Eavesdropping

Justine: I’m always irritated when people tell me I’m just like one of my characters. Which happens rarely (fortunately) for the people who say it ’cause I usually hit them. Even though violence is wrong.

I've been lurking on a site called Fantasy Magazine and was rewarded with another great interview - between Justine Larbalestier and Ekaterina Sedia, whose The Secret History of Moscow looks really intriguing (Her next book, The Alchemy of Stone comes out in June 2008). Their fascinating conversation is funny (it is two writers, and one of them Justine Larbalestier, after all), informative and intriguing. They talk about what it's like to be writers in America coming, as they do, from other cultures and countries, how their readers react to them as immigrants, the stereotypes about Russia and Australia and the ones they've found out about the U.S., too. Did I say 'fascinating?' I meant it.

Paging through a bit of news, I came across this bit of graphic novel. It's in German, and yes, it's an historical graphic novel intended for German kids. According to the article in the Guardian, "In Germany, which this week marks the 75th anniversary of Hitler's elevation to German chancellor, many fear that young people are disinterested in or misinformed about this important chapter of history." Seventy-five years ago the insanity began. Though none of us were even born then, can you imagine the Holocaust ever going out of the public memory, ever being just a bump on the road of history? Never, never, never, never, never. In the words of Maya Angelou, History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again."

From our mouths to God's ear.