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The New Republic | The New Yorker | Trouw | Le point | Al Ahram Weekly | The Boston Review | Tygodnik Powszechny | Die Weltwoche | Asharq al-Awsat | Nepszabadsag | Literaturen | The New York Times
The New Republic 28.05.2007 (USA)
Paul Berman writes a mammoth essay about Tariq Ramadan. He asks all the questions that Ian Buruma omitted to address, or addressed only superficially in his Ramadan portrait for The New York Times. With extreme patience and exactitude (the printed version is 47 pages long!) he examines clues, contradictions and possible interpretations. At the end he comes to the Bruckner-Buruma debate lauched by signandsight.com and its sister site Perlentaucher, and identifies a "reactionary turn in the intellectual world." The comment refers to authors - among them Ian Buruma and Timothy Garton Ash - who have polemicised against Ayaan Hirsi Ali. "Something like a campaign against Hirsi Ali could never have taken place a few years ago. A sustained attack on an authentic liberal dissident crying out against injustices in remote parts of the world and even in the back streets of Western Europe, a sustained attack that appears nearly to have erased the very mention of women's oppression and the struggle for women's rights from discussion - no, this could not have happened yesterday, except on the extreme right. This is a new event."
The New Yorker 04.06.2007 (USA)
Peter Schjeldahl visited the Neo Rauch exhibition in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and tried to sound out the message behind the masterpieces: "Not that noticing the stylistic echo profits a viewer anything. The more observant you are of erudite allusions in the show (some male figures display particular airs and dress styles of nineteenth-century German Romanticism), the more acute will be your frustration in trying to make sense of it all. If Rauch's work is nightmarish, as some critics have asserted, the effect pertains not to its dramas but to their mockery of understanding. They are not mysterious, because mysteries imply solutions. Rather, they convey that we may know plenty but our knowledge is useless. There is a highly contemporary sting in this."
Trouw 26.05.2007 (Netherlands)
"Are women more attracted to the life of a desperado than men?" asks sociologist Jolande Withuis in her essay "Suffer, fight, become holy" on radical women Muslims. She sees their motivation in the promise of complete devotion. "Faith offers radical women Muslims a 'total' identity that isn't limited to certain occasions and which is considerably more serious than anything else. It demands effort and renunciation, yet offers fulfilment and peace of mind. Boring or tiresome rules, such as covering oneself or not being allowed to eat certain foods, become a source of self-awareness. They are like anorexics, who derive satisfaction in overcoming hunger, even if it is harmful to their health. Correspondingly, these women occupy themselves to the point of absurdity in trying to determine whether things are 'haram' or 'halal' – and this occupies their time and gives them the pleasant feeling of pursuing a meaningful life."
Further articles: Onno Blom offers a portrait of the writer and recent winner of the P.C. Hooft Prize Maarten Biesheuvel, focusing on the neighbourhood in which he grew up. "Biesheuvel was a celebrity for us school children. When he was in a good mood, almost anything could happen. He could launch into a song by Schumann while walking down the street or lean on the hood of a car to listen whether 'the cylinders were still running.' One day he came up to us and politely asked in his typically nasal voice if we were interested in a 'glass of lemonade.' We didn't wait to be asked twice, because the writer and his wife owned a goat that lived with them in their living room. Biesheuvel said only, 'Come along, I'll introduce you.'"
Le point 24.05.2007 (France)
The appointment of Bernard Kouchner, the founder of Medecins Sans Frontieres, as foreign minister, is like giving the job to one of the nouveau philosophes. In his Bloc notes, Bernard-Henri Levy outlines his high hopes for the new man. "And if he only manages to get one thing done, to succeed in bringing the Islamists in Khartoum to reason and twisting the arm of their Chinese allies by threatening them with a boycott of the 2008 Olympic Games, then he will have already won."
Al Ahram Weekly 25.05.2007 (Egypt)
After sitting out several years in prison for numerous attacks, leading members of the Islamic Al-Gamaa Al-Islamiya (which previously had Sadat murdered) have now made their political debut. Abdel-Moneim Said takes a wary look at the party's idea of democracy, which has no place for a separation of powers and places high priority on seeing that the Sharia is applied correctly. But Said also points to other lacunae in the party's programme. "Al-Gamaa has told us about the requisites of jihad, correct modes of corporal punishment, causes for insurgency, and other scary matters. What it hasn't yet addressed are the country's basic problems. Al-Gamaa has nothing to say about education, health and administration. Do we need to run the country in a centralised or decentralised manner? What can we do to improve competitiveness? Al-Gamaa members are obsessed with keeping Islamic dress codes, putting the Copts in their place, and fighting the West. Do they have anything else to say?"
Nehad Selaiha presents a very engaging dramatist: Mustafa Saad, "the only playwright I know of who has written plays with no other purpose than to dramatise his theory of what theatre should be and do. His 'Masrah Al-Istifham' (theatre of enquiry), of which the current '3-1' is the 11th and most extreme illustration, conceives of theatre as a communal activity whose primary function is to train the audience to think critically, question what they see and draw their own conclusions away from any ready-made answers. In his author's note to the play, he says: 'After years of research and enquiry, I have come to the conclusion that our problem in the Arab world (whether as subjects or rulers) is not the lack of good theories or their misapplication, but the way we are programmed by our upbringing to copy and repeat what has been handed down to us by tradition and authority. As a result, we tend to think and speak in cliches that simply reiterate our problems rather than analyze them to find solutions.'"
The Boston Review 01.05.2007 (USA)
The magazine publishes a long essay by Iranian intellectual Akbar Ganji, who has been released from Evin Prison last year after years of imprisonment. Ganji now travels the USA and Europe seeking support for a new Western policy toward the mullahs, demanding not war, but support for change from within: "In response to such international support, leading Iranians, Iran's freedom lovers, and the Iranian people in general must continue to pressure the regime to abandon its nuclear dream. Even if the Iranian regime only pursues nuclear energy, given the country’s poor technology and weak control, the Iranian people and neighbouring countries will be in constant danger of human and environmental disaster. If Iran's nuclear program becomes focused on creating weapons, the dangers will be much greater. But external pressure that would inflict hardship on Iranian men, women, and children is unacceptable."
Tygodnik Powszechny 22.05.2007 (Poland)
Hungarian writer Peter Esterhazy, whose new novel "Harmonia caelestis" has met with huge media resonance in Poland, grinds his teeth in an interview when asked about national identity. "What does it mean to be Hungarian? When I hear this question I want to bang my head against a wall. From a French perspective, one cannot even pose the question. It is, however, a very German and Polish question." The scion of an old aristocratic family, Esterhazy has a much greater affinity for European identity. "European thought is very aristocratic – noble families live in a supranational sphere, as do Jewish families. One simply doesn't think in a national framework."
Die Weltwoche 24.05.2007 (Switzerland)
Franziska K. Müller provides a glimpse into the exclusive Le Rosey boarding school on Lake Geneva. Here, the heirs to the Aga Khan, the al-Fayeds, and the Rockefellers are taught hard work, discipline, and good manners, so they don't end up in the glamour gutter like Paris Hilton. "The boarding school administration guard against youthful exuberance with a full programme of activities, and take precautions against critical thinking on world affairs through a ban on newspapers, television, and political discussions. At best, the no-nonsense teenagers might associate the notion of 'underground' with the underground church. Do they fight for anything? Of course – for equality on the Nutella front. Previously, the girls were forbidden from eating the chocolately sandwich spread. And they have also They also insist upon meals being served in the future by the staff instead of by the students."
Asharq al-Awsat 23.05.2007 (Saudia Arabia / UK)
In an interview on the prospects for a dialogue between civilizations, the France-based Algerian philosopher Muhammad Arkoun (French website) criticized the conception of history prevalent in the Arab world. According to Arkoun, Arabs have been "striving for a 'unified Arab nation' since the time of Nasser. This quest has failed to recognize that the history of Algeria, for example, has developed differently from that of Morocco – even though North Africa is one geographic region. From my point of view, this is a very important point typical of this illusion. We yearn for things without taking into account their various levels of complexity. We ignore the different historical and sociological facets. All of these countries have adopted Arabic as their official language and the Arabic language plays an important role in communications between them. This doesn't mean, however, that their history, with which we as a society are connected, is a single, common history."
Nepszabadsag 21.05.2007 (Hungary)
The catastrophically bad, yet legendary East German Trabant car is now 50 years old. Hungarian fans celebrated the great day in style, writes Zsigmond Falusy. "If only Honecker had lived to see it! GDR flags were fluttering in the wind, Trabants were everywhere, and the young people were wearing trendy GDR T-shirts. (...) The Trabant is more than just a passion. It symbolizes the whole of Eastern Europe, our utterly wretched life, the horn combs of the East Germans, the wheeling and dealing of the Poles, the poverty of the Bulgarians, the plunger pump that I bought from a group of Soviet tourists, the cheap beer in Prague, wrangling for dollars on the black market, cadre, Honecker and Brezhnev, Flammkuchen (Alsace pizzas), and potato noodles. It was funny and sad at the same time."
Literaturen 01.06.2007 (Germany)
The June edition of Literaturen focuses on "Journeys to Italy." There is also an online interview with the literary scholar Dieter Richter, in which he discusses the perception of Naples among travellers to Italy during the 18th and 19th centuries. "Naples was always the most beautiful city in Italy – some even considered it the most beautiful city in the world. At the same time, it possessed an uncanny and demonic side. The courtesans in Naples were regarded as the most seductive. Even travel accounts from the 19th century report that the women there were "better disposed" towards visitors. Marquis de Sade's "Juliette" features a small group travelling through Campania. One of the women compares the boring landscape of the north with the 'admirable' and 'criminal' countryside of the Vesuvius region. The natural surroundings of Campania evoke passions that are suppressed by society. August von Platen truly relished being able to find men and boys in Naples without being punished."
The New York Times 27.05.2007 (USA)
Christopher Caldwell writes a long reportage for the New York Times Magazine about the problem of integration in Germany, interviewing Necla Kelek and Seyran Ates, among others. One thing he's amazed at is the major success enjoyed by the memoirs of Muslim women in Germany: "Just why Germans are consuming these books in such numbers is unclear. This has always been a culture with an insatiable interest in other cultures, as the role of Germans in founding the modern social sciences and the thick concentration of museums in the centre of Berlin both attest. It may also be that Germans have so deeply internalized the ethics of repentance for World War II that they lack the confidence, or the inclination, to make sweeping and critical value judgements about other cultures. They now require non-Germans or semi-Germans or new Germans to say such things." Caldwell himself is preparing a book about Islam in Europe.
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The Internet is changing our brains, philosopher Joaquin Rodriguez Lopez explains in the French magazine, Books. David Hockney shows his new iPhone drawings to the Spectator. In the New York Review of Books, historian Timothy Snyder calls for a new understanding of the Holocaust, that begins not in Auschwitz, but deep in the forests of Eastern Europe. In Literaturen, Aleksandar Hemon remembers an empty reading that turned out to be a success. Dawn introduces Michael Jackson as internalised by the Pakistanis. In the Weltwoche, pedagogy professor Georg Feuser calls for a ban on Ritalin for kids. The NYT witnesses the end of the black middle class in Detroit.
The Economist is impressed the by the hybrid of old and new media in the coverage of events in Iran. Outlook India looks at racism at home. In Le Point, Bernard-Henri Levy rallies support for the Iranian opposition. In Salon.eu.sk, Zygmunt Bauman continues his thoughts on the effects of totalitarianism in Poland. In the Guardian, Wallace Shawn explains why sex is still shocking. Al Ahram sings the praises of the Pakistanis who chased the Taliban out of their villages. In Nepszabadsag, Lajos Parti Nagy explains why he doesn't want to be Hungarian. And the TLS holds its nose in Versailles.
MicroMega wants nothing to do with the ritual of 1000 women – especially if it involves Gaddafi. Outlook India explains how Berthold Brecht put the fun into Hindu theatre. Polish author Pawel Huelle savours his vote while riding his bike. The Guardian learns from Abbas Kiarostami where to find the beauty in art. In Nouvel Obs Breyten Breytenbach wonders what went wrong in South Africa. Elet es Irodalom is irked by intellectuals who won't go to the theatre. The NYRB reads books about Darfur, the Nation reads books about Cuba. And the New York Times is very excited indeed about the new Grand Paris.
Al Ahram asks what the Arabs can do for Obama. Outlook India says the US president should have talked to non-Arab Muslims instead. Charlie Kaufman's film "Synecdoche, New York" plunged the London Review into a thick fog of existential questions. Polityka discovers a republic of soloists in Poland. The Economist loses itself in the life of an American dreamer who is pinned down by a 483,000 dollar debt. In Clarin, Beatriz Sarlo asks: What does Buenos Aires want to be? In Elet es Irodalom, Ignac Romsics describes the difference between the Western and Eastern European right. NZZ Folio travels the coast of the Black Sea. And in the Guardian, sculptor Alexander Stoddart reaches for his pistol. 
Al Ahram witnesses Tunisians hitting the roof at the Arab Theatre Festival in Cairo. Alaa Al Aswany assures the Observer that democracy is coming to Egypt soon. Polityka complains about the grumblers who have rained on the June 4 parade. The New Statesman, Prospect and The Nation discuss China. In Nouvel Obs, Michel Pastoureau describes the fine line between man and pig. In Salon.eu.sk Zygmunt Bauman criticises Slavoj Zizek for not looking "beyond the barbed wire". Bookforum is excited by the boom in African literature.
Wired explains what Google really is: an auction house. The New York Review of Books sees Pakistan near the brink of anarchy. Elet es Irodalom introduces a new Hungarian magazine about culture on the periphery. The Nation turns to the Kundera Affair. In Literaturen, novelist Barbara Vinken compares sex stories by children. The LRB is impressed by a wiki. In El Espectador, Hector Abad describes the potentially fatal consequences of reading. Espresso portrays the fascists of the third millennium.
What makes us happy?, the Atlantic asks. Outlook India celebrates the victory of secular politics in India. The Spectactor finds itself in the hour of the medievalist. The Economist explains why Perlentaucher is essential reading. Magyar Narancs asks what happened to May 8th in Hungary. In ResetDoc, Nasr Abu-Zayd explains why Afghan marriage laws have nothing to do with the Qur'an. And jazz is fading into the background in Poland.
The Nouvel Obs features an interview with Imre Kertesz about survival after survival. The New York Review of Books celebrates the affluent and brilliant Madame de Stael. Tygodnik Powszechny welcomes the first film of a Stasiuk book. In the Guardian, Elaine Showalter asks why America's women writers are so notoriously underrated. Le Point profiles Dieudonne, who has declared his anti-Semitism as art. Rue89 asks whether it's left-wing to block Internet access. And in the New Republic, John Banville reads Samuel Beckett's letters.
The Nation portrays Bulgarian mafioso and author Georgi Stoev, who met the same death as many a victim in his books. In Nepszabadsag, poet Akos Szilagyi explains why outlawing Holocaust denial would not restrict freedom of speech. The New Yorker wants to see more command responsibility. In the Gazeta Wyborcza, Roza Thun wants to see more Polish passion for the EU. Andrew Orlowski in the New Statesman has lost his belief in Long Tails on the Net. And in the New Yorker, Russell Shorto explains the difference between the Dutch and the Americans.
In Merkur Ralf Dahrendorf speaks out for the stakeholder. In the Guardian, Kazua Ishiguro warns writers not to "fart about" in their thirties. In Literaturen, Peter Sloterkijk tells it like it is: you have to put in at least 10,000 hours of practice to become even a passable craftsman or musician. The London Review explains the appeal of sharia-compliant banks. In Le Monde, philosopher and theologian Mezri Haddad talks about the vampirisation of Islam. The NYT fathoms the sub culture of drug smuggling.
In Espresso, Suketu Mehta calls upon his fellow writers to save the world from the banksters! In the Guardian, Julian Barnes reads the only poem Arthur Hugh Clough ever received a penny for. The Polish language does nothing but express distrust, Tygodnik Powszechny complains. In Commonweal, Terry Eagleton describes the clash of culture and civilization. Observator Cultural throws a spotlight on Norman Manea. And Google's clairvoyant, the Economist discovers.
In Eurozine, Serbian artists refuse to be reminded of their past. La vie des idees shows how the skirt has become a symbol of emancipation in France. In the Boston Review, Evgeny Morozov tells cyber-utopians that bloggers can be as anti-democratic as anyone else. The Spectator wants a "muscular Christianity" on its side. In Beszelö, the poet Akos Györffy sees a new Golem approaching. Paper money is confetti, Dr. Doom tells the NZZ Folio. And Douglas Adams cries on his bed in the Guardian.
Google Street View provides the London Review with the key to understanding, finally, Stendhal's description of realism. Le Figaro reads Cioran's juvenilia. Outlook India salivates over food blogs. Babelia observes the divorcees in the Teatro Colon. Vanity Fair gloats over the promiscuous micturition in the Bohemian Club.
In the Spectator, John Cleese tells a critic what a critic is. In Tygodnik Powszechny, philosopher Jean-Luc Marion has no problem proving the existence of God. In Prospect, Hanif Kureishi wishes authors had more balls. In the New Yorker, Seymour Hersh outlines the sort of sophisticated diplomacy that the Obama team needs. Espresso watches the Calabrian mafia using PTT. Wired visits a prison to hear the tale of the world's biggest diamond heist. n+1 is glad that the weirdness has been put back into German sex. The Gazeta Wyborcza drowned in the earnestness of a Berlin production of Dorota Maslowska's new play. And in the NYT, Freeman Dyson heats up the climate.
Lettre International prints Bela Hamvas' 1960 essay on direct morality and bad conscience. The Nation demands state subsidies for old media. In El Pais Semanal, Javier Cercas waits for a novel about Hitler's moustache hair. In the Guardian, Mary Beard dispels all hopes for a good death. In Novel Obs, Alain Finkielkraut does not mention the Kundera Affair. In the New York Review of Books, John Gray learns all about debt from Margaret Atwood. Elet es Irodalom dwells on otherness. The TLS celebrates Josef Skvorecky. Umberto Eco eyes up the bodies of Mussolini and Berlusconi for L'Espresso. And Carlos Fernando Chamorro sheepishly tells the New York Times how he opposed his mother.