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"Photography is the death of painting. Elsner inverts the statement, but questioning photography's promise of reality. Other than Gerhard Richter (photo painting) he redraws photographs using multi-coloured hatching. He reuses this technique rendering famous paintings in a blurred way that lets us see and understand them anew.

Robot King Murdas wanted to be called "The Great", but did not possess any characteristics of a great ruler. Instead he was anxious and suspected anyone of treason, in particular his family. So he got them killed. And to fully survey his realm he order extensions of himself to every corner of the capital and achieved "greatness", though in a different way than expected.

Automatthew's Friend. This story was very different. Not a fairy tale but rather an allegory about friendship and betrayal, hope and despair, empathy and cold reason. Interesting.

Penelope made it, shortly before the end of the day she has a both at her aunt's house. But her bliss is getting disturbed by the call of her suitor.

And once again Penelope is not successful in her quest for a hot shower. Her friend Dschemma has an illegal connection to the electricity network for trams (though 3 times regular voltage), but got disconnected "thanks" to her jealous neigbhbour, who informed the authorities.

I was glad to see this exhibition. Slawomir Elsner's works with crayons and water colours are mind blowing. They demonstrates that it is possible to apply the greatest possible precision to create the utmost unsharpness of form.

Penelope retunred home for lunch. As dessert she ponders the Soviet time family vacations at the Black Sea and her lovers: the married Edgar-Garegin once vocal about independence and separatist rule for Nagorny Karabakh (Arzach), now a successful businessman in Kaliningrad and her current partner Armén, who always stayed out of politics, but was ordered as field doctor to Arzach and captivated there.

Eva Strittmatter ist bei sich angekommen in ihrem brandenburgisch sandigem Dorf. Die Kinder sind aus dem Haus. War es das? Oder nutzt sie die neu gewonnene Freiheit und bricht noch einmal aus und auf:

Und Ahnung von Möglichkeit wandelt mich an:
Ich kann neu beginnen! Wenn ich es kann.

"Il pizzailolo è un lovoro da maschi" disse la maestra. "Come sarebbe a dire che è da maschi? Alle femmine è vietato?" chiese la piccola Marta de Rosa.

I read this heart warming story about a girl, who wants to become the first female pizza baker in Naples, in one go.

In her hunt for a shower Penelope moved on to her friend Kara, a bachelorette teacher of music who dreams of visiting Paris and earns additional money by baking and selling cakes. Kara has electricity, but there is no water other than what they gathered in buckets, tankards, mugs to bridge the time until there will be water again in the conduits.

By now the nowelty of combining heavy SF and fairy tales has a bit worn our by now, the neologisms likewise. I am struggling sometimes to see the morale behind the stories.

Germany's imperialistic and colonial push it into antagonism with the British Empire. And Germany's friendship with Turkey distance them from Russia. The First and Second Maroccan Crisis in 1904/06 and 1911 almost result in a European war as a result of inapt diplomacy. Italian's attack on Libya and subsequent war with Turkey opens the door also for war on the Balkans.

Penelope has lunch with a suitor, only to shirk him. She arrives in time at her friend's home to have a warm shower, but Margusha's husband and son (Arsén, nomen est omen) involve her into discussions: Is Armenia a European country confined to Asia or rather an Asian country that brought is main cultural heritage (christianity) to Europe?

After a review of her family history and the other parties in her tenement block, Penelope finally sets out on her odyssey for a warm shower.

After two ebooks finally a hardcover edition. We are in the year 1994 in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia. The war with Azerbaijan has just come to an end, but its consequences like massive energy shortage are still present. 30ish Penelope sets out from her family's home in search of a warm bath.

Das Ende naht. Die Spannung kulminiert.

In einer Nacht-und-Nebel-Aktion hat sich Marie bei den Royalisten wieder Liebkind gemacht und den Marquis erneut bezirzt. Anders als vom Geheimdienstler Corentin gefordert will sie ihn aber nicht den Blauen ausliefern, sondern mit ihm nach England durchbrennen.

Herrlich die Szene in der die Royalistischen Adligen sich anbiedern, nur um sich Posten und Pfründe nach der Rückkehr des Königs zu sichern.

Wir unterscheiden uns nur von den Alten,
Wenn wir uns aus der Dumpfheit befrein.
Spielen wir Freiheit und leugnen die Schwerkraft,
Fliegen wir mit den Kindern im Wind
Und unterwerfen wir uns Land und Landschaft.
Einen Tag Leben, allweise und blind,
Nichtprogrammiert und nicht ferngesteuert,
können wir haben, wenn wir nur wolln.
Und wir erkennen, im Fluge erneuert,
Was wir hier unten bewirken solln.

The French lesson is a wonderful image of the toxic atmosphere in the Norther Irish catholic community. There can only be one answer. Ambiguities are suspicious. And knowledge, and joy of life. 'Dark! We'll have the dark please!'

I deeply enjoy reading this book, and I take my time to really appreciate the metaphers and the elaborate language.

Die Leichtgläubigkeit und Verliebtheit des Fräuleins kosten ihren republikanischen Begleitern das Leben. Dank dem alten Haudegen Hulot erleiden die Chouans aber bei Fougère eine Niederlage. Balzac ließt sich großartig, wenn die Handlung vorankommt. Aber auch seine Landschaftsbeschreibungen machen mir Freude, und ich versuche sie auf Google Earth nachzuvollziehen.

Das Liebesgeplänkel zwischem dem unter dem Deckmantel reisenden, "Gars" genannten Führer des Aufstandes Marquis de Mantauran und dem (vermutlich auch nicht echten) Fräulein von Verneuil zog sich über Dutzende von Seiten hin. Endlich deutet sich wieder etwas wie eine Handlung an.

... it was best then, in those days, to keep the lowest of low profiles rather than admit your personal distinguishing habits ...

But she cannot stay invisible, she wants to continue reading-while-walking and the runs through the parks. But people observe and talk.

Your sister says her husband says that he heard everybody else say ...

Der einzige Sinn ist: entschlossen zu leben,
Einander so hilfreich wie möglich zu sein,
Gemeinsam die irdischen Lasten zu haben
Und uns von der Furcht vor dem Tode zu befrein.

Ich füge hinzu: es gibt auch das Schöne.
Das rauschende Blau ist das Leben wert.
Erst recht das Reich der bemeisterten Töne.
Und das Wort, das die Lust und das Leiden vermehrt.

Mit den Ereignissen des 9. Brumaire ist eine neue Zeit eingetreten. Davon ist allerdings in der Bretagne noch nichts zu spüren. Weiterhin lauern Banden von Chouans den republikanischen Truppen, aber vielmehr noch betuchten Reisenden auf. Die Aufständischen sind zu Räuberbanden verkommen.

Gefunden im Bücherschrank meiner Eltern. Die naturnahen Gedichte von Eva Strittmatter sind in diesen Zeiten wie Balsam auf die Seele. Eskapismus? Ja. Aber die Wirklichkeitsflucht gibt auch wieder Kraft, sich der Wirklichkeit auszusetzen.

In the story "The Treasures of King Biskar" clever Kreacjusz, like Hercules, gets tasks that seem impossible to do. I particularly liked the second one when Kreacjusz being abandoned on a desert planet builds a spaceship out of ice and powers it with anti-matter taken out of his own electronic brain. When landing the ship melts and he sets foot on the ground like Captain Jack Sparrow in the Pirats of the Carribean.

Not sure, whether I am feeling abhorred or just sad for this girl. At the age of 13 oral sex has become a commodity that she deals out to Peter as a bargain. As a shield to her soul she conceives and impersonates Nina, a sex hungry super beautiful girl, while Peter plays Mr. Nasty, who behaves according to his name. Also Margaux's classmates are crazy about sex - hard to believe at that age.

Northern Ireland at the turn of the millenium. A young woman finds herself in between the machismo of her Catholic environment and the brutal conflict between the insurgents and the central power.