David Grossman & Gioconda Belli
PEN World Voices: The New York Festival of International Literature: Faith and Reason
David Grossman & Gioconda Belli
I was lucky enough this Saturday to get too two of the talks, that have been taking place since April 25th in New York, as part of the PEN world voices. Also saw Charlie Rose, who had guest host Salman Rushdie interviewing David Grossman, from Israel and Gioconda Belli from Nicaragua. Below is a summary of Grossman and Gioconda’s ideas.
Grossman spoke about being obsessed with history earlier, but in the last ten years has moved away to topics that have no space in society, like intimacy. This was a way for him to deal or struggle with the politics of the Middle East.
Gioconda spoke about the social pressure to write political novels. This was a way for people to see themselves reflected in collective struggles. But she felt the need to expand from this testimonial sort of writing to expand her literature.
D.G. did not believe in surrealism, fabulist or magic realism, he was suspicious of it. He felt it did not explain real human conditions, and created a virtual (unreal) reality.
G.B. is currently involved in the electoral process in Nicaragua, attempting to shift the system from a two party to a multi party system. She supports a leftist candidate senor Levitas.
She felt the Sandinista revolutions long term impact on Nicaragua was a professional army, a basis for democracy and a sense among the people that they had rights. Nicaragua is different from other banana republics in the region, since it does not have the soul of a banana republic.
D.G. felt writers should be built in outsiders of the system. He feels Israel should withdraw from all terorrites of the west bank, this will help reduce the suspicion Palestinians and Israelis have of each other. He felt it would be better if America was a lesser friend of Israel, that would ensure that the whole agenda of the middle east would not be dictated by them. Grossman’s ideas are not fashionable in Israeli society, so when people attempt to marginalize him and exile him from significance, he does not surrender, but challenges the manipulations of the army and the state to express his voice, through his words.
G.B. Americas relationship with Nicaragua is a lack of recognition. America is so afraid that Daniel Ortega of F.S.L.N. (Frente Sandinista de Liberation Nacional) will win the elections, that the America ambassador finances right wing parties. This makes America and the right wing parties, less credible to the people.
The causes of left leaning parties winning elections in South America was the failure of neo-liberalism and the spread of privatization, that weakened the state. So the people who depend on the state were insecure and afraid. And in their search for a stronger state, they voted left wing parties that promise more from the state.
Gioconda Belli’s writing comes from a profound instinct to express herself as a woman, to represent different aspects of her sensuality. Even in a war woman are sexy, loving and having integral experiences. Bringing out the human dimension is seminal for her.
David Grossman & Gioconda Belli
I was lucky enough this Saturday to get too two of the talks, that have been taking place since April 25th in New York, as part of the PEN world voices. Also saw Charlie Rose, who had guest host Salman Rushdie interviewing David Grossman, from Israel and Gioconda Belli from Nicaragua. Below is a summary of Grossman and Gioconda’s ideas.
Grossman spoke about being obsessed with history earlier, but in the last ten years has moved away to topics that have no space in society, like intimacy. This was a way for him to deal or struggle with the politics of the Middle East.
Gioconda spoke about the social pressure to write political novels. This was a way for people to see themselves reflected in collective struggles. But she felt the need to expand from this testimonial sort of writing to expand her literature.
D.G. did not believe in surrealism, fabulist or magic realism, he was suspicious of it. He felt it did not explain real human conditions, and created a virtual (unreal) reality.
G.B. is currently involved in the electoral process in Nicaragua, attempting to shift the system from a two party to a multi party system. She supports a leftist candidate senor Levitas.
She felt the Sandinista revolutions long term impact on Nicaragua was a professional army, a basis for democracy and a sense among the people that they had rights. Nicaragua is different from other banana republics in the region, since it does not have the soul of a banana republic.
D.G. felt writers should be built in outsiders of the system. He feels Israel should withdraw from all terorrites of the west bank, this will help reduce the suspicion Palestinians and Israelis have of each other. He felt it would be better if America was a lesser friend of Israel, that would ensure that the whole agenda of the middle east would not be dictated by them. Grossman’s ideas are not fashionable in Israeli society, so when people attempt to marginalize him and exile him from significance, he does not surrender, but challenges the manipulations of the army and the state to express his voice, through his words.
G.B. Americas relationship with Nicaragua is a lack of recognition. America is so afraid that Daniel Ortega of F.S.L.N. (Frente Sandinista de Liberation Nacional) will win the elections, that the America ambassador finances right wing parties. This makes America and the right wing parties, less credible to the people.
The causes of left leaning parties winning elections in South America was the failure of neo-liberalism and the spread of privatization, that weakened the state. So the people who depend on the state were insecure and afraid. And in their search for a stronger state, they voted left wing parties that promise more from the state.
Gioconda Belli’s writing comes from a profound instinct to express herself as a woman, to represent different aspects of her sensuality. Even in a war woman are sexy, loving and having integral experiences. Bringing out the human dimension is seminal for her.
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