Monday, August 15, 2011

Windows on Japan: A Walk through Place and Perception

Bruce Roscoe
online access from ProQuest Ebook Central
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In Windows on Japan a New Zealander walks across rural Japan and ponders centuries-old perceptions about the country that is still prisoner to an isolationist past. In a deeply insightful commentary, the author surveys cultural, social and political mores, explores the wellspring of racial perception and the problem of the memory of war. Windows on Japan alternates chapters of physical travel with travel through perception about Japan, and challenges the logic of much Western thought about the country that perplexes as much as it pleases. The author walked a route that connects the ports of Niigata and Yokohama and from these windows on the world considers perceptions of people and place. He also assesses the effect of Japan on writers from Jonathan Swift to Oscar Wilde, Shirley MacLaine and Paul Theroux with surprising results. The trading entity that wraps its tentacles around the globe, converses in most languages and understands most customs, is perceptive and urbane and none appears more capable or cosmopolitan. Yet the individuals who inhabit these islands take refuge in their language as a private habitat, resent intrusions, and are captured by a cultural particularism that distances them from others. The author discusses this paradox, as well as environmental and linguistic issues and topics of history and literature. Along the way, he lifts a veil on the life of a snow country geisha, discusses current events with a priest and a reporter, and takes advice on becoming a Japanese. Though he is understood, it is only on return visits to places he has come to love that he wins acceptance. Notes on music delightfully enrich the narrative.
(Excerpt from amazon.com)



陌生的阿富汗

班卓 著
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在阿富汗那片土地上,災難還遠未結束,人們依舊生活在貧困和饑荒之中,可是他們如同你我一樣,渴望生活,熱愛生活。

在那漫長的路途中,作者學會了熱愛那些褐色的看似貧瘠的溝壑,熱愛那些仿佛永遠也走不出去的道道深梁與沉默山丘,因為那裏的人們,用他們的生活,他們的災難和他們的歡樂,教會了作者熱愛他們那堅忍的世界和作者自己的世界。

(摘錄自中國圖書網-台灣)



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
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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)