.

The movie features a slightly unknown cast, save for Mark Ruffalo (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) who plays Max’s mother’s love interest and voiceovers by Forrest Whittaker (The Last King of Scotland) and Catherine O’Hara (Home Alone).

The one thing to look out for in the film is the depiction of the Wild Things. Storm explains that the monsters in the film were “foam walkabout costumes with people inside of them”. The movie combines suitmation with animatronics (use of electronics and robotics in mechanised puppets) and computer-generated imagery to create monsters that look somewhat out-of-this-world and yet oddly realistic.

Filming began in 2005, but studio executives deemed the final cut by Jonze too dark. Their creative differences almost caused an entire reshoot, which led to a postponement of the film to 2009; the film was originally slated for an Oct 2008 release. Total production and marketing costs have soared past US$100 million since then.

Still, it seems like the extra time and money has paid off. Judging from the short but telling official trailer, the stunning and wildly magical movie is all geared up for an experience of a lifetime. The movie is perfectly summed up in the trailer’s own words: “Inside all of us is hope. Inside of us is fear. Inside of us is adventure. Inside of us is a Wild Thing.”

Despite its seemingly childish exterior, Where The Wild Things Are is possibly one of the best efforts to combine elements of dynamic puppetry manipulation, outstanding voiceovers and a stirring plot, making it a truly beloved piece for every generation and those to come.

Where The Wild Things Are will make its silver screen debut on Nov 26.

By Josceline Foo

Henry DeTamble is an average librarian who lives in Chicago, save for one thing: Due to a genetic disorder, he gets swept off to another chapter of his life at fate’s whim every once in a while.

Translation: He is an unintentional time traveller.

Told through the viewpoint of his faithful wife Clare Abshire, readers are pulled into a heartbreaking tale of two lovers whose romance is put through the fire by the whimsical, and sometimes cruel, manipulation of time.

The book is a compelling page-turner. Emotions run high and Audrey Niffenegger has a way with narratives that sucks you into the very essence of Henry and Clare, whose emotional depth is revealed through their thoughts and choices.

Finally, after a two-year delay, fans will be treated to a silver screen adaptation starring Eric Bana (Troy, Star Trek) as Henry and Rachel McAdams (Mean Girls, The Notebook) as Clare, and directed by Robert Schwentke (Tattoo, Flightplan).

Judging from the trailer that was released early June 2009, expect a melodramatic picture, which Entertainment Weekly describes as “The Notebook crossed with Benjamin Button”.

As with all film adaptations, the hardest to please are the loyal fans of the novel, and already there have been many gripes about how much of the book has been and should be left out.

However, McAdams has since put the fears regarding the movie to rest.

“(Robert Schwentke) really explored the relationship and how you carry on with the love of your life when you have this imposition,” she said in an interview with Collider.com.

Perhaps the biggest shocker is the omission of Henry’s old girlfriend Ingrid, who many fans deemed important in Henry’s life and his outlook on love. According to Rachel, in the same interview, the film is a lot more focused on the romantic tussle between Henry and Clare.

Aside from that, the movie looks set to garner its own group of fans – hardcore romantics. In just 2 minutes of the trailer, Clare and Henry run into each other’s arms twice and make out at least 3 times that. Still, the movie tackles the same themes of love and faithfulness as the book, all set in picturesque Chicago.

So who knows what the future holds? Henry probably does, but for us mere mortals, we will just have to wait in anticipation to find out what happens to Henry and Clare.

Or perhaps just read the book.

The movie will be released in all major theatres in Singapore on Sep 17.

By Wong Yeang Cherng

If you wake up to a world devoid of life and stained grey from hopelessness and death, would you rather die or carry on with life?

Brace yourself to ponder over this question when you watch the film adaptation of Pulitzer prize-winning novel The Road. Written by Cormac McCarthy (No Country for Old Men), The Road is about the lives of a man and his son who wake up to a post-apocalypse America.

The ominous tale is told through the eyes of two survivors – The Man and his son, The Boy – after a global disaster reduces the world to nothing more than pathetic ruins. What unfolds is an epic story of a journey across charred landscapes to a perceived “salvation” in the south. Along the way, the pair meet with numerous obstacles such as the threat of cannibals and surviving the harsh wasteland that the world has become.

Set to hit the screens this year, The Road captures the essence of the human spirit and the ultimate fight for survival in a seemingly hopeless and bleak world.

Taking the role of The Man is Viggo Mortensen, who played a similar role as the noble, grimy-faced Aragorn in the wildly popular Lord of the Rings trilogy, though in vastly different settings. Accompanying him is Australian actor and winner of the AFI Young Best Actor Award 2007 Kodi Smit-McPhee for his role in Romulus, My Father.

With the critically acclaimed and delicate nature of the story, the director of the silver screen adaptation is set up for a gruelling task. However, a sneak peek from the official trailer of what the director John Hillcoat (The Proposition) has done seems to point to a classic film in the making. Esquire magazine has called it “a brilliantly directed adaptation of a beloved novel”, even going as far as to name it “the most important movie of the year”.

Fans of feel-good movies will not be too pleased to know that Hillcoat has promised that the film will stay “faithful to the spirit of the book”, which means that one can expect horrific, grim and revolting images of the half-dead, kept imprisoned in ghastly conditions and only winding up eaten by cannibals, as portrayed in the book.

Fans of the book will delight in the emotional depth and compelling storyline that the film promises to bring. And you are kept at the edge of your seat rooting for father and son to make it through the daunting trials and tribulations.

But for those who know better, The Road is deeper than the average violent/horror flick. The movie is, in its own right, a tear-jerking, heart-wrenching and heart-warming narrative of a father’s unconditional love and the unwavering desire to survive in a bleak world that encapsulates death itself.

The Road is slated for a worldwide theatrical release on Oct 16.

Book Review
Time Traveler’s Wife – Audrey Niffenegger
By Nur Aqilah

The Time Traveler’s Wife is a story about love, sacrifice and perseverance, put in the classic science fiction setting of time travel. The book, written by Audrey Niffenegger, has been turned into a movie and will sneak into local cinemas on Sep 3, starring Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana. Written in the first person narrative, the tale revolves around the lives of Henry and Clare, a married couple who faces the challenge of a rare genetic disorder threatening to cripple their relationship every time Henry disappears, and appears at another time.

Henry Detamble, a librarian, has a genetic mutation that causes him to travel through time whenever he feels pressured or uneasy. He’d disappear from view, vanishing without his clothes and other possessions and arrive naked at another time and place. For the most part, it’s a curse, as he has to turn to theft to find clothes and food until he comes back again to the present. Sometimes, he’d travel back to the past and see his younger self or the future and see what happens in that time. It was also on one of these time trips that he found his soul mate, Clare, when she was just 6 years old.

As for Clare, it might seem crazy at age 6 that she sees a man vanishing and appearing time and again at the meadow near her house. She’d keep clothes and food for him, track the times that he came and count the days he’d return. She fell for him as she grew up and waited for the day she’d meet his real self, not the one that time traveled. When Henry disappears, Clare lives as a single, enduring days without Henry; eating on her own, washing the dishes, watching tv by herself, all the while worrying about the safety of her husband. It gets to her eventually but she perseveres because she chose to marry a man despite his abnormalities.

The story can be confusing rolling back and forth with written accounts from Henry and Clare’s point of views. It helps that the dates and ages are stated each time Henry “time traveled”. Despite the disorientation, this book is a gripping read as it leaves readers wondering what will happen after Henry stops vanishing when he’s 43 years old. We fight to suspend as we are amazed each time we turn a page how powerful their love is despite the difficulties faced, with Clare having to spend days without Henry and Henry trapped in another time only wanting to come back to Clare. Absence really does make the heart grow fonder.

My recommendation? Read the novel first and then watch the movie. I promise you’ll have double the fun. Oh, and don’t forget the tissues as well. You definitely need them.

Whatever Happened To The Caped Crusader?
The Deluxe Edition

Written by
Neil Gaiman
Andy Kubert

DC Comics

Available at Kinokuniya
$32.88

Published July 2009.

The Plot

Batman’s dead. And master graphic novel storyteller from Sandman, Neil Gaiman weaves a fantasy setting of Batman’s funeral being attended by admirers, friends and villains alike.

The story is presented in the form of the eulogies or last words from those attending Batman’s funeral. As the tales are told, different faces behind the bat mask are revealed, and we learn of how the man, the batman, has impacted the lives of many.

As the ‘last’ of the Batman series, the book never once strays from the spirit of Batman, which means, contrary to expectations, there are no fancy comebacks, no marvelous action, just the somber reality and fragility of life through stories on the caped crusader and his lover, Gotham City.

In a shocking revelation in the chapter “The Gentleman’s Gentleman’s Tale”, it is ‘revealed’ that butler Alfred is actually the Joker and that all the villains from the Penguin to the Riddler were actually hired actors to keep ‘Master Wayne’s’ obsession entertained and contained”. This only makes this tale sadder and sweeter, the wonderful storytelling, fitting for a batman story.

Artwork

The cover, itself a stunning panel, when held in your hands, makes for a very fine addition to your library. The lighting and the moody colours fit a very depressing Gotham, but it’s also perhaps intentionally painful that the subjects in each panel are detailed in colour and clash with the background.

That said, each panel is an exquisite work of art in itself. We’d take the time to lovingly linger on each panel, but the story tugs at us to move along.

In the foreword, artist Andy Kubert was said to have drawn the comic with the make believe impression that the previous Batman artists were actually copying his style. So readers can expect to catch a familiar style of drawing on certain pages.

The Good and The Bad

The story is sad, but worthy of a fitting end to an icon. That said, anyone coming to the novel expecting action and dramatic finishes, would find this a disappointing read. Still, the innocence in the ending when Batman, as the narrator embraces his death in a manner similar to when he was young and saying ‘Good night’ to his life and Gotham as he would to the characters in a storybook, was endearing.

The book has its fill of memorable exchanges that once again reflect the dark knight’s obsessive dedication to his city, say for example a remembrance by Superman of an exchange between him and Batman. In it, Superman worries about Batman being a target of all villains in Gotham, and so he said, “He (Batman) smiled that scary smile. He said, ‘and while they’re trying to kill me, they aren’t killing innocents. Now take me home.’”

Besides the main plot, there are 4 bonus plots in this deluxe edition that are quite enjoyable, although again void of action, one humourous bonus story in particular was ‘A Black and White World’, which was an original work by Neil Gaiman. It explores Batman and The Joker as actors and present a quirky conversation. At one point, The Joker says to Batman, “Hey, that splash panel where you came through the window, that was just the coolest. I never get panels like that.” To which Batman replies, “So? You get to make speeches. I don’t get to make speeches.”

In an identical manner of The Sandman, Neil Gaiman sends the same true message that some things never truly die and will continue to live on beyond their physical death. Batman fans would not be complaining with the legendary writer helming the story and illustration wizard artist Andy Kubert working the colours.

The Conclusion

This is a fine book to enjoy on a slow day, as the pace is similarly languid. Even so, you’ll enjoy being transported into another world where one man’s love for his city has impacted the life of many others- both in novel, and in reality.

UrbanWire presents the mastery of Desmond Kon’s literary works together with an interesting email interview that reveals the poet’s influences and his opinion on the literary scene in the US and Singapore. An audio recording, poems and a track from the audio book, How to Read a Poem, all for your reading and listening pleasure.

Audio recording of Desmond reading “love song of empress wu”

love song of empress wu

{the buds}     {redden pink}    {these titular tips}     {plums}{I upward hurl}
{eunuch these}     {chinoiserie scholars}     {deerweed        roots}{never}
{rot into life}      {I smelt emeralds}       {leaves}       {they don’t money}
{leave me}  {lift me}{lift greenback life beyond}{themselves    overdue seasons}

{when was I here}      {the last time onstage}   {whenever       was he bereft}
{all think           my pickling thoughts}      {love}     {needs}{nouveau needs}
{a love     song}      {that many}      {that wildfires}  {propertied     face}
{flicker ash}   {he’s shivering}   {these high seas      self-made}  {my lilies call}

{on me}     {two by two}     {we surface congress}   {up   on}  {my terms}
{minarets}{they scar    skies}   {tall}      {as heel spike hands}      {needled}
{as him}    {I don’t mind}  {being     unbound}{buckled nature}   {or any other}
{droll buddha man}     {this this   trouble}    {is just}     {just distaste     tossed}

{statute coinage to him}        {I’m the poorer gold}{striking         leggy arms}
{thin twigs}  {I’ll pratfall and break}    {then bend}{now I fracture primal}

**********

{all this} {because      I expect}{stage direct}{precision}   {he has petty wagers}
{like me} {but like me}   {raped beliefs} {trust wrested}     {in the new}

{uptown things     like long tears}      {girlish and bony} {small hopes changed}
{I sink}{feet first}    {my pavilion is wardrobed} {I’m a rose}    {rosewood}
{I close in}     {I like}{cruel sugarcane doors}   {I see}{he lies   outside timbre}
{inside in slivers} {peony light      breaking}  {all over arches}{camber limbs}

{maybe}   {you know}     {what}     {what chic}  {I’ve already become}
{maybe you’ll watch}      {help me}{I scissor this}            {thick chintz}
{silk}    {deadened counterfeit    worming}{my dress     down}{horsehair hoops}
{and I fall}   {crinoline seasons fall}{heavy}  {obedient}  {pomegranate}{pools}

{they too pick my dresses}  {chanteuse envy}  {you’re duty   bristle trouble}
{like me}     {or else}         {I’ll slash}       {hand cream thighs}         {bride red}
{do you see}   {my blood swath} {your slight blood}       {lilies water roses}
{like my lilies}   {like me     arranged}      {my lilies}{like Victoria’s Secret lace}

^{* Wu Zetian remains the only woman in Chinese history to rule as an emperor. Sometimes excessively criticized for her autocratic rule, Empress Wu ruled between 690-705 AD during the Tang Dynasty. These two sonnets, reflecting off each other, recast and expand the first English translation of the poem by Kenneth Rexroth and Ling Chung, written as an octave. This poem first appeared in The Pinch.}

pitcairn hierarchy

imagine its platinum secrets
stripped and searched, flypass naked
hung-out fugitives; floppy lugsails

these are short-lived curios, volcanic ash

these are mud men baring silverfish teeth
leery, jumpy dilettante too; wide gambit grins

effigies tumble and snap like clapboards
boom boom target boards, cutting this dead air;
pembroke tables flapping, breaking sheer

imagine no one finding anyone interesting anymore

all bets off, body bags tagged; into oceans, walk
all skinned on big-bilge water, latex, splints

boom boom woodwinds; tequila statuary adrift
this horizontal, white mast spears, fore-and-aft line
but no one’s playing pirate or daring planks:

(plotting principalities) pilot our long haul:

and everyone flees what’s been situated

but what about the through road today dragging
itself thoroughbred affection, through and through
what makes you stay; sylphlike, my fly-fish lining

what of consensus; what of leeward conversions?

visas to the pitcairn islands are easy;
but the missing are inconsolable
but for the missing, inconsolable

_{* The word “hierarchy” originated from hierarchia (“ranked division of angels”), first coined by the anonymous Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, a 5th Century Christian mystic theologian-philosopher. The term “hierarchy” can also be etymologically traced to ta hiera (“sacred rites”) and archein (“to lead, rule”). Pseudo-Dionysius understood all reality to be hierarchic, believing, as René Roques asserts, that “the totality of this twofold universe, the angelic and the human, constitutes a sacred order, an understanding, and an activity, all regulated by the law of hierarchical mediations, both in the sense of the ‘descent’ of divine illumination and in that of the ‘ascent’ of divinization”. The third choir of the second hierarchy of angels, Principalities remain the guardian angels of the world’s territories. They manifest as rays of light. This poem first appeared in Faultline.}

Bulletin D

^{* This poem first appeared in Seneca Review.}

The Trapeze Artist

From the audio book: How to Read a Poem
Inspired Poem by: Peng-Ean Khoo
Pipa by: Samuel Wong Shengmiao

Audio track: “The Trapeze Artist”

“The Trapeze Artist” is a track from How to Read a Poem, first published in 2003.The recording features Samuel Wong Shengmiao on the pipa mimicking the theatrics of Peng-Ean Khoo’s “The Trapeze Artist”. The album was created as an audio book for the creative anthology, Dead People, Flying Fishes And The Ones Who Missed Boat, for which Desmond Kon was the editor.

This illustration is reprinted here. It first appeared 20 years ago as a centrefold in My Word, a junior college literary magazine on which Desmond contributed his artwork.

Sometimes when other tots talked about what they would do when they grew up, a shadow would cross his little face as if in a dim, childish way he realised those were things in which he was never to share. -Extracted from The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

 

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is F. Scott Fitzgerald’s brilliant retort to Mark Twain’s farcical statement, “The best things in life happen at the beginning and the worst at the end.”

Wildly imaginative and mutedly poignant, the 1921 cult fiction piece was appropriated by Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. and promptly turned  into a movie. The eponymous movie, which stars Brad Pitt (pictured below) and Cate Blanchett, has garnered the most Academy Awards nominations with 13 Oscar® nods.

Credit: Merrick Morton/Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

It follows the life of Benjamin Button, who defies all scientific reasoning by aging in reverse. Born a grizzled old man, he grows progressively younger until he is finally old enough (or young enough – depending on how you look at it) to enroll into kindergarten with his 5-year-old grandson.

Fitzgerald leaves a lot to the imagination in his writing. Had he so desired, the gripping short story could easily have been expanded into a compelling novel. Instead, rather than to describe in detail Benjamin’s triumphs and pains, he presented them as bare facts. As a result, years were reduced to mere sentences or even words.

For a fairytale, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button borders on the dark side.

Fitzgerald paints a bleak picture of an old man trapped in the body of a child. He talks about a little boy whose “fresh, cheerful face was crossed with just a hint of sadness”.

To the people around him, Benjamin’s curious little secret is also constant source of torment. In his refusal to look and act his age, he brought upon a certain degree of embarrassment to his parents and, further along into the story, his own son.

As with any other short stories, you find yourself at the last page long before you are fully immersed in it. However, in Fitzgerald’s case, it is only because the novella is so beautifully written, it never quite satisfies.

Book details

Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald
Publisher: Juniper Grove
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1603550836
ISBN-13: 978-1603550833

Front graphic Courtesy of Paramount Pictures.

Movies are fun to watch but reading is the real pleasure.
HYPE dissects 6 books that have made their way to the silver screen.

1. Choke

2. The Bourne Legacy

3. The Lovely Bones

4. Confessions of a Shopaholic

5. The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency

6. My Sister’s Keeper

CHOKE
By Chuck Palahniuk
Text by Candice Lee
ISBN: 0307388921

Chuck Palahniuk loves to leave his readers with a bad taste in their mouths, and that’s the reason his satire-loving fans love him. The acclaimed author of Fight Club, who is a master of warped subjects, has bagged the awards and movie deals to show for it. In Choke, however, it seems like Palahnuik is choking on new themes with which to unsettle his readers.

Don’t be mistaken – the prerequisite disturbing elements in the book are aplenty. Meet Victor Mancini, our antihero who takes us through the crummy existence he calls his life. Victor trawls sexual addiction workshops to meet girls who are not likely to require dinner and flowers before getting down to it. His side job as a con artist requires him to choke on his dinner every other evening at upscale restaurants. He then allows a “hero” to save him, who inadvertently feels obliged to shower him with love and money for years to come. At the core of this self-inflicted depravity is – surprise! – Victor’s monstrously bizarre childhood. In flashbacks, it’s revealed how Victor’s mum was too busy stealing school buses and abusing zoo animals to love him. All she left him with is a sense of worthlessness, as well as twisted trivia: “If you’re ever in the Hard Rock Café… and they announce ‘Elvis has left the building,’ that means all the servers need to go to the kitchen and find out what dinner special just sold out.”

To top it all off, Victor is becoming increasingly convinced that he’s a descendent of Jesus Christ, conceived via a dried piece of holy foreskin. A cult writer who lends an unhinged voice to our deranged times, Palahniuk has delivered again. But for fans who are expecting the unexpected, the formulaic shock approach here is just, well, a little expected.

Left to right: The Bourne Legacy, The Lovely Bones, Confessions of a Shopaholic

The Bourne Legacy
By Eric Van Lustbader
Text by Kristie Chiew
ISBN: 0312331759

In this fourth installment, The Bourne Legacy picks up from where Bourne series creator Robert Ludlum supposedly left off.

In an attempt to separate his identity as Bourne from his family, David Webb has taken up a job as a Linguistics professor.

But a sniper’s gunshot within the campus reawakens the Bourne persona. Soon enough, Bourne aka Webb finds himself running for his life in a race to save himself and his family.

Apart from the excitement at seeing Bourne outsmart, outwit and outplay his enemies, the book is like a rollercoaster ride that never seems to end. This Bourne legacy should have just left it at the ‘Ultimatum’.

The Lovely Bones
By Alice Sebold
Text by Lau Liang Tong
ISBN: 0316168815

What’s a girl going to do when she’s raped and dead?

Brutally chopped up by her introverted neighbour at the tender age of 14, Susie Salmon lost her chance of maturing into a woman.

With her elbow being the only notable clue in the blood-curling murder, the case seems to have been put on hiatus even before investigations began. As a spirit drifting between heaven and Earth, Susie can only narrate the changing lives of those around her, while grasping her inability to detach herself from the living.

The Lovely Bones, Sebold’s second novel, tackles realistic issues with great intensity and simplicity, spinning a tale of love, loss and isolation.

Confessions of a Shopaholic
By Sophie Kinsella
Text by Nadia Shah
ISBN: 0385395507

New York Times’ Bestselling Author Sophie Kinsella brings a Brit read that has the obvious potential to be just another boring old chick lit. Thankfully, it touches on serious matters such as obsession and finding a purpose in life, in a humorous manner.

Becky Bloomwood, a shopaholic living in London may be a journalist at Successful Saving magazine, but the truth is, Becky’s a financial mess. Her attempts at clearing her debts fail miserably, and that makes the novel even more of a guilty pleasure.

With a hilarious plot and colourful characters to boot, it’s no wonder a movie adaptation is to be released sometime this year.

The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency
By Alexander McCall Smith
Text by Daryll Nanayakara
ISBN: 1400034779

Adulterous husbands who cheat on their wives, the murder of a young boy by village witch doctors, a father who worries about his daughter dating village boys – these are some of the issues most Zimbabweans face on a daily basis.

Serious yet light, Zimbabwean-born author Alexander McCall Smith produces a work of art with this first volume from a series of nine books.This probably explains why the series has been turned into a 13-part television drama in the United Kingdom.

Smith takes you into the life of Mma Precious Ramotswe, a fictional woman from Botswana who sets up her own detective agency in the capital, Gabrone, to tackle the real issues her country faces everyday. The characters may change but the main detective, Ramotswe, remains ever the wise and intelligent protagonist.

As the author of more than 50 books of different genres, Smith gives us another reason to think about the world’s issues while enjoying a good read.

My Sister’s Keeper
By Jodi Picoult
Text by Jeremy Boo
ISBN: 0743454537

How much sacrifice would you make your child go through for the life of another?

Jodi Picoult’s My Sister’s Keeper tosses you firmly into intrigue and plunges you into a deep moral quandary, forcing you to ask questions that you fear to confront.

Like her other novels, Picoult switches between past and present, rapidly creating a heavily layered piece of prose that reveals more than the cursory glance. But when used too often, it leaves the readers confused and desperately floundering for clues.

While the story has an unconventional structure, Picoult’s characters fall into clichéd one-dimensional paper cut-outs — the rebellious and angsty brother, the understanding supportive father, the emotionally torn mother, and the independent young female protagonist.

Jodi Picoult’s My Sister’s Keeper is vivid and visceral, with poignant nuances and sub-plots. It would’ve made a remarkable read, if its plot and character development had been handled with much more finesse.