Monday, August 8, 2011

A Journey into Michelangelo's Rome

From St. Peter’s Basilica to the Capitoline Hill, this unique resource—part biography, part history, and part travel guide—provides an intimate portrait of the relationship between Michelangelo and the city he restored to artistic greatness. Lavishly illustrated and richly informative, this travel companion tells the story of Michelangelo’s meteoric rise, his career marked by successive artistic breakthroughs, his tempestuous relations with powerful patrons, and his austere but passionate private life. Providing street maps that allow readers to navigate the city and discover Rome as Michelangelo knew it, each chapter focuses on a particular work that amazed Michelangelo’s contemporaries and modern tourists alike.

(Excerpt from amazon.com)

威尼斯日記

阿城 著
online access from SuperStar Digital Library
check holdings in CityU LibraryFind

威尼斯像「賦」,鋪陳雕琢,滿滿蕩蕩的一篇文章。華麗亦可以是一種壓迫。

如威尼斯的一條小巷是不通的,那麼在巷口一定沒有警告標誌。你只管走進去好了,碰壁返回來時不用安慰自己或生氣,因為威尼斯的每一條小巷都有性格,或者神祕,或者意料不到,譬如有精美的大門或透過大門而看到一個精美的庭院。遺憾的是有些小巷去過之後再也找不到了,有時卻又會無意中

走進同一條小巷,好像重溫舊日情人。

應該為威尼斯的每一條街巷寫傳。

作者1992年獲義大利Nonino國際文學獎,並應邀旅居威尼斯兩個月,寫成《威尼斯日記》。

(摘錄自博客來網路書店)

Monday, August 1, 2011

Journey into Islam: The Crisis of Globalization

Akbar Ahmed
online access from ProQuest Ebook Central
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Globalization, the war on terror, and Islamic fundamentalism-followed closely by a rise in Islamophobia-have escalated tensions between Western nations and the Muslim world. Yet, internationally renowned Islamic scholar Akbar Ahmed believes that through dialogue and understanding, these cultures can coexist peacefully and respectfully. That hope and belief result in an extraordinary journey. To learn what Muslims think and how they really view America, Ahmed traveled to the three major regions of the Muslim world the Middle East, South Asia, and East Asia. Journey into Islam: The Crisis of Globalization is the riveting story of his search for common ground. His absorbing narrative and personal photos bring the reader on a tour of Islam and its peoples. Ahmed sought to understand the experiences and perceptions of ordinary Muslims. Visiting mosques, madrassahs, and universities, he met with people ranging from Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf to prime ministers, princes, sheikhs, professors, and students. He observed, listened, and asked them questions. For example, who inspires them? What are they reading? How do the Internet and international media impact their lives? How do they view America, the West, and changes in society? Ahmed's anthropological expedition enjoyed extensive access to women and youths, revealing unique information on large yet often misunderstood populations. Lamentably, he found high levels of anti-Americanism and anti-Semitism and a widespread perception that Islam is under attack from the West. But he also brought back reason for hope. He returned from his groundbreaking travels both impressed with the concerned, kind nature of the individuals he encountered and invigorated with the vitality and passion they displayed. Journey into Islam makes a powerful plea for forming friendships across religion, race, and tradition to create lasting peace between Islam and the West.

(Excerpt from amazon.com)

薔薇島嶼

安妮寶貝
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《薔薇島嶼》,安妮寶貝的第四本書。以在上海,北京,香港,越南,柬埔寨的行走經歷為線索,關於旅行,愛和生死。書中有作者在旅途中拍攝的唯美清淨的照片及近二十篇如流水通透綿延的作品。

清淨。淡定。美至詭異。意像,氣味,幻覺,往事……場景和意識交叉開展,展現安妮寶貝文體飄忽的鏡頭變幻感。從容清冷的敘述,美至詭異的語言,深化作品一貫保持的美感和靈性。記錄一個行走的人,對生命和時光路途的沉著觀察及提煉……

(摘錄自Hudong互動百科)

Monday, July 25, 2011

Invisible China: A Journey Through Ethnic Borderlands

Colin Legerton and Jacob Rawson
online access from ProQuest Ebook Central
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In this eloquent and eye-opening adventure narrative, Colin Legerton and Jacob Rawson, two Americans fluent in Mandarin Chinese, Korean, and Uyghur, throw away the guidebook and bring a hitherto unexplored side of China to light. They journey over 14,000 miles by bus and train to the farthest reaches of the country to meet the minority peoples who dwell there, talking to farmers in their fields, monks in their monasteries, fishermen on their skiffs, and herders on the steppe.

In Invisible China, they engage in a heated discussion of human rights with Daur and Ewenki village cadres; celebrate Muhammad’s birthday with aging Dongxiang hajjis who recount the government’s razing of their mosque; attend mass with old Catholic Kinh fishermen at a church that has been forty years without a priest; hike around high-altitude Lugu Lake to farm with the matrilineal Mosuo women; and descend into a dry riverbed to hunt for jade with Muslim Uyghur merchants. As they uncover surprising facts about China’s hidden minorities and their complex position in Chinese society, they discover the social ramifications of inconsistent government policies--and some deep human truths as well.

(Excerpt from amazon.com)

留徳十年

季羨林 著
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1935年,青年學子季羨林赴德留學,開始了十年羈旅生涯。數十年後,學術泰斗季先生已近耄耋之年,憶及往昔,遂寫下一部《留德十年》。

本書循時間的脈絡,記述了先生當年拋家傍路赴德求學的經過。在赫赫有名的哥廷根大學,先生幾經輾轉選定印度學為主修方向,遂對其傾注熱情與辛勞,最終獲得博士學位,也由此奠定了畢生學術研究的深厚根基。在此過程中,先生飽嘗了第二次世界大戰的陰霾帶來的戲劇性苦難,而于苦難之外,又更難忘學長深思,友人深情。

先生雖言“自傳”只述事實,不及其余,然“詩與真”並行不悖,洋洋十數萬言,生命之詩性本已蘊集期間。

(摘錄自博客來網路書店)