The 2
017 Nobel prize in literature has been awarded to the British author Kazuo Ishiguro “who, in novels of great emotional force, has uncovered the abyss beneath our illusory sense of connection with the world”.
Ishiguro was born in 1954 in Nagasaki, Japan. His family moved to England in 1960. He was raised bilingual and bi-cultural. He received a B.A. with honors in philosophy and literature from the University of Kent and a M.A. in creative writing from the University of East Anglia. He published his first novel, A Pale View of Hills, in 1982. It was recognized with Winifred Holtby Award from the Royal Society of Literature in 1983. Ishiguro’s second novel, An Artist of the Floating World (1986) was also a success as evidenced by Whitbread Book of the Year Award. In 1989 the author won the prestigious Booker Prize for his bestseller The Remains of the Day. Ishiguro was named to the Order of the British Empire for his literary work in 1995.
Two of Ishiguro’s novels were adapted into feature films: The Remains of the Day (1993, starring Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson) and Never Let Me Go (2010, directed by Alex Garland).
His most recent novel, The Buried Giant (2015), is set in the times of King Arthur and explores themes from British folklore.
UC Libraries’ collections feature a number of books by Kazuo Ishiguro, including records of conversations with the author. Library databases, such as Literary Resource Center and Literature Resources Center, provide a wealth of information about Kazuo Ishiguro and his works.
The Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded to 114 authors since 1901. Past laureates include Rabindranath Tagore, Bob Dylan, John Steinbeck, Pablo Neruda, Gabriel García Márquez, and Ernest Hemingway.
Olga Hart
References
“Facts on the Nobel Prize in Literature”. Nobelprize.org. Nobel Media AB 2014. Web. 5 Oct 2017. http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/facts/literature/index.html
“Kazuo Ishiguro.” Contemporary Authors Online, Gale, 2016. Literature Resource Center. Accessed 5 Oct. 2017.
“Kazuo Ishiguro.” Contemporary Literary Criticism Select, Gale, 2008. Literature Resource Center. Accessed 5 Oct. 2017.
“The Nobel Prize in Literature 2017”. Nobelprize.org. Nobel Media AB 2014. Web. 5 Oct 2017. http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/2017/
NEW! A-Z List of Databases will have a new look by mid-July. The new platform will provide new features and some improvements such as better keyword searching, improved subject and type facets, more descriptive icons, and robust integration with library research guides. Following a week-long preview period beginning July 10th, the new list will be in beta release through fall semester.
What: WorldFest (#UCWorld17 ) Trivia Night hosted by the UC libraries and UC Quiz Club.
When: Wednesday, March 8th, 3:30 – 5:30 PM.
Where: 462 Langsam Library
How to participate: Form a team with a friend (each team will have 2 people) and answer question about world cultures, UC libraries, International Women’s Day and general knowledge.
What to look forward to: The top 3 team win fabulous prizes + Audience Prizes. Pizza and snacks will be served.
Want to come prepared? Check out the CultureGrams and Global Road Warrior databases at http://
Please visit the event Facebook page for more information, including awards.
RSVP at: https://goo.gl/forms/yN51IaNnXRHAnwZS2.
(This would help us get a better count on the expected crowd!)
#UCWorld17 has an amazing variety of great events. See the main calendar and the descriptive calendar.
UC Libraries offers thousands of streaming video titles with unlimited concurrent users for classroom or independent use. Award-winning collections include titles from PBS, BBC, Criterion Collection, Media Education Foundation and more. Check it out at http://uc.kanopystreaming.com/ or by searching by title on the library website. When a title is accessed four times, a one year lease is automatically created. Contact a subject librarian with any questionshttp://www.libraries.uc.edu/help/subject-librarians.html
Imre Kertesz, a Hungarian novelist and a Nazi concentration camp survivor, died on March 31, 2016, at age 86. In 2002 Kertesz was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature 2002 “for writing that upholds the fragile experience of the individual against the barbaric arbitrariness of history”. He was the first Hungarian writer to receive the award.
In his Nobel lecture Imre Kertesz shared that as he was preparing for the lecture he received a letter the director of the Buchenwald Memorial Center.
“The envelope contained a copy of the original daily report on the camp’s prisoners for February 18, 1945. In the “Abgänge”, that is, the “Decrement” column, I learned about the death of Prisoner #64,921 – Imre Kertész, factory worker, born in 1927. The two false data: the year of my birth and my occupation were entered in the official registry when I was brought to Buchenwald. I had made myself two years older so I wouldn’t be classified as a child, and had said worker rather than student to appear more useful to them.
In short, I died once, so I could live. Perhaps that is my real story.”
UC Libraries’ collection has a number of works by Imre Kertesz in the English translation. Fatelessness (1975) is the author’s best known book. It describes the experience of a teenage boy in three concentration camps. A film based on the novel was released in 2005. The film is available through OhioLINK. Kertesz continued the Holocaust theme in his novels Fiasco (1988) and Kaddish for a Child Not Born (1990).
The book by Imre Kertesz is featured in our online Guide Reading Around the World at UC Libraries. The Guide provides samples of books from various countries of the world in English translations held by UC Libraries and OhioLINK member libraries. You are welcome to suggest books to be included into the Guide and/or be featured on the Guide’s home page.
UC WorldFest 2016 opened with a bang on Thursday, March 3. The kick-off ceremony included great performances of singers and dancers and a stunning international fashion show.
UC libraries had a display featuring library events and resources with a focus on globalization and diversity. We were in a great company: there were many interesting colorful displays and we enjoyed talking to students who stopped by our exhibit.
We are very excited to be part of the exciting program of events. On Wednesday March 9 UC Libraries is hosting a Trivia Night. Please come to demonstrate your trivia skills, support your friends competing for prizes, or just watch! There will be food and fun for everyone!
Impress your friends with your trivia skills!
What: Worldfest Trivia Night hosted by the UC Libraries and UC Quiz Club.
When: Wednesday, March 9th, 5-7 PM.
Where: 462 Langsam.
How to participate: form a team with a friend (each team will have 2 people) and answer questions about world cultures, languages, UC Libraries, and general information.
What to look forward to: The top 3 teams win fabulous prizes. Pizza and snacks will be served.
UC Libraries celebrated Black History Month with a cultural program filled with poetry readings, theater performances and delicious cuisine.
The event was titled “Celebration of Excellence in Black History.” It was part of UC Libraries’ “Bridges to Diversity and Inclusion” initiative. The event was extremely well attended and guests included students, faculty, staff and administrators from across UC. Here is a multimedia slideshow that features highlights from the event: https://animoto.com/play/VYYiygBRepyAv4wXUj3RwQ
The program started with a presentation on the origins and foundations of Black History Month. Dr. Karen Cudjoe shared inspirational and empowering quotes from Black leaders. Her presentation also featured a mosaic of Black excellence that showed the impact Black people have made in the fields of: education, politics, business, civil rights, athletics, arts and culture.
Afterwards, Don Jason introduced UC Libraries’ Diversity Journaling Initiative. This initiative encourages UC students, faculty and staff to attend diversity programs on campus and write about them. Everyone at the event received a diversity diary.
Next, the event featured poetry readings by Nick Wantsala and Jenny Wright—Black Buttafly. The poetry was a mix of classic poems written by Lewis Latimer and original spoken word poems.
The poetry was followed by a theater performance presented by Donna Davis and Akosua Favors from the Soul Consciousness Theater Group. The performance highlighted the contributions Black inventors have made on society. It gave the audience a glimpse of what daily life would be like if we did not have inventions created by Black people. Meshia Anderson and June Taylor-Slaughter researched all of the inventors mentioned in the theater performance. They compiled their research into two eye-catching display boards that were showcased at the Black History Month event.
The final portion of the program featured presentations from student and community groups. These presentations highlighted the history and mission of each organization. The presentations also talked about the exciting programs and events hosted by the different groups. Here are the organizations that presented:
After the formal program concluded, everyone shared in a delicious soul food meal.
UC Libraries would like to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of Meshia Anderson, Program Coordinator, program participants and everyone who helped make the event a success. UC Libraries would also like to extend a special thanks to the UC Provost’s Office for the grant that made this event possible.
The “Celebration of Excellence in Black History” event occurred on Wednesday, February 24, 2016 from 2:30- 4:30 PM in Langsam Library. It was hosted in Room 462, UC Libraries’ new state-of-the-art teaching and learning facility.
Don Jason and Meshia Anderson
