Latest news with #Keats
Hindustan Times
5 days ago
- General
- Hindustan Times
Book Box: Reading India, becoming India
When my siblings and I were young, we saved the ribbed fancy sheets from imported chocolate boxes. A week before your birthday, Independence Day, we would paint them with orange and green bands, a blue wheel in the centre—our own handmade flags, fragile but fiercely ours. On the morning of your birthday, we woke early for the flag hoisting, first at school and then with my father, often chief guest somewhere, accompanied by my mother, my siblings, and I in our best traditional clothes. After the flag went up and my father spoke in hesitant Hindi, we all stood singing the national anthem. Back then, you felt like a living presence. In college, you became the subject of fiery debates—about brain drain, about the young who took subsidised education and left for America. I studied Shakespeare, Keats, and Hardy, but in my free time I turned to The Discovery of India and My Experiments with Truth. You were still an emotional reality. Then came the years when I rarely thought of you directly. I was busy in my bubble - building a career, raising babies, and only sought you out in the stories I chose for my children—Chitra Divakaruni's Victory Song, the tale of a little Bengali girl in the freedom struggle; accounts of women like Jahanara by Kathryn Lasky. Later, there were more books to discover—a graphic history of the The People of the Indus Valley by Nikhil Gulati, the lushly illustrated Book of Emperors by Ashwitha Jayakumar , picture books like Topi Rockets from Thumba by Menaka Raman. I bought them for my daughters, for friends' children, and for myself. By now your economic borders opened, and imported chocolate boxes sat openly on grocery shelves. Flags were no longer hand-painted, but sold in bulk by little boys at traffic lights a week before your big day. Also Read: Book Box| From Brooklyn to Rome: Katie Kitamura on writing, family, pleasure I loved the reality of you, we all did. Our three girls piling into the Scorpio for monsoon weekends in Malshej Ghat or Matheran; Konkan train rides; historical walks in Delhi's Lodhi Gardens; road trips from Punjab's plains to Manali's mountains. But as we sped across your spanking new highways, with the pleasure also came the guilt - the realisation that we were privileged Indians to be able to see so much of your beauty. The girls grew. One studied engineering in Vellore. Another built a career in your Silicon Valley, in Bengaluru. The youngest made her home in Delhi, working with Parliament and citizens to strengthen democracy. In those years I thought about you every day, but in a fleeting frustrated way when I read about bridges collapsing, forests being decimated and journalists being murdered. I continued to feel guilty for my privilege, and for not fighting for you, the way so many of my countrymen and countrywomen were. I read the memoirs of these nation builders - in books like The Brass Notebook by economist Devaki Jain, Madam Sir: The Story of Bihar's First Lady IPS Officer by Manjari Jaruhar, Land, Guns, Caste, Woman: The Memoir of a Lapsed Revolutionary by Gita Ramaswamy and The Personal is Political by Aruna Roy. Reading India Reading became a substitute for doing. It made it easy to love you from a distance. With my book club, I started an India Reading Project: one book from each state, in one of your many languages. We read unforgettable works like Hangwoman by K . R Meera and The Many That I Am: Writings from Nagaland, all bursting with uncomfortable truths. I turned the last page of Poonachi by Perumal Murugan with a lump in my throat, but then I shut the book and went on with my day. Also Read: Book Box: How to stop calculating time Today, I tally my betrayals: the broken bridges I didn't protest, the forests I 'liked' but didn't save. I know I am but one among your 1.4 billion, but on this day, your birthday, I promise you that while I will still read, I will also do. I know that reading about Rahul Bhatia's The Identity Project isn't enough—I will invite him to speak to my students, turning one book club conversation into a hundred young minds thinking about their civic duties. Maybe that's not much. But it's a start. With love and gratitude, Sonya And for you, dear Reader, a question - what is your one concrete step? (Sonya Dutta Choudhury is a Mumbai-based journalist and the founder of Sonya's Book Box, a bespoke book service. Each week, she brings you specially curated books to give you an immersive understanding of people and places. If you have any reading recommendations or reading dilemmas, write to her at sonyasbookbox@ The views expressed are personal)
Epoch Times
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Epoch Times
‘Bright Star': A Beautiful Rendering of a Brief and Powerful Life
Jane Campion's critically-acclaimed 2009 biopic of Romantic poet John Keats, 'Bright Star,' captures the tragic figure of the young poet Keats through the story of his turbulent romance with Frances Brawne. Keats met Fanny Brawne in the autumn of 1818 when her family visited the family he was staying with. Their encounters lead to a deepening romance. During this time, Keats cared for his sick brother, Tom, who died of tuberculosis not long after Keats met Brawne. Eventually, Brawne and her family moved into one half of the estate, and Keats and Brawne were able to see each other every day. After the passing of his brother, Keats's attention turned fully to two objects: his poetry and his growing love for Brawne.
Irish Examiner
01-08-2025
- Lifestyle
- Irish Examiner
Wine with Leslie: Three bottles for your August bank holiday barbecue
The August bank holiday weekend is my favourite of the year. I love the warm days and warm evenings with just a whisper of autumn in the air. The 'season of mists and mellow fruitfulness' has begun as Mr. Keats said. I should also mention that my birthday falls on August 2, which happens to be Saturday, the first time I've written a column for my birthday since 2014. So, yes, I like the August bank holiday in part because I get presents, I love presents! Everyone imagines I open fabulous, expensive bottles for my birthday but this is rarely the case. I'm mostly looking for fruit-forward aromatic whites that might match prawns (or lobster) simply grilled on the barbecue. This could be a Pouilly-Fuissé with a bit of age or maybe a Viognier or a Greco di Tufo. If I'm cooking a butterflied lamb or sirloin steak (never fillet) on the barbecue I could go for red Bordeaux, but it's more likely I'm drinking a lightly chilled red such as Eric Texier's Chat Fou or the Azul y Garanza wine featured below. For my last roundy birthday I did serve aged Bordeaux with steak-frites to some wine appreciating friends, but more importantly we began with lobster and vintage Champagne, the biscuity intensity of aged fizz is a perfect foil for meaty sweet lobster. I promise that such extravagance is a rarity, I'm just as likely to be drinking a pet-nat with some prawns. So when do I open the good bottles, you might ask? Well, honestly, it could be any day of the week, but is most likely going to be a Sunday when I've cooked a roast and I'm trying to distract myself from the fact that the weekend is over. Fine wine is a lovely distraction. Suggestions for the bank holiday weekend are assuming you will be having a barbecue. L'Ostal Cazes Rosé, Minervois, France, €11.96 L'Ostal Cazes Rosé, Minervois, France, €11.96 O'Briens Bank holidays and rosé go very well together and O'Briens have their annual rosé specials on offer until the end of August with 25% reductions. From the Cazes family of Ch. Lynch-Bages, this pours pale salmon pink with subtle rose petal and red fruit aromas and a touch of tropical fruit balanced by citrus freshness. I also recommend Delheim (€11.96), Gaia (€14.96) and Petit Bourgeois (€14.96). Domaine la Sarabande 'Misterioso' Faugères, France, €15-17 Domaine la Sarabande 'Misterioso' Faugères, France, €15-17 Matson's Bandon, Grange and YoughaL (€15); O'Briens; Whelehans Made by Paul and Isla Gordan, an Aussie-Irish couple who grow organic old-vine Carignan, Grenache and Syrah in a remote part of the Languedoc. Minimum intervention, wild yeasts and always respecting terroir their wines are delicious; this is fruit-focused with cherry and blackberry scents, herbal smoky notes and soft dark fruits. Perfect for grilled sausages, also watch for the blanc and the juicy PIG red. Azul y Garanza Naturaleza Salvaje 2021, Navarra, €24-26 Azul y Garanza Naturaleza Salvaje 2021, Navarra, €24-26 Mannings, Little Green Grocer; Vintry; Bubble Brothers; This organic minimal intervention wine is from 35 year old Garnacha vines grown in the Desert of Bardenas Reales in Navarra — hot days, cool nights and poor soils. Wild yeast ferment, part amphora aged with light plum and red currant aromas, supple and juicy and suited to light chilling. I'll be serving this with grilled free-range pork from the bbq this weekend. Spirit of the Week McConnell's Whisky, 5 Year, Sherry Cask Finish, 46% ABV, €49 McConnell's Whisky, 5 Year, Sherry Cask Finish, 46% ABV, €49 Celtic Whiskey Shop Dublin and Killarney (and online). Two-time winner in the blended category of the Irish Whiskey Awards, so long due a mention here. Founded in 1776 but revived more recently with a new distillery (and visitor experience) in the old Crumlin Road Gaol. Aged 5 years in Bourbon cask and finished in Oloroso. Fruitcake, chocolate and dark honey aromas, sweet black fruits on the palate, supple, balanced and delicious.
Perth Now
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Chris Pratt returning for more Garfield
Chris Pratt is returning for a Garfield sequel. The Guardians of the Galaxy star lent his voice to 2024's The Garfield Movie - which grossed over $260 million worldwide - and it has been confirmed he will be back to play the lazy lasagne-loving tabby once again. Alcon Entertainment's co-founders and co-CEOs Andrew Kosove and Broderick Johnson confirmed the news, and it was also revealed Chris will serve as a producer, along with John Cohen, Steven and the studio's two executives. Namit Malhotra's production company Prime Focus Studios will co-produce the film alongside Alcon Entertainment. In addition, following their work on The Garfield Movie, DNEG Animation are back onboard as animation partner. No further casting details have yet been announced, and Deadline reports producers are currently in talks with potential writers and directors. Cartoonist Jim Davis first created the loveable ginger cat for a comic in 1978, and the titular moggy was joined by owner Jon Arbuckle and his pet dog Odie. The mischievous kitty made its big-screen debut in the live-action/animated 2004 film Garfield, which got a sequel, Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties, two years later. Garfield originally appeared in 41 newspapers, but its success led to it developing an estimated readership of 260 million across 2,580 newspapers and journals, and it currently holds the record as the most widely syndicated comic strip in the world. Meanwhile, Chris - who is best known for starring in the Guardians of the Galaxy and Jurassic World film series -recently admitted he plays a "Sliding Doors version" of the same character in his "big commercial" movies. During an interview with 'Entertainment Weekly', Chris, 45, was asked about similarities between his character Peter Quill/Star-Lord in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies and his role of John D. Keats in new movie The Electric State and he explained: "I kind of like to think, hopefully, that's like every character I ever play though, in this tone, something that's like a big, family friendly, raucous, adventure, sci-fi film,. "When it's a big commercial tone like this, you're going to get a Sliding Doors version of the characters that I like to play." Chris was referring to Gwyneth Paltrow's 1998 movie Sliding Doors in which she played two versions of the same character involved in different storylines after their lives diverge at a certain point. The actor went on to add of Quill and Keats: "[They both] have a journey; they find something bigger than themselves to want to fight for and are willing to sacrifice themselves for. "There's [Keats] talking to an animated character through the course of it. So I guess, even now, just in this interview, I'm realizing that there are similarities. "[Keats] kind of feels like what Peter Quill could have been if he didn't get picked up and go to space, but instead lived through a robot war and went on the run with his robot friend."
The Age
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Age
Trump is trying to eradicate Harvard's inconvenient truths
I began my PhD in English at Harvard back in 1996, after a BA at the University of Sydney. Harvard's president then was Neil Rudenstine, an English professor whose research had been on Shakespeare and Keats. It was Keats who coined the term 'negative capability' in a letter to his brother, which he described as the state 'of being in uncertainties, mysteries, doubts, without any irritable reaching after fact and reason'. This condition of open-minded, curious, creative doubt underpins all great universities and is a crucial pathway to knowledge. Harvard University has not always been a beleaguered underdog. With the world's news cameras trained on the colonial brick facades and leafy greens of Harvard Yard, it's an ideal moment to reassess what makes Harvard exceptional, and what social purpose is met by having outstanding universities, worldwide. One of my first memories of being at Harvard is of attending a small poetry reading given by Seamus Heaney in a swimming pool under an undergraduate hall of residence. The pool had in fact been drained a few years earlier, after one Suetonian free-for-all too many, attended by smoking, fornicating, pontificating future New Yorker writers. By the time I got there it had been converted to a decorous small theatre. Heaney had won the Nobel Prize the year before and was a member of the Harvard English department. He read that evening from something new he was working on, a verse translation of the Old English masterpiece Beowulf. Heaney's Beowulf is now a classic of a classic. Its brilliance was to couple the sounds of mainstream English lyric (e.g. Keats and Shakespeare) with rhythms and dialects that are distinctively Irish, Welsh and Anglo-Saxon, reminding readers that Britain's history is shaped by invasion, resettlement and language displacements, over many centuries. Beowulf is a contentious poem. Its aggressive tone and intensifying mood of sadness let us glimpse imaginative residues of Anglo-Saxon migrations, which displaced native Britons and old Roman settlements. Heaney's translation is a reminder not to oversimplify this story into a simple invasion and erasure narrative. It's asking us to think about national identity as changeable, volatile and complex. Loading Later in my degree, I was a teaching fellow for Stephen Greenblatt's classes on Shakespeare. His lectures were about how the power and beauty of Shakespeare depends on the plays' continuous experiments with wildly different, colliding systems of imagination and belief. Shakespeare was purposefully provocative, reminding audiences of the most debated topics of his time: still-unsettled conflicts between Protestantism and Catholicism, rifts between monarchy and parliament, conflicts between nation states and threats to political authority. His writing was always at the very edge of what was permissible. Anyone who's been an international student in a great university will have their own versions of these memorable encounters. I couldn't have put my finger on it that night down in the Adams House pool, but it was when I first sensed what is truly remarkable about Harvard and other great universities. The brilliance of its faculty and students comes from being unafraid of new and different ways of thinking. There's a crucial institutional pressure to keep broadening perspective and learning from other deeply creative, thoughtful people in other disciplines. It doesn't work perfectly all the time. As with any complex institution, Ivy League universities struggle with internal problems and conflicts that need fixing. They need to keep draining the pool. But at their best, universities such as Harvard are international communities of extraordinary teachers, students and scholars working to make knowledge from a collective dedication to not knowing and not being right all the time. The questioning of beliefs and assumptions is undergirded by deep expertise.
