What We Are Reading Today: ‘A Hunger Artist’

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Updated 09 November 2024
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What We Are Reading Today: ‘A Hunger Artist’

  • Kafka’s exploration of the artist’s suffering is a metaphor for the broader human experience — where the search for authenticity and recognition often leads to despair and isolation

Author: Franz Kafka

“A Hunger Artist” is a novella by Franz Kafka, which was published in 1922.

The narrative follows a professional hunger artist whose act is to fast for extended periods, presenting his art as a spectacle for an audience.  

Initially, his performances drew significant attention, and he became a celebrated figure, embodying the artist’s struggle against societal norms and expectations.

As the story progresses, the artist’s popularity wanes, and he becomes increasingly alienated.

The public’s fascination shifts to more modern forms of entertainment, and the hunger artist becomes a relic of a bygone era.

The hunger artist’s ultimate fate is tragic. Despite his dedication to his craft, he becomes a victim of societal indifference.

The book is a poignant 14-page short story that delves into themes of art, isolation, and the quest for meaning.

Kafka’s exploration of the artist’s suffering is a metaphor for the broader human experience — where the search for authenticity and recognition often leads to despair and isolation.

He masterfully captures the conflict between the artist’s inner world and external interpretations, demonstrating the need to understand and appreciate real creative expression.

The story culminates in the realization that true artistry is frequently unrecognized and undervalued.

In “A Hunger Artist,” Kafka crafts a powerful commentary on the complexities of identity, the ephemeral nature of fame, and the often lonely path of the artist, making it a compelling and thought-provoking work that resonates with anyone grappling with the meaning of creativity and existence.

His prose is spare yet evocative, employing a surreal tone that enhances the existential themes.

The story challenges readers to consider the nature of art, the role of the audience, and the sacrifices artists make for their craft.

Kafka is renowned for his surreal and existential narratives that still resonate with readers more than a century later. His best-known works include “The Metamorphosis,” “The Trial,” and “The Castle.”

 

 


What We Are Reading Today: ‘Dragonflies and Damselflies of the World’ by Klass-Douwe B. Dijkstra

Updated 1 min 20 sec ago
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What We Are Reading Today: ‘Dragonflies and Damselflies of the World’ by Klass-Douwe B. Dijkstra

Airily dancing over rivers and ponds, the thousands of colorful dragonfly and damselfly species that cohabit our planet may seem of little importance.

Few life-forms, however, convey the condition of the most limiting resource on land and life’s most bountiful environment as well as they can: While the adults are exceptional aerial hunters, their nymphs are all confined to freshwater.

“Dragonflies and Damselflies of the World” showcases their beauty and diversity while shedding light on how they evolved into the vital symbols of planetary health we celebrate today.


Emirates Airline Festival of Literature announces 2025 lineup

Updated 12 November 2024
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Emirates Airline Festival of Literature announces 2025 lineup

DUBAI: The Emirates Airline Festival of Literature organizers announced the lineup of award-winning authors and speakers for its 2025 edition on Tuesday.
The annual literary event, set to take place from Jan. 29 to Feb. 3 at the InterContinental Dubai Festival City, promises more than 150 events, including talks, panel discussions, and workshops, all under the theme “Where Stories Happen.”

Leading the list of authors is US-Indian writer and Stanford University professor Abraham Verghese, author of “The Covenant of Water,” which rose to fame when it was chosen for Oprah Winfrey’s book club.

Also included in the lineup are Nobel Prize laureate Abdulrazak Gurnah, Emmy Award-winning journalist Hala Gorani, Palestinian chef and hotelier Fadi Kattan, and author and illustrator of the popular “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” series Jeff Kinney.

Closer to home, Saudi author Faisal J. Abbas will talk about his new book, “Anecdotes of an Arab Anglophile,” a witty and thoughtful take on what it is like being an Arab in London.

“With everything going on in the world, now more than ever, we need stories. We need human connection. We need to come together in the ‘sanctuary of dreams’ … which the festival offers,” Tamreez Inam, head of programming, told Arab News.

“The festival welcomes people who want to dream and imagine a world that celebrates our shared humanity and offers a place where people can tell their own stories, find themselves in other stories and connect at that very human level. And I think that’s why the 2025 festival is so important; it’s needed more than ever now,” she added.

Dania Droubi, the festival’s chief operating officer, revealed that the event will also host an international youth program.

“We have 150 university students from around the world coming to participate in our program, and they are going to be here in Dubai,” she said.

“They’re all students who speak Arabic and who study Arabic. They are going to be here to meet with another 150 from the UAE-based universities, and they’re here to attend and see the authors and the speakers … and just participate in these discussions, because the youth are the future.”


What We Are Reading Today: ‘Leonardo da Vinci: An Untraceable Life’ by Stephen J. Campbell

Updated 11 November 2024
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What We Are Reading Today: ‘Leonardo da Vinci: An Untraceable Life’ by Stephen J. Campbell

Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519) never signed a painting, and none of his supposed self-portraits can be securely ascribed to his hand.

Addressing the ethical stakes involved in studying past lives, Stephen J. Campbell shows how this invented Leonardo has invited speculation from figures ranging from art dealers and curators to scholars, scientists, and biographers, many of whom have filled in the gaps of what can be known of Leonardo’s life with claims to decode secrets, reveal mysteries of a vanished past, or discover lost masterpieces of spectacular value.


What We Are Reading Today: ‘Clouds’ by Edward Graham

Updated 10 November 2024
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What We Are Reading Today: ‘Clouds’ by Edward Graham

The mystery of clouds has captivated scientists and artists alike.

This unique book shows you how to use the meteorological techniques of nephology to identify these elusive and transmutable shapes.

“Clouds” blends a lively and engaging narrative by one of today’s leading meteorologists with an essay on historic cloud art, and includes a wealth of breathtaking cloud studies by some of the greatest artists ever to look skyward.


What We Are Reading Today: ‘Understanding the Digital World’

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Updated 09 November 2024
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What We Are Reading Today: ‘Understanding the Digital World’

  • Kernighan touches on fundamental ideas from computer science and some of the inherent limitations of computers, and new sections in the book explore Python programming, big data, and much more

Author: BRIAN W. KERNIGHAN

In this updated edition of “Understanding the Digital World,” Brian Kernighan explains how computer hardware, software, and networks work.

Topics include how computers are built and how they compute; what programming is; how the Internet and web operate; and how all of these affect security, privacy, property, and other important social, political, and economic issues.

Kernighan touches on fundamental ideas from computer science and some of the inherent limitations of computers, and new sections in the book explore Python programming, big data, and much more.