Literary critic Boyd Tonkin is very happy for this year's Nobel Prize winner, Doris Lessing, "the prolific and path-finding novelist whose writing has for almost six decades captured the inner turmoil and social transformations of a world in flux. ... Her surprise award (beating quoted odds of 50-1) confirms the Academy's shift over the past 15 years towards globally celebrated writers, often from the English-speaking world. ... Fiercely individual, impatient of all labels and categories, Lessing has always gone her own way. Despite her renown as a pioneer of women's fiction, she later broke ranks with 'self-indulgent' feminism, just as she had with Communism. This empathy with the outsider refused all prescriptive limits." (12/10/2007)

» ir al artículo completo (enlace externo, inglés)
Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Literatura, » Gran Bretaña
Todos los textos disponible de » Boyd Tonkin

Christian Schachinger thinks it's scandalous that Doris Lessing is only the eleventh woman to win a Nobel Prize in Literature. "It may well be that even for the 87-year-old English writer the Nobel Prize comes too late, but at least it's consistent - consistent with the Swedish Academy's policy, which doesn't always focus on the artistic merits but rather on the politics. This year's choice of prize-winner is testimony to the academy's double bad conscience. It honours not only a political woman, but also a feminist - albeit often against her will. The decision also revives a long forgotten, unfortunate term: 'women's literature'. Back in the 1970s this term led to involuntary marginalisation. The enemy in bed refused to touch pivotal feminist novels like Lessing's 'The Golden Notebook' with a bargepole, never mind analyse them." (12/10/2007)

» ir al artículo completo (enlace externo, alemán)
Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Literatura, » Suecia, » Global
Todos los textos disponible de » Christian Schachinger

The Spanish journalist and writer Julia Navarro is thrilled to see Doris Lessing awarded the Nobel Prize. "Doris Lessing has managed to square the circle, to achieve the dream of every writer: mingling literary quality with the magic of being read by millions from all backgrounds. Nobody can deny it: She is a great writer with a talent for reaching her readers' hearts. ... I think the jury decided to award the Nobel Prize to Doris Lessing because this extraordinary woman and author is close to the general public: her prize will not only be appreciated by a minority, but delighted in by millions of readers around the world." (12/10/2007)

» ir a la página de inicio (enlace externo, El Mundo)
Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Literatura, » Gran Bretaña
Todos los textos disponible de » Julia Navarro

"Will Internet succeed where all the big 20th century totalitarianisms failed? Without violence, through seduction and new services, the Web is managing to progressively empty all meaning from the notion of 'private life'", complains the journalist Yves Mamou, reminding us that Google and Microsoft now wish to harbour the medical files of the 300 million American patients. "Putting medical files on line is like establishing a new frontier. In the United States, like in France, projects of placing medical files on line are in the hands of adminsitration and doctors. The process is long, chaotic and expensive. Confidentiality and the respect of private life are a major problem for everyone in this process. The respect of secrecy concerns the very values of democracy and individual freedom." (12/10/2007)

» ir al artículo completo (enlace externo, francés)
Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Medios de comunicación online, » Salud / Medicina, » Francia, » EE.UU., » Global
Todos los textos disponible de » Yves Mamou

More than 100 public figures in Slovakia, including literary scientist Peter Zajac, sociologist Martin Butora and journalist Martin M. Šimečka, have issued a public appeal warning about the dangers of the current hostilities between Slovaks and Hungarians. "We are witnessing an unprecedented nationalist vulgarisation of politics. ... The parliamentary declaration on the inviolability of the Beneš decrees, which [after the Second World War] led to injustices against the Hungarian population, has escalated the situation. ... We want to live in a respectable state and are aware that only mutual respect can lead to good relations between Slovakia and Hungary and contribute to Slovakia's stability. ... We call on citizens to refuse to be used as pawns in this dangerous game." (12/10/2007)

» ir al artículo completo (enlace externo, eslovaco)
Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Ampliación de la UE, » Minorías, » Historia, » Hungría, » Eslovaquia
Todos los textos disponible de » Peter Zajac, » Martin Butora, » Martin M. Šimečka

Bulgaria's largest demonstration in ten years took place yesterday. Following three weeks of fruitless negotiations with the government, tens of thousands of teachers gathered to call for its resignation. Georgi Gospodinov reports that the governing Socialists resorted to massive security measures, for fear that the stormy events which precipitated the fall of the cabinet in 1997 could be repeated: "It's a long time since I've seen the city centre in such a state. There were metal fences surrounding the entire parliament building, hoards of police and dozens of road blocks. It was like a film reconstruction of the events of ten years ago. ... Who are these 'dangerous elements' against whom these measures are directed? The teachers. The government describes their demands for the doubling of their 150 euro salaries as a threat that could exacerbate inflation. ... At a time when governments all over the world are investing in knowledge, the Bulgarian state is keeping its teachers at arm's length." (12/10/2007)

» ir al artículo completo (enlace externo, búlgaro)
Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Bulgaria
Todos los textos disponible de » Georgi Gospodinov

Polly Toynbee is dismayed by the Pre-Budget report and Comprehensive Spending Review announced by the new Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling on October 9th. "We now have a centrist government in Europe's most unequal country. Our government stands somewhat to the right of Angela Merkel's coalition in Germany, to the right of economic policy in France, where Nicolas Sarkozy has absorbed social democrats. ... At least in Europe there are leftwing parties still to make the public arguments: in England ... a political generation has barely heard the case for social justice. ... There is no company, arts organisation, charity or function of the state that does not hang upon its [comprehensive spending review's] judgment. It was even delayed several months to get it right, causing serious budgeting problems to many balance sheets. Then at the last moment in a few days of hysteria, it all seemed to be done on the back of a matchbox." (12/10/2007)

» ir al artículo completo (enlace externo, inglés)
Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política interior, » Economía política, » Gran Bretaña
Todos los textos disponible de » Polly Toynbee

Journalist Petros Papaconstantinou detects a blossoming of 'born-again socialists' in Europe. "A typical example is the German Social Democratic Party (SPD). After its electoral defeat and loss of votes to the Lafontaine-Gysi 'Left', the new SPD president Kurt Beck heralded in the return of a Marxist analysis of society, a war against the offshoots of globalized capitalism and a return to 'democratic socialism', burying the much-touted 'Third Way'. The contest between the reformers – advocates of the Schroeder legacy – and born-again socialists threatens a rift at the SPD Party congress in Hamburg later this month. ... The similarities with what is currently taking place in PASOK [Greek Socialist opposition] are no coincidence. George Papandreou ... is now heralding a return to socialist roots. His remorse rings true in the tight circles of PASOK, but whether the public finds him equally convincing is a different story." (11/10/2007)

» ir al artículo completo (enlace externo, inglés)
Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Europa
Todos los textos disponible de » Petros Papaconstantinou

This Friday October 12th is a national holiday in Spain. The leader of the Popular Party Mariano Rajoy, in a video on YouTube, invites the population to 'proudly' brandish their Spanish flags. Amid debate on the Spanish nation, the journalist and writer Juan José Millais accuses him of adding oil to the fire. "Worst of all, in this video where Rajoy is converted into a YouTube star, is not that he tries to imitate the King's Christmas message, but that he reminds us of Carlos Arias Navarro, who made a successful television appearance in the history of our country [On November 20th 1975, the head of government announced, in tears, the death of Franco.) ... It is no surprise that all this is happening as the leaders of the Popular Party are resisting all attempts to honour the memory of victims of the Franco regime." (12/10/2007)

» ir al artículo completo (enlace externo, español)
Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política interior, » España
Todos los textos disponible de » Juan José Millas

Tonight the liberal opposition leader, Donald Tusk, will cross swords with Polish Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski in a televised debate. According to Thomas Urban, for Tusk it's "all or nothing". "Just six weeks ago, polls showed that the Civic Platform (PO) was more than ten points ahead of Kaczynski's ruling Law and Justice party (PiS), which is conservative in its ideology but social democratic in its economic agenda. But now the PiS is in the lead by a couple of points and nearing the 40 percent threshold, meaning it could even gain over half of the seats in parliament. ... If the elections really do end in a victory for Jaroslaw Kaczynski, Tusk will have to go. The government camp and some of the media are already trying to tag him as an eternal loser. ... The PO team is having to watch helplessly while Kaczynski sets the topics for debate on television, which is controlled by his people." (12/10/2007)

» ir a la página de inicio (enlace externo, Süddeutsche Zeitung)
Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política interior, » Polonia
Todos los textos disponible de » Thomas Urban

Poland's last parliamentary elections in 2005 had the lowest turnout ever, with only 40 percent of the Polish electorate casting their ballots. Now Polish artists are using text messages emails, comics, cartoons and commercials to urge their compatriots to vote on 21 October 2007. Agnieszka Kowalska reports: "Since October 10, a commercial has been on show on a large advertising space in the centre of Warsaw as well as on a TV music channel. It's an initiative by the "wybieram.pl" [I vote] association with the participation of around 20 artists including musicians, actors and directors. In the commercial each of them says: 'I vote because ...' and the commercial ends with the words: 'Vote for whoever you want to!'. ... 'Vote for whoever you want to!' is the leitmotiv of all these artist initiatives in the run-up to the elections. The artists want to convince people to vote, but deliberately avoid saying who they will vote for. They only hint at voting against the government." (11/10/2007)

» ir al artículo completo (enlace externo, polaco)
Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política interior, » Película, » Literatura, » Cultura cotidiana, » Polonia
Todos los textos disponible de » Agnieszka Kowalska

Sebastian Bickerich reports that Lithuania, Poland, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Ukraine want the crude oil pipeline running between Odessa and Brody to be extended to Gdansk. "If these plans go ahead, the countries of Eastern Europe would be sending a double message. Firstly they would make themselves less dependent energy-wise on the current semi-monopolist Russia. Secondly they will be putting the European Union to shame. The latter has still not managed to pave the way for an independent energy policy; instead, several EU commissioners have become embroiled in a quarrel over competencies. The countries of Eastern Europe are making it clear that if Europe is unable to create an infrastructure project for the future, the individual states will take matters into their own hands." (12/10/2007)

» ir al artículo completo (enlace externo, alemán)
Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política de la UE, » Energía, » Ucrania, » Europa
Todos los textos disponible de » Sebastian Bickerich

"Freaks, mutants, body modification enthusiasts, pariahs of institutional culture, trapeze artists, actors, dancers and musicians gathered for a week of radical performance at T.O.T.E.M, an industrial wasteland with a cyberpunk decor situated in Maxeville, near Nancy, in France, for 'Souterrain porte IV' (Underground Door IV), the international body art festival that drew to a close on Sunday [October 7th]. This year's ambitious, decompartamentalized event had a 'monster' theme", writes Marie Lechner. For Didier Manuel, an event organiser quoted by the daily, "It is a biennale about the body and its limits. A will, through the monster theme, to analyse certain signs of the times. The evolution of science, of genetics, of bio and nanotechnologies questions our physical integrity and humanity in a new light." (12/10/2007)

» ir a la página de inicio (enlace externo, Libération)
Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Exposiciones / Museos, » Francia
Todos los textos disponible de » Marie Lechner

Plans for the construction of a futuristic national library on Letna Hill near Prague's historic old city centre are on the verge of collapse. The biomorphic design, referred to by the locals as the "octopus" or the "jellyfish", is too much for the conservative majority in the city parliament. Jan Kaplicky, the Czech-born, London-based project architect, voices his indignation in an interview with Martina Klapalova: "You have to reckon with problems with every project. But this is something different. This is a political battle. It reminds me of the burning of Jan Hus at the stake. It's a Czech speciality. Czech society only looks at itself and is unable to see beyond the Bohemian Forest on the country's border." (12/10/2007)

» ir al artículo completo (enlace externo, checo)
Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Arquitectura / Ciudades, » La República Checa
Todos los textos disponible de » Martina Klapalova, » Jan Kaplicky