Nomeados para os Prémios Nebula 2011

 

Foram hoje anunciados os nomeados para os Prémios Nébula de 2011. A cerimónia de atribuição dos prémios realizar-se-á dia 21 de Maio em Washington, altura em que também serão revelados os vencedores do Andre Norton Award for Excellence in Science Fiction or Fantasy for Young Adults e do Ray Bradbury Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation.

Short Story

·               ‘‘Arvies’’, Adam-Troy Castro (Lightspeed Magazine 8/10)

·               ‘‘How Interesting: A Tiny Man’’, Harlan Ellison® (Realms of Fantasy 2/10)

·               ‘‘Ponies’’, Kij Johnson (Tor.com 1/17/10)

·               ‘‘I’m Alive, I Love You, I’ll See You in Reno’’, Vylar Kaftan (Lightspeed Magazine 6/10)

·               ‘‘The Green Book’’, Amal El-Mohtar (Apex Magazine 11/1/10)

·               ‘‘Ghosts of New York’’, Jennifer Pelland (Dark Faith)

·               ‘‘Conditional Love’’, Felicity Shoulders (Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine1/10)

Novelette

·               ‘‘Map of Seventeen’’, Christopher Barzak (The Beastly Bride)

·               ‘‘The Jaguar House, in Shadow’’, Aliette de Bodard Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine 7/10)

·               ‘‘The Fortuitous Meeting of Gerard van Oost and Oludara’’, Christopher Kastensmidt (Realms of Fantasy 4/10)

·               “Plus or Minus’’, James Patrick Kelly (Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine12/10)

·               ‘‘Pishaach’’, Shweta Narayan (The Beastly Bride)

·               ‘‘That Leviathan, Whom Thou Hast Made’’, Eric James Stone (Analog Science Fiction and Fact 9/10)

·               ‘‘Stone Wall Truth’’, Caroline M. Yoachim (Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine 2/10)

Novella

·               The Alchemist, Paolo Bacigalupi (Audible; Subterranean)

·               ‘‘Iron Shoes’’, J. Kathleen Cheney (Alembical 2)

·               The Lifecycle of Software Objects, Ted Chiang (Subterranean)

·               ‘‘The Sultan of the Clouds’’, Geoffrey A. Landis (Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine 9/10)

·               ‘‘Ghosts Doing the Orange Dance’’, Paul Park (The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction 1-2/10)

·               ‘‘The Lady Who Plucked Red Flowers beneath the Queen’s Window’’, Rachel Swirsky (Subterranean Magazine Summer ’10)

Novel

·               The Native Star, M.K. Hobson (Spectra)

·               The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, N.K. Jemisin (Orbit UK; Orbit US)

·               Shades of Milk and Honey, Mary Robinette Kowal (Tor)

·               Echo, Jack McDevitt (Ace)

·               Who Fears Death, Nnedi Okorafor (DAW)

·               Blackout/All Clear, Connie Willis (Spectra)

The Ray Bradbury Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation

·               Despicable Me, Pierre Coffin & Chris Renaud (directors), Ken Daurio & Cinco Paul (screenplay), Sergio Pablos (story) (Illumination Entertainment)

·               Doctor Who: ‘‘Vincent and the Doctor’’, Richard Curtis (writer), Jonny Campbell (director)

·               How to Train Your Dragon, Dean DeBlois & Chris Sanders (directors), William Davies, Dean DeBlois, & Chris Sanders (screenplay) (DreamWorks Animation)

·               Inception, Christopher Nolan (director), Christopher Nolan (screenplay) (Warner)

·               Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Edgar Wright (director), Michael Bacall & Edgar Wright (screenplay) (Universal)

·               Toy Story 3, Lee Unkrich (director), Michael Arndt (screenplay), John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, & Lee Unkrich (story) (Pixar/Disney)

Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy

·               Ship Breaker, Paolo Bacigalupi (Little, Brown)

·               White Cat, Holly Black (McElderry)

·               Mockingjay, Suzanne Collins (Scholastic Press; Scholastic UK)

·               Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword, Barry Deutsch (Amulet)

·               The Boy from Ilysies, Pearl North (Tor Teen)

·               I Shall Wear Midnight, Terry Pratchett (Gollancz; Harper)

·               A Conspiracy of Kings, Megan Whalen Turner (Greenwillow)

·               Behemoth, Scott Westerfeld (Simon Pulse; Simon & Schuster UK)

Vencedores do Prémio Autores 2011

Gonçalo M. Tavares arrebatou o prémio de melhor ficção narrativa na segunda edição do Prémio Autores. Também na área de literatura, António Carlos Cortez venceu na categoria de melhor livro de poesia e Afonso Cruz na de melhor livro de literatura infanto-juvenil. De destacar ainda o prémio vida e obra atribuído a Eduardo Lourenço

Melhor Livro de Ficção Narrativa

• “Uma Viagem à Índia” de Gonçalo M. Tavares
• “Adoecer” de Hélia Correia
• “O Bom Inverno” de João Tordo

Melhor Livro de Poesia

• “Depois de Dezembro” de António Carlos Cortez
• “Se as Coisas Não Fossem o que São” de Helder Moura Pereira
• “Escarpas” de Gastão Cruz

Melhor Livro de Literatura Infanto-Juvenil

• “A Contradição Humana” de Afonso Cruz
• “O Livro dos Quintais” de Isabel Minhós Martins
• “Pinguim” de António Mota

O Coração das Trevas - Joseph Conrad

O Coração das Trevas

2004 (Data original de publicação:1902)

Título Original: Heart of Darkness

Autor: Joseph Conrad

Editora: Público, Colecção Mil Folhas

Tradução: Teresa Amaro

Páginas: 126

ISBN: 84-9789-469-3

  "Heart of Darkness is experience...but it is experience pushed a little (and only a very little) beyond the actual facts of the case for the perfectly legitimate, I believe, purpose of bringing it home to the minds and bosoms of the readers."

                                                             Joseph Conrad

Transmitir a essência de uma época, preservar uma realidade que deixou de existir, é uma tarefa ingrata dada a sua impossibilidade. Não se trata, no entanto, de um exercício inútil, porque apesar de sermos incapazes de ressuscitar o passado, podemos recuperar os seus contornos essenciais, imortalizando-os através das palavras.

Baseado na experiência do autor, O Coração das Trevas transporta-nos até ao coração de África nos finais do séc. XIX, mais precisamente ao Estado Livre do Congo, reino privado de Leopoldo II da Bélgica, tirano que foi responsável pela brutal exploração dos nativos e por milhões de mortes (embora a inexistência de números exactos torne difícil apurar as mortes provocadas, estima-se que a população do Congo tenha sido reduzida a metade durante o jugo de Leopoldo).

  “Na imutabilidade que os rodeia, as costas estrangeiras, os rostos estrangeiros, a imensidade mutável da vida, deslizam rápidas, veladas não por um sentido de mistério mas por uma ignorância levemente desdenhosa; pois não há nada de misterioso para um marinheiro a não ser o próprio mar, que é a amante da sua existência e tão inescrutável como o Destino.”

A história é relatada por Marlow aos seus colegas marinheiros, descrevendo a sua viagem a África e as fortes sensações que o invadiram durante o tempo que passou na selva. Contratado por uma companhia de comércio como capitão de um barco a vapor, Marlow fica encarregue de subir o rio Congo à procura de um agente da companhia, de nome Kurtz. Ao longo dos meses que a operação durou, Marlow presencia a insensibilidade com que os nativos são tratados, que para além dos maus-tratos, têm ainda de suportar a fome e as doenças que assolam a região. Por outro lado, os elogiosos comentários tecidos acerca de Kurtz, realçando a sua eficiência e os seus princípios morais, levam Marlow a criar grandes expectativas relativamente ao seu encontro, um interesse que se torna praticamente obsessivo.

A subida do rio revela-se difícil e perigosa, e a tripulação vê-se mergulhada num clima de tensão que, gradualmente, induz Marlow a um estado apreensivo, estado esse que se vê justificado quando encontra um Kurtz bastante diferente do homem inteligente e virtuoso que tinha em mente...

  “Para lá da cerca, a floresta erguia-se espectral sob a luz do luar, e acima da surda agitação, acima dos sons desmaiados daquele lamentoso pátio, o silêncio da terra – o seu mistério, a sua grandiosidade, a surpreendente realidade da sua vida oculta – aninhava-se no nosso coração.”

A degeneração do sofisticado e culto Kurtz mostra-nos a fragilidade do homem civilizado, cuja racionalidade é incapaz de conter os instintos primitivos que o ambiente selvagem desperta; uma escuridão que se encontra no âmago de todos nós que nem a luz do progresso e do conhecimento consegue extinguir.

A par da forte componente psicológica, O Coração das Trevas oferece também uma valiosa componente histórica, expondo atrocidades cometidas nos impérios coloniais que, apesar de verem o seu impacto atenuado pelo tempo, não devem nunca ser esquecidas. Uma leitura inquietante em que nos defrontamos com o lado mais negro da humanidade.

  “O destino. O meu destino! Coisa estranha, a vida – essa misteriosa congeminação de impiedosa lógica para um propósito fútil. O mais que se pode esperar dela é algum conhecimento de nós próprios – que peca por tardio – um nunca acabar de mágoas. Lutei contra a morte. É a competição menos excitante que se pode imaginar.”

Leituras Digitais (13 a 19 de Fevereiro)

Rubrica semanal de notícias e artigos relacionados com a edição de livros digitais.

E-Book Lending: Boon or Bane to Publishers?

  “This is a clear boon to e-publishing,” says my colleague, George Burke, CEO of book rental service BookSwim.com. “It’s a proven model: try before you buy.” He goes on to point out the clear records which show that those who share music are also some of the biggest purchasers of music. “This model is perfect — it broadens peoples’ ability to have access to e-books, which should help broaden the entire market. Similar to a network of libraries, this allows people nationwide the opportunity to have access to more books than most consumers could afford to buy, which will increase the desirability of e-books in general. This will bring in more people interested in e-reading — and we know that the e-reading market is a buying market.”

Where Mike Shatzkin misses the point on e-book sales vs licensing

  So, Mike, we don’t like licenses on our e-books—not so much because we can’t resell them, which any sensible person would agree doesn’t work based on the nature of the medium (and, indeed, if e-book prices fall as you say they are, paying less for a non-resellable book sounds like a fair tradeoff). but because they mean that our purchase of them can be reversed at the licensor’s whim. The large print giveth, but the fine print means the publisher can do whatever the heck he pleases. (Not to mention what happens if the publisher goes out of business, leaving us without a way to access that content.)

Borders US applies for Chapter 11 bankruptcy

  Borders US has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, blaming a decrease in consumer spending, a lack of liquidity and ongoing discussions with publishers.

The widely expected move will mean Borders will try to restructure its business while continuing to trade online and in store. Among the initiatives that it is proposing, which require court approval, is to close around 30% of its underperforming stores.

The Demise of Borders, Blockbuster, and Choice

  The Internet age has its pluses, but it also has its minuses — minuses that we are only beginning to see and of which the demise of local, indie stores and outfits like Borders and Blockbuster that have a local presence are symptoms. The forsaking of choice for price as a value will come back to haunt us.

CAN A FEE-BASED REVIEW BE CREDIBLE?

  The key to ensuring objectivity has been in maintaining a firewall between critics and advertisers.

Funding at BlueInk Reviews comes from authors, who pay a fee to have their books reviewed. As with print publications, we manage that inherent tension between author and critic by strictly maintaining that firewall between the two parties.

The true cost of publishing on the Amazon Kindle

  Ever wondered why newspapers and magazines published on the Amazon Kindle rarely contain photos? I’ve downloaded several copies of The Times and The Telegraph on my Kindle, and you’re lucky if you get more than one photo in the entire newspaper. The only periodical that appears to include photos or diagrams with each article as a matter of course is the magnificent Economist.

  The answer lies buried in the terms and conditions for Kindle periodical publishers. Scroll down to the section where it reveals how the revenue for publishers is calculated and you’ll find the devil is most definitely lurking in the detail.

Troubling realities meet publishing's boundaries at TOC

  There will be a shift from ownership to accessing (“think Netflix”). With streaming, tagging, the cloud, content will flow in real time, always on and never done.

  And then there’s generating. With the internet being “the world’s largest copy machine,” there’s no better time to be a reader, but “everyone is benefitting except the producers.” Publishers are not ready for the downward price pressure, the idea that books may cost only 99 cents. The only value is that which cannot be copied. People will pay for “immediacy,” “personalization,” “authentication,” “findability,” “interpretation.” They will be willing to pay if the creator is giving them some attention, says Kelly. Where attention flows, money will surely follow.

More over-50s own e-readers than youngsters

  More people aged over 55 own e-readers than the younger generation, according to a new study on digital reading habits.

  Data released by research company OnePoll shows 6% of readers in the over-55 category–equivalent to 500,000 people–own a digital device to consume literature in comparison to just 5% of those aged 18–24.

My Love for Ron Charles or Reviewing in a Digital Age

  As newspapers started to lose readership the book pages started shrinking and a lot of the books that would appeal to a local audience for that paper (and might be defined as “midlist) were pushed to the side so that they could cover a book with a larger national interest. Bloggers can help bridge that gap by providing that local flare (along with booksellers who I mentioned previously are being used more and more to bring these fantastic local books to light).

AAP Publishers Report Strong Growth in Year-to-Year, Year-End Book Sales

  US publishers’ book sales across all platforms increased +2.4 percent in December 2010 vs December 2009 and +3.6 percent for the full year vs 2009, it was reported today by the Association of American Publishers (AAP).

  Virtually every book publishing category showed growth in one or both comparisons, with the phenomenal popularity of E-books continuing.

New York Times E-Book Best Sellers

  February 27, 2011 print edition of the Book Review, reflecting sales for the week ending February 12, 2011.

 

E-Book Fiction

1.                      ALONE, by Lisa Gardner

2.                      TICK TOCK, by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge

3.                      THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, by Stieg Larsson

4.                      A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES, by Deborah Harkness

5.                      THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNET’S NEST, by Stieg Larsson

 

E-Book Nonfiction

1.                      UNBROKEN, by Laura Hillenbrand

2.                      HEAVEN IS FOR REAL, by Todd Burpo with Lynn Vincent

3.                      KNOWN AND UNKNOWN, by Donald Rumsfeld

4.                      DECISION POINTS, by George W. Bush

5.                      _____ MY DAD SAYS, by Justin Halpern

Vídeos

Mirasol display at Tools of Change

Google One Pass

Robert Darnton e o futuro dos livros

Citações

  “... Não, é impossível; é impossível transmitir a sensação de vida de uma dada época da nossa existência – aquilo de que é feita a verdade, o seu significado, a sua essência subtil e penetrante. Impossível. Vivemos como sonhamos, sozinhos...”

                             Joseph Conrad, O Coração das Trevas

Feira do Livro Manuseado

Entre 19 de Fevereiro e 19 de Março, nas livrarias Assírio & Alvim.