A U.S. Navy commodore’s 1823 General Order announcing the imminent seizure of Key West – at the time known as Allenton – has been obtained, along with “1,000 other pieces of the island’s history,” by the Monroe County Public Library. The collection also includes a book from 1858 written by William Curry, “a penniless Bahamian immigrant who became Florida’s first millionaire.” Best of all? You can view some of the cache online.
A Conch Republic Treasure Trove
Life and Fate
Kenneth Branagh and David Tennant star in an eight-hour dramatization of Life and Fate by Vasily Grossman. Completed in 1960, and centered around the bloody battle of Stalingrad, the novel was deemed so dangerous by the KGB that the book itself was arrested. BBC’s excited, and all the episodes are available to download.
Coming to a theater near Tokyo
First it was Pebble Beach, and now they want our movies. After years of bad Hollywood remakes of good Japanese movies, turnabout is fair play.
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Will Hoge
There’s a great free download at iTunes right now: Country rocker and (some say) Tom Petty-sound-alike Will Hoge‘s new single “Even If It Breaks Your Heart.” If you like what you hear, Hoge is also on tour right now.
Yugolysses
The “Yugoslavian Ulysses,” (not actually titled Yugolysses) has been newly translated into English, and gets a thoughtful but mixed review in TNR.
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Weike Wang Lets Readers in with Humor
Weike Wang's second novel, Joan Is Okay, follows an ICU doctor who uses her love of sytems and her deadpan humor to navigate grief and loss.
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A helping hand
This week, Melville House is donating all profits from books purchased on their website to Japan disaster relief.