Norbert Scheuer The Language of Birds Trans. Stephen Brown Haus Norbert Scheuer’s The Language of Birds follows protagonist Paul Arimond, an army paramedic, as he navigates war-torn Afghanistan in 2003. Paul treads the same ground as his ancestor, Ambrosius Arimond, an ornithologist who traveled to Afghanistan in the late eighteenth century. The narrative follows Paul’s diary entries detailing the birds he encounters, illustrations of these creatures, as well as letters written by Ambrosius. This format, combined with Scheuer’s poetic prose, allows readers intimate access into Paul’s mind, resulting in a poignant look at personal tragedy and the atrocities of war. Srđan Srdić Combustions Trans. Nataša Srdić Glagoslav Combustions, translated from its original Serbian, is a collection of short stories penned by author Srđan Srdić, who has won numerous literary awards and has had his work translated across eight languages. Srdić’s prose is authentic and straightforward, weaving intertextual references into his emotionally detached yet detailed depictions of contemporary life. Nota Bene The final dispossession of Removal was followed by a reconstruction of their government and the gradual healing of the divisions that fractured the nation until after the American Civil War. No sooner had the war ended than dispossession at the hands of the federal government resumed, reaching its final conclusion with the dissolution of their sovereign government in 1906. This, however, is not a story of unremitting tragedy. After 1906 the Cherokees worked unceasingly to restore their sovereignty until self-government was restored in 1971. This is a story of resiliency and success. Since the Jones and Faulk book, the Cherokee Nation elected Wilma Mankiller as the tribal nation’s first female principal chief. She brought financial stability to the nation. The advent of casino gaming brought expanded opportunities and economic success. Informative sidebars slow the story to give profiles of significant figures from Beloved Woman Nancy Ward to W. W. Keeler, the first principal chief after the resumption of the government. Boney richly illustrates the volume with historical photographs and paintings and rich contemporary works by Cherokee artists , including stunning cover art by Daniel HorseChief. One wishes he had included more of his own work besides the single portrait of a Cherokee codetalker. (He also produced the helpful maps throughout the text that make history visible.) In sum, Cherokee Nation is an important tale well told. Jace Weaver University of Georgia Tore Kvæven Når landet mørknar Oslo. Samlaget. 2018. 451 pages. Når landet mørknar (When darkness falls over the land) is a powerful historical novel, but it also has the visionary qualities that mark it as a great work of literature. The winner of the 2018 Brage Prize, Norway’s most prestigious literary award for fiction, this novel relates momentous events, from the first, baffling episode inside the mind of a hunted, wounded walrus, to the final episode in a young man’s struggle against fate. The core story is about love, bravery, and feuding set among people who are trapped and threatened by the environment they have exploited; the sparse language, rooted in the Icelandic sagas, evokes the vengeful beauty of land and sea. The narrative is shot through with strands of mysticism, but painstaking background research makes it more persuasive than any fantasy dystopia. The “land” of the title is real: Greenland. The time is 1293, and, in the north, the Little Ice Age is beginning. With it begins the end game for the community of Norwegian Vikings that has colonized the southwestern coast. For the past three hundred years, the settlers lived well, farming and hunting on land and sea. Now, they see signs of a slow, murderous change. Deforestation halts the building of houses and ships, soil erosion means poorer harvests, and the most profitable prey is in sharp decline—even birds are scarce. In the first of many unforgettable scenes of life on the edge, the men climb into their aging, dilapidated boats to hunt a solitary walrus. They know the risks—and as we know, so does the walrus. During the chase, fifteen-year-old Arnar distinguishes himself, but Eir, a girl he falls in love with, looks at...
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Open Access
Jun 30, 2023
Seema Manzoor 
