Arash Zeini

Category: Blog

  • Die Verzauberung des Alltags!

    Die Verzauberung des Alltags!

    Das „Kopfkissenbuch“ der Hofdame Sei Shōnagon (geb. 966) ist ein Meisterwerk der japanischen Betrachtungs- und Essayliteratur. Obwohl nicht eindeutig datierbar, werden aufgrund der im Text erwähnten Ereignisse und Persönlichkeiten die Jahre 996 bis 1009 für die Entstehungszeit des Werkes angesetzt (siehe Nachwort, S. 632). Vermutlich begann Sei Shōnagon mit der Niederschrift um das Jahr 996, nachdem sie von der Kaiserin 20 Bögen Papier geschenkt bekommen hatte, eine Tatsache, die sie in Betrachtung 259 erwähnt.

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  • Das Adressbuch

    Der Erzählstrang, falls es in diesem Buch eine Geschichte gibt, ist erdenklich einfach: die bekannte, französische Konzeptkünstlerin Sophie Calle findet ein Adressbuch auf der Straße. Doch bevor sie das Buch dem rechtmäßigen Besitzer zurückgibt, kopiert sie alle Kontakte aus dem Adressbuch und begibt sich auf eine Entdeckungsreise, indem sie im Freundeskreis dieses Unbekannten (Pierre D.) Interviews hält. Die 28 Interviews erscheinen im Jahre 1983 als Serie in der französischen Tageszeitung Libération, allerdings ohne Wissen und Erlaubnis des Recherchierten.

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  • Winterbienen

    Winterbienen

    Der neueste Roman von Norbert Scheuer, Winterbienen, der 2019 für den Deutschen Buchpreis nominiert wurde, ist das Tagebuch des Imkers Egidius Arimond, der mit seinen Bienen in der Landschaft um Urftland lebt. Das vermeintlich ruhige Leben des Imkers, der an Epilepsie leidet und Juden bei der Flucht nach Belgien hilft, droht im Laufe des Romans immer mehr außer Kontrolle zu geraten.

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  • From Bombay with Love

    A couple of years ago, a friend mentioned that she is offering consulting to a new restaurant, helping them to capture the atmosphere of Mumbai’s famed Parsi restaurants. At the time, I couldn’t imagine how such a restaurant could look like in London, let alone the authenticity of the food. I admit to a kind of streetwise snobbery about British Indian food. And when the first Dishoom finally opened in London, I hesitantly asked my friend whether she would recommend eating there.

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  • The Colaba Navjote

    The hindustantimes has another article on the Navjote I wrote about yesterday. This one provides a bit more information about other contentious Navjotes. And it briefly mentions gender disparity as one of the arguments that seems to be dividing the Parsi community:

    The issue has divided the community, with one section stating the children cannot be initiated into the faith because their father is of a different faith. On the other hand, reformist groups have called the older practice discriminatory towards women.

    hindustantimes

  • Who owns the good religion?

    Parsi Navjote

    Those acquainted with Zoroastrianism, at times called the Good Religion, and the Parsi community know of the heated debate that surrounds conversion. People often believe that today’s Zoroastrianism or the Parsi community do not allow or frown upon conversion into the religion. Another fiercely debated issue is the acceptance into the Parsi community of children from mixed marriages, particularly when the father is not a Zoroastrian.

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  • Winterbienen

    I’m currently reading Norbert Scheuer’s new novel Winterbienen (‘Winter Bees’). I’ve just started it, and so far like it very much. It plays during World War II, and I found the following paragraph reminiscent of the current situation in Iran:

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  • Saša Stanišić: Herkunft

    Am Flughafen. Ich bemerke, dass ich mein Buch vergessen habe, will aber unbedingt etwas lesen. Ich frage im kleinen Buchladen nach “Winterbienen”. Die Verkäuferin, die sich gut auskennt, lächelt. Ich Frage nach dem Grund: “Wir haben das Buch lange hier gehabt, niemand hat danach gefragt. Also haben wir es weggelegt”. Ich kaufe mir “Herkunft”. Es ist ein großartiges Buch, ich weiß aber nicht, ob es ein Roman oder eine Autobiographie ist. Im Englischen würde man es wahrscheinlich “autofiction” nennen.

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  • Stille!

    Not my style of literature, but whoever writes about walking, mountains and silence gets my attention! Werner Herzog’s (@wernerhurtzog) “Vom Gehen im Eis” and Robert Walser’s “Der Spaziergang” remain clear favourites.

    Kann ich der Welt nicht durch Gehen, Klettern oder Segeln entkommen, habe ich gelernt, sie auszusperren.

    Kagge | Stille

  • There There!

    “There There”, a beautifully written novel and incredible storytelling by Tommy Orange. I sometimes read e-samples before buying a book. This one’s caught my attention immediately and read it to the end. I got off the plane and almost went to Dussmann shortly before midnight to buy the book. Luckily they had an open Sunday the next day. I look forward to reading more by @thommyorange.

  • Japanese cat stories

    I love cats, but am not crazy about them and certainly not a cat vs dog person. I like cats a reasonable amount. A while ago, however, I stumbled upon Junichiro Tanizaki’s cat story, read it out of curiosity and absolutely loved it. Months later, I caught myself remembering it as a B&W film, so lucid and expressive is its language and storytelling.

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  • Year 2016 in numbers

    Bibliographia Iranica started in May 2015. Although I had received positive feedback about my bibliographic posts on my own blog, it was unclear how well a dedicated bibliographic website for Iranian Studies would be received. I am glad to say that the academic as well as the general reception of our collective effort here at Bibliographia Iranica has been very positive and encouraging. And we know that our user base continues to grow. And so, before the new year advances too far and becomes old news, we should review the statistics for the past year.

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  • A safe haven for Syrians

    30 people within Cambridge, and another 40 in the surrounding areas have pledged to house refugees. This is just within the last few days and to just one organisation. Another 5,495 have volunteered within the UK to help once the refugees arrive. Please help to increase these numbers. Pledge your support here:

    https://secure.avaaz.org/en/uk_refugees_volunteer_thank_you_3/

  • “Thinking of going to Calais?”

    If you are planning to go to Calais as a volunteer, please read this piece by Alison Playford.

    Thinking of going to Calais? I’ve just got back and would like to share some thoughts with you.

    It appears that a large wave of European citizens are in the process of taking ‘aid’ to Calais and other areas in Europe where migrants and refugees are camped or travelling.

    People in the UK and across Europe who are distressed to see pictures of drowned children want to help. I am glad to see this response, but would like to add a few points to the debate, as I think that we are in danger of perpetuating the problem by framing the situation through the political lens of those who created it.

  • Panini, Sanskrit and software development

    BBC Radio 4 is currently exploring aspects of Indian history based on biographies of 50 important Indian historical figures: Incarnations: India in 50 Lives. Yesterday’s programme happened to be on the Indian grammarian Panini, whose grammar—according to this programme—played a pivotal role in making Sanskrit the lingua franca of South Asia for more than a millennium.

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