ideas page

a r t - m u s i c - c r e a t e

Literature
Gaberiel Garcia Marquez
(click on the photo to visit the GGM homepage)
Garcia Marquez is no doubt one of my favourite writers. Viewed as one of the leading writers of what is now known as the South American "Magic Realist" movement, this Columbian writer has made a strong impact on English readers with his eloquent prose and epic stories. One of the greatest books I've read is One Hundred Years of Solitude, published in 1970. It was one of those books one savours rather than reads, and I don't know what I would give to be able to read it again, for the first time.
"He was still too young to know that the heart's memory

eliminates the bad and magnifies the good,
and that thanks to this artifice,
we manage to endure the burden of the past."

-Gaberiel Garcia Marquez, from Love in the Time of Cholera
other titles by Marquez include: Love in the Time of Cholera, The General in His Labryinth, The Autumn of the Patriarch, Leaf Storm and other Stories, and most recently, News of a Kidnapping.
Links:
Authors at Harbourfront: a complete index, with notes, of international authors who have read either at the author's festival, or the annual reading series. The list is quite extensive.
Work in Progress: James Joyce Site - a helpful resource centre for this remarkable writer.
Theory
Semiotics: Initiated by Saussure, Semiotics is the study of signs, investigating how we represent meaning. Visit this "Semiotics for Beginners" site for a thorough and accessable primer.
Aesthetics
A now unpopular philosophy of the arts, aesthetics is a central interest of mine. How does one approach art? Is it all just subjective? There seems to be a confusion between personal value and aesthetic value. Here are some places to find answers.
Aristos - Arts Journal: interesting online journal dealing with art and aesthetics.
Aesthetics Links: list of links to webpages on aesthetics.
Philosophy
Zen Buddhism - Zen came to China in the form of an Indian monk named Bodhidharma, depicted here by an anonymous artist. He came preaching a form of Budhhism closer to what Shakyamuni taught, and it was only after meditating in a cave for nine years that his first student arrived. Zen is known as Ch'an Buddhism in China. It arrived in Japan in the 11th century.
Ikkyu Page - 15th century Zen master. Click for some of his poetry.
Stories of Ikkyu: link to a site of compiled stories of Ikkyu. Read how he gave his masters such a hard time.
Zenga: click for some images of zen painting.
Film

Akira Kurosawa
Click to see some wonderful Japanese posters of his most famous films.

History
Gate of Heavenly Peace: May 1989 was to be an significant date for China. It marked the 70th anniversary of the May Fourth demonstrations and the 40th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. Demonstrations were already in the works. What resulted is now known as the Tiananmen Square Massacre. Visit this compelling site for more information on this extraordinary documentary of the event.
Links:
Freeworld News Journal: An online journal of Canadian and international news and commentary.

to return to homepage, press