The Malaysian Insider :: Books
The Malaysian Insider :: Books |
| Canadian author, environmentalist Farley Mowat dies at 92 Posted: 07 May 2014 07:06 PM PDT Mowat's work introduced millions of readers to the Canadian north, a vast, sparsely populated region few writers had explored in depth. He also campaigned for the need to protect wildlife and strongly opposed over-development by humans. "I feel sorry for us because not only are we a bad animal, but we're most inevitably a doomed animal. Every species dies out. But our doom is here and now," he told an interviewer in 1998. Harper said in a statement that Mowat would "be remembered as a passionate Canadian. His legacy will live on in the treasure of Canadian literature he leaves behind, which will remain a joy to both new and old fans around the world". Mowat, who served as an officer in Italy in World War Two, came to prominence in 1952 with his first book, "People of the Deer", which described the travails of an Inuit tribe battling starvation and government indifference in Canada's Arctic. The book sparked interest in the north, and Mowat built on his fame with "Never Cry Wolf" in 1963, in which he tried to dispel the image of the wolf as a killing machine responsible for the decline in the caribou population. But some experts denounced as nonsense his portrayal of wolves as relatively gentle animals that would rather hunt mice or hares than caribou and debates about the accuracy of his work continued for decades. In 1996, Canada's Saturday Night magazine put Mowat on its cover with a long nose, implying he was a liar. "I took some pride in having it known that I never let facts get in the way of a good story. I was writing subjective non-fiction all along," Mowat told an interviewer in 2012. Mowat wrote more than 40 books and was awarded the prestigious Order of Canada decoration in 1981. He is survived by his second wife and two adult children. He was also a friend of former Liberal prime minister Pierre Trudeau, himself a great nature lover. "He was obviously a passionate Canadian who shaped a lot of my generation growing up with his books, and he will be sorely missed," said Trudeau's son Justin, 42, who heads Canada's opposition Liberal Party. – Reuters, May 8, 2014. |
| Pair of ‘Princess Diaries’ books after 5-year break Posted: 07 May 2014 05:37 PM PDT Just like her fans, Mia has grown up, and "Royal Wedding" sees her prepare for marriage to long-term beau Michael. At the same time, it emerges that Mia has a half-sister, Olivia Grace, who, just like Mia in the original novels, must now come to terms with being an ordinary girl and part of a royal family. As such, Olivia is to receive her own spin-off series starting with "From the Notebooks of a Middle School Princess". And Mia's own escalating adventure involves her proving her own suitability to rule Genovia as her father is forced out. "Royal Wedding" will be the 11th Princess Diaries book, and its 2015 publication date coincides with the 15th anniversary of the series as a whole, wrote Meg on her website. Meanwhile, "From the Notebooks..." will be the first time Cabot will have written and illustrated the same book, with the author noting that Olivia Grace's biracial background holds "a special resonance for me and my family", a reference to her own adoptive brother. "I've been planning this book for some time. I got the inspiration a few years ago from actual goings-on in a certain royal family of a small European principality," she confessed, while reminding fans of Disney's two "Princess Diaries" movies that Prince Philippe may have died in the adaptations but remains very much alive in the books. – AFP/Relaxnews, May 8, 2014. |
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