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The movie came out on January 25, 2024. There had been very little of the usual promotion. Lockshin’s name was omitted from posters. His name was absent from all marketing materials, such as they were. In any event, the movie was a sensation. The public went to see it, quickly making it the top-grossing Russian movie of all time, in the over-18 category.Furious, the state and its propagandists got to work. As Lockshin says, “a whole campaign” was launched against him and the movie. Propagandists called him a “criminal” and a “terrorist,” and demanded that the movie be pulled from...

Back in January, I posted a thread about Reading Any Good Books and it got over 200 responses. It's been two months. What have you been reading?

Not all those who wander are lostJust like the otherworldly maps which often grace the inner covers of these wondrous books, the realm of fantasy novels is surprisingly wide-ranging, with numerous sub and hybrid genres existing within. From full-blown fantasy featuring witches, dragons, magic and mayhem, to dystopian takes that offer an almost satirical commentary on contemporary reality – the choices are endless and rather daunting, making it difficult to know where to start. An enduring genre nonetheless, it’s particularly fascinating that so much of our adoration for fantasy novels comes from our experience of them as children. When reread...

A long time ago, there was a Free Republic Book Club ... mostly because I opened my mouth and a bunch of people told me to organize one. I haven't pinged it in a long time. (Actually, another book club started, so I stopped.) Any way, has anyone read any good books lately. Fiction, non-fiction, genre, mainstream. Anything you want to share? Has anyone WRITTEN any good books that the rest of us should check out?

We now find ourselves in a battle for the minds of our children within the walls of our own homes. This is a battle we cannot lose. The children’s book publishing industry — from authors to publishers to librarians — believes it should have the power to control your children’s minds. And it’s progressively gained that access. Authors must include instant positive acceptance of any woke social agenda portrayed in their stories. If they don’t include this, they won’t get published by medium and large houses. This normalization of leftist ideology looks like the real world in books. When kids...

Finnish author Miki Liukkonen, considered one of the brightest stars of Finland's literary scene, has died aged 33, his publisher said Wednesday. In a statement, his publisher WSOY did not specify a cause of death. Contacted by AFP, the publisher said it had no more details to share for the time being, adding that the writer's family "requests privacy". Despite his young age, Liukkonen had already produced three poetry collections, a picture book for adults, and five novels. His works have garnered critical praise and received several awards and nominations.

Vonnegut at home. From “America This Week,” the free transcript of this week’s story discussion. This week, “Harrison Bergeron” by the great Kurt Vonnegut: Matt Taibbi: This week’s story is Harrison Bergeron, by Kurt Vonnegut, which has a lot of predictive power about a couple of things in modern society. Vonnegut was always one of my favorites. I liked him as a kid, among other things, because he was easy to read. The paragraphs were small and separated. He drew pictures that were funny. He openly didn’t take literature seriously. He had a great sense of humor, and the message...

The novel is set in a village in Puritan New England. The main character is Hester Prynne, a young woman who has borne a child out of wedlock. Hester believes herself a widow, but her husband, Roger Chillingworth, arrives in New England very much alive and conceals his identity. He finds his wife forced to wear the scarlet letter A on her dress as punishment for her adultery. After Hester refuses to name her lover, Chillingworth becomes obsessed with finding his identity. When he learns that the man in question is Arthur Dimmesdale, a saintly young minister who is the...

Ian Fleming (James Bond) is among the writers undergoing posthumous editing for content unsuitable for today’s readers. As he is dead, he has no choice in the matter. We are all familiar with book banning and book burning. Can anything be worse? Yes, changing a writer’s intent, dead or alive, through sensitivity editing. Some writers, nowadays, agree to go along to get along. That’s too bad. True writers value each word they write. Hemingway spoke of the search for the “perfect sentence,” and quite often he clicked, if he can be forgiven for his mistreatment of Robert Cohn in “The...

A good first line is not always necessary because who stops reading after one sentence? But it can be extremely useful in building expectations for the style and characterisation that will follow. While book jackets can indicate a broad genre, that line can define the subgenre. The opening may establish the tone, character, location, era or season but it can also pull a reader into the realm of the story that follows, and often into the head of the protagonist or into an alternate reality. When we open a book, we are ready to embark on a journey. The starter...

Beginning on page 411 of the 35th Anniversary Edition of Atlas Shrugged. (from Atlas Shrugged II, Minute 40) Dr. Ferris smiled. . . . . ."We've waited a long time to get something on you. You honest men are such a problem and such a headache. But we knew you'd slip sooner or later - and this is just what we wanted." "You seem to be pleased about it." "Don't I have good reason to be?" "But, after all, I did break one of your laws." "Well, what do you think they're for?" Dr. Ferris did not notice the sudden...

The BBC has injected a strong anti-colonial message into its adaptation of Charles Dickens' classic novel Great Expectations, it has been revealed. Written by Peaky Blinders creator Stephen Knight, the beloved novel has been given a new twist, referencing the evils of Empire which were not present in the original Victorian book. In one scene, criminal Magwitch, one of the central characters, describes the British Empire as having been 'built on the lies of privileged white men', The Telegraph reports.

Homer was one of the most important figures in ancient Greece. His contribution to ancient Greek culture was immense, due to his two most famous poems – the Iliad and the Odyssey. To the ancient Greeks, the works of Homer were as important as the Bible is today. It’s ironic, then, that many scholars actually question whether or not Homer was real. What does the evidence show? Reasons for doubting Homer’s existence The main reason some scholars doubt that Homer ever existed is because of a lack of contemporary evidence. Most scholars believe that Homer was supposed to have lived...

Authors Bethany Mandel and Karol Markowicz encountered screaming protesters Wednesday night in Manhattan at a launch party for their book “Stolen Youth: How Radicals Are Erasing Innocence and Indoctrinating a Generation.” The protesters, described as young white women, threw their drinking glasses at the wall where the pair’s books were displayed, Markowicz told The Daily Wire, and Mandel had books and drinks thrown on her, leaving the author soaking wet. ... More female protesters yelled at “Stolen Youth” event attendees, too, the authors said. “At the end of the event as guests were leaving, a different group of young women...

The New Yorker is a magazine that I have barely noticed for decades. It is the epitome of the “New York groupthink” that I mention on my “About” page. But the current issue has a long (10,000+ words) piece by a guy named Nathan Heller, titled “The End of the English Major,” that I thought might be worth a look. Perhaps here we might find some liberal introspection about how infesting everything you control with racialist and gender obsessions and Critical Race Theory might not be such a great idea. Who was I trying to kid? What this article actually...

Augustus Gloop is no longer fat, Mrs Twit is no longer fearfully ugly, and the Oompa-Loompas have gone gender-neutral in new editions of Roald Dahl’s beloved stories. The publisher, Puffin, has made hundreds of changes to the original text, removing many of Dahl’s colourful descriptions and making his characters less grotesque. The review of Dahl’s language was undertaken to ensure that the books “can continue to be enjoyed by all today”, Puffin said. References to physical appearance have been heavily edited. The word “fat” has been removed from every book - Augustus Gloop in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory may...

Alberto Gullaba Jr. was the type of author that publishers dream of having in their catalogs. A first-generation college grad, a child of working-class immigrants, and the recent recipient of a Master of Fine Arts degree from the prestigious University of California, Irvine, program, Gullaba was a debut novelist with a gift for visceral and vivid prose. His first book, University Thugs, had all the makings of a smash hit. A work of character-driven literary fiction steeped in immersive vernacular, it tells the story of a young black man named Titus who is trying to make his way at an...

It's been a number of years since I last posted this and recently decided to start doing this again. As you know, I regard most Freepers to be very well-read individuals. I like to know what people are currently reading. it can be anything - a NY Times bestseller, a technical journal, a magazine you picked up at the grocery store, etc. Please do not ruin this thread by posting "I'm reading This Thread". It's not that funny. Seriously. I'll start... I'm reading "Gettysburg: the Second Day" by harry W Pfanz. It's a deep book covering in extensive detail -...

2001? A wrinkle in time? I, Robot? What are the best science for books in your opinion?