“The Museum of Innocence” By: Orhan Pamuk 532 pp. Vintage Books. $15.26 Orhan Pamuk, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, wrote “The Museum of Innocence” discussing Kemal and Fusun’s love affair in Istanbul. Pamuk has become a prominent Turkish writer with more than 20 books being published so far and translated into 63 different languages. The text begins with Kemal reminiscing about the happiest moment in his life. He tells his readers about, his fiance, Sibel. Sibel is a wealthy woman who people believe is the perfect match for Kemal. That is, until he encounters his cousin, an 18 year old shop girl, named Fusun. Unlike…
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Feminist Press still relevant after 45 years
At the CUNY Graduate Center is a small, educational non-profit organization that fought and still fighting for big social changes. The Feminist Press, located at 365 Fifth Avenue, Suite 5406, publishes feminist classics, offers new international pieces, elevates silenced voices and promotes social justice. “FP is not just a business. You have a business with values,” Lauren Hook, managing editor, said. “We’re not just saying how much this book is going to make, but what the book means, what does it represent, why is it important and why does it deserve to be in print.” Florence Howe, an author and professor, founded the organization in 1970 because of the lack…
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QC alum self-publishes science fiction novel
Personal Disaster Assistant, or PDA, by Queens College alum Chris Ferraro, is a story about a man named Doug Macklin who has to deal with futuristic contact lenses, talking chairs, alien-worshipping terrorists…and camels. After being ejected from an airplane, Doug is forced to journey through the desert where he has several misadventures and is almost killed a few times before being told that he is a contestant on a reality show. The book is a combination of dark comedy and science fiction, and examines how people’s reliance on technology does not answer their questions about life. Ferraro used to write sports and entertainment articles, but always enjoyed writing stories like PDA. He wanted to prove to…
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QC professor’s novel, “Song of the Shank”, sheds light on the slave narrative
Following the success of recent movies such as “12 Years a Slave” and “Django Unchained,” critics asked whether another story about slaves was really necessary. After reading “Song of the Shank” by Jeffrey Renard Allen, New York Times book reviewer Mitchell S. Jackson felt compelled to answer with a resounding “yes.” On Nov. 11, Allen discussed his latest work as part of Queens College’s 39th Anniversary Evening Reading Series. “Song of the Shank” is the reimagined and fictional biography of “Blind Tom,” one of the 19th centuries most prominent performers and the first black person to play at the White House at the age of 10. Blind Tom, born as the slave Thomas Wiggins in…
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Queens College professor examines findings in latest book
The women’s studies department held an event on Oct. 21 in Rosenthal Library to showcase Barbara Simerka’s book, which applies cognitive theories to gender, class and identity in early modern Spanish literature. Simerka is a Spanish professor, who has published over twenty essays focusing on interdisciplinary and feminist approaches. She is also a founding executive board member of GEMELA, a group that focuses on medieval and early modern Spain and colonial Latin American women’s writing and culture. Simerka’s latest book, “Knowing Subjects,” draws on the theory of mind in order to analyze early modern Spanish literature, such as works by Cervantes and Gracián. Theory of mind is the ability to…
