Montreal author wins 2008 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award for De Niro's Game
Posted: June 12, 2008, 9:21 AM by Karen Hawthorne on The Ampersand.
Posted: June 12, 2008, 9:21 AM by Karen Hawthorne on The Ampersand.
Montreal's Rawi Hage has won the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, the world's most valuable literary prize, for his novel De Niro's Game. Not only the notoriety, he will receive £100,000 ($203,000).
Hage, who was born in Beirut, lived through nine years of civil war in the city before emigrating to Canada. His debut novel beat off competition from 137 titles, nominated by 162 public libraries from 45 countries.Hage was one of eight authors short-listed for the award, but the book has received other critical acclaim; it was short-listed for both the Giller Prize and Governor General's Award in 2006.
Hage, who was born in Beirut, lived through nine years of civil war in the city before emigrating to Canada. His debut novel beat off competition from 137 titles, nominated by 162 public libraries from 45 countries.Hage was one of eight authors short-listed for the award, but the book has received other critical acclaim; it was short-listed for both the Giller Prize and Governor General's Award in 2006.
Pardon me for posting here. I am an author of a book on Hindu/Indian nationalism and would like you to mention it on your blog.
ReplyDeleteDetails given below
Title: Lies, Lies and More Lies. The Campaign to Defame Hindu Nationalism
ISBN: 978-0-595-43549-4
ISBN (10): 0595435491
LCCN: 2007904121
Publisher: iUniverse
Publication date: June 26, 2007.
Author: Vivek
Tags: Hindutva; Communalism
Links
http://www.amazon.com/Lies-More-Campaign-Defame-Nationalism/dp/0595435491/
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?z=y&EAN=9780595435494&itm=4
(Book Available on amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.com)
Distributed by: Ingrams, Baker and Taylor, YBL library Services and Alibris
Review
A passionate and thoughtful call for perspective on hot-button Indian social issues., January 4, 2008
By Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) -
Lies, Lies and More Lies: The Campaign To Defame Hindu/Indian Nationalism is a sharp retort to unsavory portrayals of Hindu Nationalism (Hindutva), including accusations that equate the philosophy with pogroms and ethnic cleansing. Though author Vivek admits that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) should not be excused of the killings that have happened under its watch, notably in the Gujarat riots, he decries the tendency (especially among intellectuals) to unilaterally condemn the entire BJP and all of Hindu Nationalism, or even equate both with fascism. Worse, too much misinformation has spread concerning Hindu Nationalism and the BJP. Lies, Lies and More Lies spells out the reasoning behind Hindu Nationalism precepts: injustice exists under the current legal system that largely leaves temples of Christianity and Islam to themselves but taxes and restricts Hindu temples; religious conversion needs to be banned because there is no way to distinguish between voluntary and forced conversion; and more. Too little attention is being paid to the threat of Islamofascism, argues author Vivek; demographic birth and immigration trends that are gradually increasing the percentage of Muslims in India and a Muslim community that is too slow to condemn the pogroms it perpetrates fuel an immediate national crisis. Above all, India's salvation lies in preserving its new legacy of democracy and equality. "Without proper guidance, there is a real danger of Hindutva degenerating into a rampage of revenge. Hindutva is not to be equated with communal riots that kill innocent humans. Hindutva cannot be an ideology that relegates another individual to second-class status. It should be a force that makes all Indians conform to the pluralistic, secular tradition of our land that respects one and all." A passionate and thoughtful call for perspective on hot-button Indian social issues.
Synopsis
The last decade has seen the publication of a plethora of books like Christophe Jaffrelot’s, The Hindu Nationalist Movement in India, Thomas Hansen’s The Saffron Wave and more recently Martha Nussbaum’s The Clash Within that have been highly critical of the Hindu Nationalist Movement in India. This genre of books has been a one-sided, prejudged narration that has failed look at the movement from the Hindu perspective or even accord Hindu Nationalism a fair and scholarly treatment. At times these books have highlighted dubious incidents to put forth their point of view or held up radical fringe elements as representative of Hindu Nationalism. This campaign unfortunately has been sustained by a section of the Indian Diaspora in the United States and it is especially important that the broad American academia and public be made aware of the reality. Lies, Lies and More Lies presents the other side of the story in a balanced manner with tangible proof backed by sound references that puts to paid many of the false innuendoes against Hindu Nationalism that have been bandied around for years; in fact it is inadvertently a point by point counter to many charges found in Nussbaum’s The Clash Within.