The films I saw in October

I think I have forgotten some films but it gives you an idea and perhaps even an impulse to see some of them?

Trois place pour le 26, Jacques Demy (1988);
The Da Vinci Code, Ron Howard (2006);
Faubourg 36, Christophe Barrratier (2008);
We Were Soldiers, Randall Wallace (2002);
Tremors, Ron Underwood (1990);
Die Schlangengrube und das Pendel, Harald Reinl (1967);
The Butterfly Effect, Eric Brerss & J. Mackye Gruber (2004);
Dishonored, Josef von Sternberg (1931);
Next, Lee Tamahori (2007);
Dialogue avec mon jardinier, Jean Becker (2007);
Roswell: The Aliens Attack, Brad Turner (1999);
In the Mouth of Madness, John Carpenter (1994);
Heist, David Mamet (2001);
Bluesbraker, Dominique Brenguier (2007);
Les courriers de la mort, Philomène Esposito (2006);
Un Prophète, Jacques Audiard (2009);
L'affaire Farewell, Christian Carion (2009);
Terminus, Pierre-William Glenn (1987);
Nue Propriété, Joachim Lafosse (2006);
Vivement dimanche!, François Truffaut (1983);
Marie-Octobre, Julien Duvivier (1959);
Entre les murs, Laurent Cantet (2008);
Vinyan, Fabrice Du Welz (2008);
Hancock, Peter Berg (2008);

Herta Müller

Herta Müller, the Nobel Prize laureate in literature 2009.

She was among the authors mentioned as one of many possible candidates.

I haven't read her but I have to do so now of course. Why of course you ask?

Well of no particular reason more than the lust for reading.

A couple of years ago - it started in 1997 - a friend and I decided to read ALL the literature written by ALL the Nobel Prize laureates, from 1901 and forwards.

This is of course an impossible project but we found it rather stimulating anyway.

We started with Dario Fo where we read all that had been published in Sweden at the time and in fact it was not so much as one might have thought. It caused a lot of laugh anyway, reading the sometime absurd stories of Fo!

Then we continued with José Saramago and there, we found a lot more to read and I did very much enjoy Saramago as a writer. He sometimes writes in 'mysterious ways' and it engage the brain.

The fourth author was one we knew quite well, namely Günter Grass. Not only Die Blechtrommel, a book I also saw transposed into a film by Volker Schlöndorff in 1979, a film I appreciated a lot and I have seen it later too.

Next author to be read was Gao Xingjian and at the time only three of his books had been translated into Swedish; Soul Mountain, One Man's Bible and Buying a Fishing Rod for My Grandfather : Stories. My Chinese is unfortunately restricted to 'How do you do' and 'Goodbye'!

We then continued forwardly but also read some of the older laureates.

We had - both of us - read quite a number of authors rewarded the Nobel Prize in literature but Gao was a new experience for me, as well as Kertész, Coetzee, Jelinek, Pamuk and Le Clézio.

The same goes for Herta Müller.

Now my wife and I have decided to start reading the Nobel Prize laureate but this time in French. 

My mother-in-law is in possession of one book by each and every laureate from 1901 til 1982 (if I remember correctly). We started earlier this summer by reading Sully Prudhomme and Journal Intime.

This time my wife proposed to read the books, not chronologically but chosen by style and she suggested we read the poetical writers:

Frédéric Mistral, Giosué Carducci, Erik-Axel Karlfeldt, Gabriela Mistral, Salvatore Quasimodo, Saint-John Perse and Nelly Sachs to begin with.

We will read everyday until the 10th of December.

(Photo of Herta Müller copied from: https://www.larevuedesressources.org/herta-muller-prix-nobel-de-litterature-2009,1349.html)

Human rights, Alison Des Forges Defender

In these days when we focus a lot around the Nobel Prize Laureates, it's important to pay attention to other prizes for work done in an environment where the laureates risk their life.

I therefore publish this extract from an article concerning human rights workers.

Four courageous and tireless advocates of human rights - from Burma, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia and Russia - have been awarded the prestigious Alison Des Forges Defender Award for Extraordinary Activism according to Human Rights Watch.

These four individuals are, in their work, trying to uphold freedom of expression, to protect women in conflict, and to ease the plight of political prisoners, despite threats and persecution from the authorities.

The awards are named for Dr. Alison Des Forges, senior adviser to Human Rights Watch's Africa Division for almost two decades, who was tragically killed in a plane crash in New York on February 12, 2009. Des Forges was the world's leading expert on Rwanda, the 1994 genocide and its aftermath, and Human Rights Watch's annual award honors her outstanding commitment to and defense of human rights.

The four winners of Human Rights Watch's 2009 Alison Des Forges Defender Award for Extraordinary Activism are:

* Daniel Bekele , lawyer and activist from Ethiopia

Bo Kyi, co-founder of Burma's Assistance Association of Political Prisoners

* Elena Milashina, reporter for Novaya Gazeta, Russia's leading independent newspaper

...and  Mathilde Muhindo, women's rights activist working to stop sexual violence in Democratic Republic of Congo.

The motivation or explanatory statement for this prize:

"These extraordinary individuals confront tremendous challenges every day, yet they work selflessly to end human rights violations and bring abusers to justice," said Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch. "We hope this award, named for Alison Des Forges, will inspire and protect them as they struggle to uphold human rights in their countries."

Human rights defenders are critical partners for Human Rights Watch staff conducting investigations in more than 80 countries around the world.

The award winners will be honored at the 2009 Human Rights Watch Annual Dinners in Chicago, Geneva, Hamburg, Houston, London, Los Angeles, Munich, New York, Paris, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Toronto, and Zurich.

Daniel Bekele, Ethiopia

In the ever-shrinking space for freedom of expression in Ethiopia, Daniel Bekele, a prominent anti-poverty activist and human rights lawyer, has faced heavy-handed government repression. After leading a grass-roots effort to promote voter education and participation in Ethiopia's controversial 2005 parliamentary elections, as well as election monitoring and reconciliation after the vote, Bekele was arrested and spent two-and-a-half years in prison on charges of inciting violence against the government. Human Rights Watch honors Bekele who, at great personal risk, challenges the Ethiopian government to uphold the civil and political rights that protect all people.

Bo Kyi, Burma

As a former political prisoner and co-founder of the Assistance Association of Political Prisoners (AAPP), Bo Kyi works tirelessly to secure the release of Burmese people who have been jailed for their political independence and activism. Over the last 20 years, Bo Kyi has demonstrated unfaltering courage, sharing his story and those of other political prisoners and exposing the Burmese military junta's numerous abuses. Human Rights Watch honors Bo Kyi for his heroic efforts to speak out against Burmese repression and to advocate on behalf of those who have dared to criticize the military junta.

Elena Milashina, Russia

As a leading investigative journalist for Novaya Gazeta, Russia's most prominent independent newspaper, Elena Milashina exposes the truth about human rights abuses and widespread government corruption. Despite Russia's attempts to silence its critics and hide abuses, Milashina remains outspoken, publishing accounts of enforced disappearances, extrajudicial executions, and torture. She also continues to investigate the 2006 murder of her newspaper colleague and mentor Anna Politkovskaya, calling for accountability at the highest level. Human Rights Watch honors Milashina for her courage in confronting Russia's deeply problematic human rights record.

Mathilde Muhindo, Democratic Republic of Congo

As director of the Olame Centre, a women's rights organization, Mathilde Muhindo empowers women to fight against the pervasive discrimination and horrific sexual violence that are endemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo. She led a coalition of local women's organizations to advocate successfully for a comprehensive law on sexual violence. Human Rights Watch honors Mathilde Muhindo for her tireless dedication to the safety, health, and rights of the often-forgotten women in eastern Congo.

(Photo Daniel Bekel copied from; https://www.hrw.org/news/2009/10/01/daniel-bekele-ethiopia-recipient-2009-alison-des-forges-award-extraordinary-activism)
(Photo Bo Kyi copied from: http://cynicsandidealists.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/bo-kyi-at-hrw-lectern.jpg)
(Photo Elena Milashina copied from: http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/images/news/photos/2009/11/13/Elena-306.jpg)
(Photo Mathilde Muhindo copied from:https://www.hrw.org/news/2009/10/01/mathilde-muhindo-democratic-republic-congo)

Papillons...

...dans le Berry