Stieg Larsson's awsome book "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" - the first book in the Millennium Ttilogy - is certainly an incredible read. It leaves one has a thirst as to what the remaining two books in the trilogy are like. It is easy to see why this book has sold more than 26 million copies worldwide. The characters are quite outstanding, the mysteries that one confronts quite incredible and the ending quite satisfactory.
My interest in this book came about after first seeing the film - Swedish with English sub-titles - and reading that Hollywood was to make a version with Daniel Craig. I found the film to be extremly good and the book, which explained some of the things not quite apparent in the film, to be a very good companion to the film.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Mao's Last Dancer
I was very moved by Academy Award winning director Bruce Beresford's film Mao's Last Dancer and in particular the reunion between the dancer Li Cunxin and his parents whom he had not seen since leaving China.
The book was also a most interesting read as it highlighted many aspects of Chinese culture and how they impacted on Li Cunxin and his parents. Of particular interest was the manner in which his parents met and married. Li was born into utter poverty in Mao’s communist China, at the age of 11 he was selected to train in Madame Mao's Beijing Dance Academy. And so began Li's journey. The 7 years of harsh training regime at the Beijing Dance Academy taught him discipline, resilience, determination and perseverance. Li’s astounding drive and relentless hard work made him one of the best dancers China has produced.When he was 18, Li was awarded one of the first cultural scholarships to go to America, and subsequently been offered a soloist contract with the Houston Ballet. Two years later, Li defected to the West in a dramatic media storm, which involved the then Vice President, Mr George Bush Snr. He then went on to become one of the best dancers in the world, won two silver and a bronze medal at three International Ballet Competitions. In 1995, Li and his family moved to Australia where Li danced his last three and half years as a principal dancer with the Australian Ballet.
For the final two years of his dancing, Li studied finance at the Australian Securities Institute with a view of becoming a stockbroker. This meant rising at five in the morning to start his daily ballet practise, then racing to the stock exchange by eight. By the time he joined the rest of the company's dancers for afternoon rehearsals; he had already put in a full day's work. Li made a successful career transition from ballet to finance in 1999. He is a senior manager at one of the largest stockbroking firms in Australia.
The book was also a most interesting read as it highlighted many aspects of Chinese culture and how they impacted on Li Cunxin and his parents. Of particular interest was the manner in which his parents met and married. Li was born into utter poverty in Mao’s communist China, at the age of 11 he was selected to train in Madame Mao's Beijing Dance Academy. And so began Li's journey. The 7 years of harsh training regime at the Beijing Dance Academy taught him discipline, resilience, determination and perseverance. Li’s astounding drive and relentless hard work made him one of the best dancers China has produced.When he was 18, Li was awarded one of the first cultural scholarships to go to America, and subsequently been offered a soloist contract with the Houston Ballet. Two years later, Li defected to the West in a dramatic media storm, which involved the then Vice President, Mr George Bush Snr. He then went on to become one of the best dancers in the world, won two silver and a bronze medal at three International Ballet Competitions. In 1995, Li and his family moved to Australia where Li danced his last three and half years as a principal dancer with the Australian Ballet.
For the final two years of his dancing, Li studied finance at the Australian Securities Institute with a view of becoming a stockbroker. This meant rising at five in the morning to start his daily ballet practise, then racing to the stock exchange by eight. By the time he joined the rest of the company's dancers for afternoon rehearsals; he had already put in a full day's work. Li made a successful career transition from ballet to finance in 1999. He is a senior manager at one of the largest stockbroking firms in Australia.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
The "Killing Ground" by Alan Savage
I enjoyed reading Alan Savage's fast paced wartime novel "The Killing Ground" , set in the Balkans during the Second World War. In the spring of 1943, the Partisans, comprising both fighting men and women had conducted a string of successful counter attacks against the invading German army. The Partisans were led by General Tito and spearheaded by his English lieutenant Tony Davis, and Tony's beautiful French mistress Sandrine.
The Nazis were determined to exterminate the Partisans for good and appointed to overall command Tony's old enemey, SS General Fitz Wassermann who was determined to avenge past defeats and the wound that left him a cripple. Wasseermann's offensive drives the Partisans into headlong retreat, and the pregnant Sandrine is captured.
However, the tide of war turns, and the Partisans stage a comeback in conjunction with the Russian advance into the balkans. In the confusion that is Belgrade, Tony manages to reach the German Headquarters and save Sandrine from the gallows.
A fast paced and enjoyable read set in the historical context of the German invasion of the Balkans during the Second World War
The Nazis were determined to exterminate the Partisans for good and appointed to overall command Tony's old enemey, SS General Fitz Wassermann who was determined to avenge past defeats and the wound that left him a cripple. Wasseermann's offensive drives the Partisans into headlong retreat, and the pregnant Sandrine is captured.
However, the tide of war turns, and the Partisans stage a comeback in conjunction with the Russian advance into the balkans. In the confusion that is Belgrade, Tony manages to reach the German Headquarters and save Sandrine from the gallows.
A fast paced and enjoyable read set in the historical context of the German invasion of the Balkans during the Second World War
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
With 2008, being the year of the Olympic games in Beijing, China, with its expected large influx of overseas visitors, there has been renewed interest in what life is like for the Chinese people. Consequently, I have been reading several books by Chinese women writers who threw some interesting light on many aspects of Chinese life.
Geling Yan's book "White Snake and Other Stories" is set mostly during and after the Cultural Revolution and examines the hearts and minds of people who find themselves thrust into unlikely intimacy with strangers who embody different histories and different desires. Indeed one story, "Celestial Bath" is the basis of Joan Chen's award-winning film "Xiu Xiu - The Sent Down Girl".
The legend of the White Snake is the basis for Chinese Opera and concerns two mythical serpents (nagas), who had attained the status of Immortals and lived in the heavens.
Also of great interest is Hong Ying's book "Summer of Betrayal" which portrays the aftermath of Tiananmen Square and the betrayal of the author by her lover, forcing her to strike out on her own into the maelstrom of terror and risk that Beijing has become.
Anhua Gao's book "To the Edge of the Sky" gives the reader a detailed insight into the harsh realities of the Cultural Revolution. The author's life was torn apart by the whims of Chinese Officials and she was eventually thrown into jail, accused of being an enemy agent because she spoke English. While there she experienced appalling deprivations and bore witness to hideous torture - this is a a deep and disturbing book about the life of the Chinese people behind the bamboo curtain.
Geling Yan's book "White Snake and Other Stories" is set mostly during and after the Cultural Revolution and examines the hearts and minds of people who find themselves thrust into unlikely intimacy with strangers who embody different histories and different desires. Indeed one story, "Celestial Bath" is the basis of Joan Chen's award-winning film "Xiu Xiu - The Sent Down Girl".
The legend of the White Snake is the basis for Chinese Opera and concerns two mythical serpents (nagas), who had attained the status of Immortals and lived in the heavens.
Also of great interest is Hong Ying's book "Summer of Betrayal" which portrays the aftermath of Tiananmen Square and the betrayal of the author by her lover, forcing her to strike out on her own into the maelstrom of terror and risk that Beijing has become.
Anhua Gao's book "To the Edge of the Sky" gives the reader a detailed insight into the harsh realities of the Cultural Revolution. The author's life was torn apart by the whims of Chinese Officials and she was eventually thrown into jail, accused of being an enemy agent because she spoke English. While there she experienced appalling deprivations and bore witness to hideous torture - this is a a deep and disturbing book about the life of the Chinese people behind the bamboo curtain.
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