We Are Suffering from Blogger's Block..............

Yes, I imagined this never happened to Albert Camus, Leo Tolstoy, Aziz Nesin*, Arthur Miller, Langston Hughes, Emily Dickinson, Miles Davis, Andy Warhol or Lee Falk, but it has happened to me!

*-He is a famous deceased Turkish writer

Quotes from International Writers- Albert Camus

This just in: Nancy Pelosi and Michele Bachmann have agreed to a celebrity women's boxing match at half-time of the Minnesota Vikings-Washington Redskins game in Washington, DC (well, actually the game will be played in Maryland) on Oct. 14th. I'm sure Katie Taylor, the Irish woman who won gold for her country in the sport in London, will be very proud.

Yes, we thought that would get your attention. Of course, it's NOT true. We must profess to being influenced by the satirical publication "The Onion," which stated this week that Barack Obama will star in a Judd Apatow comedy to appeal to young voters.

But, this entry is actually our kick-off in a series of quips from famous writers. We start with the French novelist Albert Camus (1913-1960) who alas lived a short life. The writer who was born in Algeria is perhaps best-known for his novel "The Stranger" (1942).

Here is his quote:

"Any authentic creation is a gift to the future."

http://www.theonion.com

Special Quote of the Week- George Orwell

Today, we conclude our month-long series (yes, we know today is actually June 1, 2011) from novelists with a quip from the great English writer/essayist/novelist George Orwell (1903-1950) who died young at age 46.

On our sister blog "Politics, Culture and Other Wastes of Time," we are quoting Albert Camus (1913-1960) who also died at age 46. Both men were also born in colonized territory as Orwell was born in India and Camus was born in Algeria. And, both writers, of course, are still well-known around the world for their highly political works.

Orwell has the distinction of being admired by both the right and the left. This is emphasized by the fact that his staunchest supporter in the modern day is the atheist intellectual Christopher Hitchens, who has drfited from the left to the right to the middle, or wherever he is/may be at the moment. Hitchens wrote a book entitled "Why Orwell Matters" in 2002, and Hitchens also has the distinction of having spats with both left-wing philosopher Noam Chomsky and the late evangelical extremist Jerry Falwell.

According to Wikipedia, Orwell's works were written with regard to an awareness of social injustice and a concern for totalitarism. The terms Orwellian and Big Brother derive from his works. Due to his short life, Orwell is most regarded for just two novels, "Animal Farm" (1945) and his last and most famous work "1984" (1949).

Orwell's works also inspired the film director Terry Gilliam with his famous critically acclaimed film "Brazil" (1985) which is also about totalitarianism.

Here is Orwell's quote:

"All the war-propaganda, all the screaming and lies and hatred, comes invariably from people who not fighting."

Quote of the Day- Albert Camus

Since it will be Bastille Day in France next week (July 14th is the French day of independence), which is coincidentally a day of jubilation in Azerbaijan as well---though we aren't quite sure exactly why, we thought we'd post some quotes from famous French people. In fact, we are doing this all this month on Wednesdays as we are also quoting famous Americans on Mondays. I suppose those who were ex-pats, like the late poet James Baldwin, could qualify for both slots!

Today, we are quoting two French legends who were actually born in Algeria on our two blogs. On "Politics, Culture and Other Wastes of Time" (yeah, I know this isn't the best name for a blog), we quip the recently-deceased fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent (1936-2008).

But, here we quote Albert Camus (1913-1960), who wrote "The Stranger." The great writer was also known for speaking out against capital punishment, colonialism and human rights abuses. We take it Dick Cheney probably hasn't checked any of his books out of the Casper, Wyo., library.

Here is the quote from Camus who alas died a few years short of his 50th birthday:

"All great deeds and all great thoughts have a ridicilous beginning. Great works are often born on a street corner or in a restaurant's revolving door."